In Budapest last month, Arsenal's Eberechi Eze sent a penalty wide in the Champions League final shootout – a miss that, a few weeks later, he insists will not stop him from stepping up for England at the 2026 World Cup. Penalty shootouts have defined English football's agony and ecstasy for decades, but a new era under Thomas Tuchel and a generation of players who have studied the psychology of the spot-kick are trying to rewrite the script.
Penalty shootouts are a high-stakes tiebreaker introduced in 1978, where each team takes five alternating spot-kicks from 12 yards. If still level, sudden death follows. For England's men's team, they have been a recurring source of trauma: they lost shootouts in 1990 (World Cup semi-final), 1996 (European Championship semi-final), 1998 (World Cup second round), 2004 (European Championship quarter-final), 2006 (World Cup quarter-final) and 2012 (European Championship quarter-final). The nadir came in 1996 when Gareth Southgate, then a defender, missed the crucial penalty against Germany; he later became manager and used sports psychologists to address players' nerves.
“England's penalty shootout history, the 2026 World Cup context, and Eberechi Eze's mindset after his miss.”
Southgate's work paid off: England won shootouts at the 2018 World Cup (against Colombia) and Euro 2020 (against Switzerland and Denmark), breaking the psychological barrier. The current squad includes players like Eze who have experienced both success and failure. Eze, who also had penalties saved for Crystal Palace against Liverpool and Newcastle in 2025, dismissed the idea of changing his stuttering runup, saying: “I’m not going to stress too much about it because I know I’m in this position for a reason.” His attitude reflects a broader cultural shift: players now accept that even the best miss, and resilience is part of the journey.
For UK readers, this matters because both England and Scotland are in the 2026 World Cup – the first time both men's teams have qualified since 1998. England open against Croatia in Group L on Wednesday, while Scotland face their own campaign. The tournament has been overshadowed by controversy over ticket prices, especially in the US, but the on-field stakes are enormous. Gareth Southgate, who stepped down after the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain, has backed Tuchel's side, saying they are “in great shape” after overcoming so many hurdles.
So what does this mean for England's penalty prospects? Here are key questions answered.
Q: Will Eberechi Eze take a penalty for England if there is a shootout in the World Cup? Yes. Eze has repeatedly stated he would have no hesitation: “If called upon, for sure. Why wouldn’t I take it?” He says he has learned from his miss and will continue with his usual technique.
Q: How have England improved at penalty shootouts in recent years? Under Gareth Southgate, England hired a psychologist to work on players' mental preparation. This helped them win shootouts in 2018 and 2021, reversing a long history of failures.
Q: When did England and Scotland last both play in a men's World Cup? 1998 in France. That year England lost on penalties to Argentina in the second round, while Scotland did not advance past the group stage.
What happens next? England fly to Miami for a pre-tournament camp and face Croatia on Wednesday in their first group match. The knockouts begin in late June, and if England progress, penalty shootouts could again decide their fate. For Eze and his teammates, the message is clear: they are ready to step up.