New Delhi: As Spain is all set to face Austria in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup early Friday, pressure is mounting on the European giants, as they have been eliminated from the last two tournaments on penalties. They have won just one of five shootouts at the World Cup.
Despite a slow start against Cabo Verde, Spain topped Group H to reach the knockout stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with two wins and a draw, boasting a massive 34-game unbeaten run in regular time and entering the match without conceding a goal in the group stage. They will, however, be without star forward Nico Williams due to injury.
Meanwhile, finishing second in their group, Austria is returning to the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time since 1954. They are dealing with major fitness concerns after captain David Alaba and striker Marko Arnautovic picked up knocks in their recent 3-3 draw against Algeria.
The last time the two nations met in a World Cup tournament was in 1978, where Austria claimed a 2-1 victory. However, Spain has won four of the last five meetings between the sides across all competitions.
When it comes to penalties in the World Cup, Spain has been a bit too unlucky, winning only once in five games. They have only defeated the Republic of Ireland in the Round of 16 in 2002.
The other times, Spain has suffered defeats when the match was not decided within 120 minutes. They have lost to Belgium, South Korea, Russia and Morocco in 1986, 2002, 2018 and 2022, respectively.
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Penalties of FIFA World Cup
There have been 37 penalty shootouts since 1982 in the world’s biggest football tournament, with the first one being held between West Germany and France. West Germany went on to win the match 5-4.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar boasted the most penalty shootouts in a single tournament, including the final. There were five shootouts that year.
Defending champions Argentina have been involved in the most penalty shootouts (7) with the most wins in the FIFA World Cup, the latest being the final in 2022 against France. Their shootout victories span over three decades against major nations like Yugoslavia, Italy, England, the Netherlands, and France, with only one loss to Germany in 2006.
Meanwhile, according to OptaJoe, 78 per cent of the penalties have been scored within regulation or extra time in the FIFA World Cup. However, when it comes to penalty shootouts, the rate drops to 68 per cent.
The conversion rate difference highlights the sheer psychological pressure and physical fatigue of shootouts.
On Friday, Spain faces a hurdle in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as their historically poor track record in major tournament tie-breakers amplifies the pressure.