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England have, so far, cleverly managed to avoid the agony of a penalty shootout exit at the 2026 World Cup by not yet featuring in a knockout round.

That will soon change, as the Group L winners prepare to face DR Congo in the round of 32. For manager Thomas Tuchel, this match could mark the beginning of a long World Cup journey. However, with every knockout game comes the risk of the dreaded penalty shootout.

England’s painful history with penalties is well documented, though the team’s spot-kick performances have improved significantly under Gareth Southgate. The Three Lions have triumphed in their most recent penalty shootouts at the World Cup, European Championship, and Nations League, even though the EURO 2020 final ended in heartbreak.

Player statistics:

Elliot Anderson – Career penalties: 2 | Scored: 2 | England shootouts: 0 | Scored: 0 | Conversion Rate: 100.00%

Reece James – Career penalties: 1 | Scored: 1 | England shootouts: 0 | Scored: 0 | Conversion Rate: 100.00%

Jordan Pickford – Career penalties: 0 | Scored: 0 | England shootouts: 1 | Scored: 1 | Conversion Rate: 100.00%

Ivan Toney – Career penalties: 61 | Scored: 57 | England shootouts: 1 | Scored: 1 | Conversion Rate: 93.55%

Anthony Gordon – Career penalties: 14 | Scored: 13 | England shootouts: 0 | Scored: 0 | Conversion Rate: 92.86%

Harry Kane – Career penalties: 119 | Scored: 105 | England shootouts: 2 | Scored: 2 | Conversion Rate: 88.43%

Marcus Rashford – Career penalties: 21 | Scored: 19 | England shootouts: 3 | Scored: 2 | Conversion Rate: 87.50%

Jude Bellingham – Career penalties: 5 | Scored: 4 | England shootouts: 1 | Scored: 1 | Conversion Rate: 83.33%

Eberechi Eze – Career penalties: 10 | Scored: 8 | England shootouts: 0 | Scored: 0 | Conversion Rate: 80.00%

Bukayo Saka – Career penalties: 18 | Scored: 15 | England shootouts: 1 | Scored: 0 | Conversion Rate: 78.95%

Noni Madueke – Career penalties: 4 | Scored: 3 | England shootouts: 0 | Scored: 0 | Conversion Rate: 75.00%

Morgan Rogers – Career penalties: 2 | Scored: 1 | England shootouts: 0 | Scored: 0 | Conversion Rate: 50.00%

Ollie Watkins – Career penalties: 13 | Scored: 6 | England shootouts: 0 | Scored: 0 | Conversion Rate: 46.15%

Declan Rice – Career penalties: 3 | Scored: 1 | England shootouts: 0 | Scored: 0 | Conversion Rate: 33.33%

Jordan Henderson – Career penalties: 2 | Scored: 1 | England shootouts: 1 | Scored: 0 | Conversion Rate: 33.33%

The above list includes all players in England’s 2026 World Cup squad who have taken penalties in senior football, including England Under-21 matches but excluding club-level shootouts.

Senior-level England shootouts have also been accounted for. Fortunately, none of these players were part of the infamous era when England consistently faltered from the spot.

Harry Kane remains England’s designated penalty taker, serving as the team’s long-time captain, record goalscorer, and dependable finisher. Although he has missed a few crucial ones, his overall record remains excellent.

Kane has already converted a penalty at the 2026 World Cup, though it came with a scare. In the opening group match against Croatia, his first attempt was saved by Dominik Livakovic. However, the referee ordered a retake after the Croatian goalkeeper stepped off his line and Josko Gvardiol encroached. Kane made no mistake on the second try.

If England do find themselves in a shootout this summer, the squad’s collective experience in such moments is limited. Still, Tuchel’s men are expected to be well-prepared.

Kane will undoubtedly take the first kick, with experienced players like Marcus Rashford, Eberechi Eze, and Bukayo Saka likely to follow if they are on the pitch.

Jude Bellingham is also expected to step up, while Anthony Gordon could be considered if Rashford, Eze, or Saka are unavailable at the time.

Only Tuchel knows the exact order, though he has long emphasised the importance of penalty preparation. His decision to include Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney was based on data highlighting the forward’s outstanding penalty record across a large sample size.

FourFourTwo’s projected penalty taker order:

Harry Kane

Marcus Rashford

Jude Bellingham

Declan Rice

Ivan Toney

Bukayo Saka

Elliot Anderson

Marc Guehi

Djed Spence

Nico O’Reilly

In goal, Jordan Pickford will surely remain between the posts during any shootout. Tuchel is not expected to substitute him for a specialist, particularly given his memorable World Cup penalty save in the past.

Across his career, Pickford has saved 11 out of 69 non-shootout penalties, which equates to a 15% save rate. Dean Henderson boasts a far superior 35% rate, having saved 12 of 34 penalties. Youngster James Trafford has stopped five of 16 penalties faced, though he conceded the only one he has faced for England, in a friendly against Uruguay in March.