FIFA World Cup 2026: Spain vs Argentina on penalties? How the finalists have performed in shootouts and extra time
Spain and Argentina will face off in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final and, given how evenly matched they are and the tournament’s recent history, it would be no surprise if the match were decided in extra time or by a penalty shootout.
This year, neither finalist has faced a penalty shootout in the knockout stages, although both have taken penalties during matches, with mixed results.
While Mikel Oyarzabal scored the only penalty awarded to Spain in the semi-final against France, Argentina has missed two of its three spot-kicks. Lautaro Martínez scored against Jordan, while Lionel Messi missed penalties against both Austria and Egypt.
Both teams are no strangers to nail-biting finals. Four of the past five FIFA World Cup finals were decided beyond the 90-minute mark, with either Spain or Argentina featuring in three of them.
Spain won its first-ever World Cup in South Africa in 2010, defeating the Netherlands in the final thanks to a 116th-minute goal by Andrés Iniesta.
Argentina, in turn, lost the 2014 final in Brazil to Germany, conceding a 113th-minute goal to Mario Götze. They, however, triumphed over France in Qatar 2022, led by Messi in one of the greatest finals in history.
