How Many World Cups Ended In Penalty Shots?
The World Cup Final has ended in penalty shots three times in history. The 1994 World Cup Final between Italy and Brazil, the 2006 World Cup Final between Italy and France, and the 2022 World Cup Final between France and Argentina all relied on a shootout period to reach a conclusion. There have been several other World Cup matches that have ended in penalty shots as well, though the 1994, 2006, and 2022 World Cups are the only titles where the final ended in penalty shots.
1994 World Cup Final: Italy vs. Brazil
The 1994 World Cup Final was the first in history to be decided by penalty shots. The match took place in Pasadena, California, at the Rose Bowl Stadium, between Italy and Brazil. At the end of regulation time, the score was tied at 0-0. This was the first World Cup final to remain scoreless at the end of both regulation and extra time. After the game went into a penalty shootout, Brazil emerged victorious over Italy with a score of 3-2. Roberto Baggio of Italy missed his penalty kick giving Brazil its fourth World Cup title. With this win, Brazil became the first nation in World Cup history to win four titles.
2006 World Cup Final: Italy vs. France
The 2006 World Cup Final is the second championship match that has been decided by penalty shots. The final match took place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, between Italy and France. Following the conclusion of regulation and extra time, the match was tied at 1-1, forcing the game into a shootout. Italy came out strong, with all five of its players scoring their respective penalty shots. David Trezeguet was France’s only player who did not successfully score his penalty shot, making the shootout score 5-3 and giving Italy its fourth World Cup title.
2022 World Cup Final: Argentina vs. France
The most recent World Cup Final to end in penalty shots was the 2022 World Cup Final, in which Argentina faced France in the World Cup hosted by Qatar. The final match was hosted at Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar. The match began with a dominant performance by Argentina, who scored in the 23rd minute on a penalty shot by Lionel Messi, and in the 36th minute on a goal by Ángel Fabián Di María. France surged late in the game, however, with Kylian Mbappé scoring two quick goals in the 80th and 81st minute, leading to a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation.
In extra time, Messi scored a third goal in the 108th minute, only for Mbappé to fire back with a tying goal in the 118th minute to send the match to penalties. In the shootout, France scored on their first and fourth tries by Mbappé and Randal Kolo Muani, respectively, but missed their second and third tries by Kingsley Coman and Aurélien Tchouaméni. Meanwhile, for Argentina, Messi, Paulo Dybala, Leandro Paredes, and Gonzalo Montiel scored four penalty shots, with Montiel scoring the goal that would win Argentina their third World Cup title.