We’re in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals and the possibility for penalties is increasing.
Four years ago, two of the four World Cup quarter-finals went all the way to penalties. Argentina knocked out the Netherlands en route to lifting the trophy, while Croatia knocked Brazil out after a shoot-out.
There have already been four penalty shootouts at this summer’s World Cup, including two by teams set to contest the quarter-finals. Switzerland were one of those, and they may hope to knock Argentina out via the same method.
But can they do it, should the game go all the way?
Argentina vs Switzerland penalty analysis
Argentina World Cup penalty record
Argentina have taken part in more World Cup penalty shootouts than any other team, with seven. They’ve also won six of those, another World Cup best. And they’re one of just three teams to win the World Cup thanks to a penalty shootout. Argentina’s first World Cup penalty shootout came in 1990, and they had two in that tournament. In the quarter-finals, Argentina beat Yugoslavia 3-2 on penalties, in a shootout that saw Diego Maradona miss. They then beat Italy 4-3 on penalties in the semi-finals, with Maradona scoring to put them on the brink.
Argentina’s next penalty shootout came in France 98, knocking England out in the last-16. Despite Hernan Crespo missing his penalty, Argentina held their nerve and won thanks to misses from Paul Ince and David Batty. La Albiceleste suffered their first and only World Cup penalty shootout defeat in 2006, beaten by — shock — Germany. Roberto Ayala and Esteban Cambiasso missed for Argentina in that shootout, with the latter’s miss ending the tie. But Argentina won back-to-back shootouts against the Netherlands in 2014 and 2022. Then, of course, there was the World Cup Final in 2022 which Argentina won by beating France on penalties thanks to Emiliano Martinez’s heroics.
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Penalty shootouts contested | 7 |
| Penalty shootouts won | 6 |
| Penalty shootouts lost | 1 |
| Penalties scored | 25 |
| Penatlies missed/saved | 6 |
Switzerland World Cup penalty record
As mentioned, Switzerland reached the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals thanks to a penalty shootout. And that was just their second in World Cup history. The first came in 2006 as they faced Ukraine in the last-16. After a goalless draw, Switzerland missed all three of their penalties to fall 3-0. And that was after they had the chance to take control early on, following Andriy Shevchenko’s miss.
Switzerland’s second shootout was against Colombia in the previous round. It wasn’t perfect, with Manuel Akanji missing his effort, but a Yann Sommer save and another Colombian miss gave Ruben Vargas the chance to win the shootout for Switzerland. Which, of course, he took. Switzerland don’t have a good record on penalties overall, though. The A-Team have lost five of their seven shootouts in competitive football, including three at European Championships.
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Penalty shootouts contested | 2 |
| Penalty shootouts won | 1 |
| Penalty shootouts lost | 1 |
| Penalties scored | 4 |
| Penatlies missed/saved | 4 |
Who will take Argentina’s penalties?
Lionel Messi has missed two penalties at the World Cup this summer. But he’ll still be Argentina’s first taker. Throughout his career, Messi has scored 116 of his 150 penalties in games for club and country. He scored four at the 2022 World Cup en route to Argentian lifting the trophy, including two during in which games he would also score in the shootout. In shootouts alone, Messi has scored in 11 of 13 for club and country.
Lautaro Martinez should also be a guarantee for the shootout if he’s still on the pitch. The Inter Milan striker may save himself for the fifth kick, when it could matter most. Martinez has scored 19 of his 28 penalties in games for club and country, including one against Jordan earlier in the tournament. He has also scored three in five penalty shootouts, including two in two four Argentina.
Gonzalo Montiel has also taken a fair few penalties in shootouts for Argentina, always ready to put himself in the tense moments. And he has had success, scoring in the 2022 World Cup Final. Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister will also no doubt throw their names in the hat, with the former having a decent record from the spot even with a few misses.
Predicted Argentina penalty order
- Lionel Messi
- Alexis Mac Allister
- Gonzalo Montiel
- Enzo Fernandez
- Lautaro Martinez
Who will take Switzerland’s penalties?
It’s not inconceivable that Switzerland use the same penalty takers from the win over Colombia. Even with Manuel Akanji’s miss. The centre-back has failed in three of his four penalty shootouts for Switzerland, but still puts his name in the hat to take one of the first five.
Granit Xhaka will likely take Switzerland’s first, hoping to get them started in the right fashion. He was in that position against Colombia and had pressure on, after Juan Fernando Quintero had converted the first spot-kick. But Xhaka was not fazed, getting Switzerland on the board. The midfielder has scored eight of his nine penalties in matches, which isn’t much but it’s a good success rate. That includes one in the group stage of this World Cup against Bosnia-Herzegovina. He’s also scored five of his six penalties in shootouts for club and country.
Ruben Vargas scored the winning penalty for Switzerland and he’ll likely put himself in the same position should this game go all the way. He has scored two of his three penalties in shootouts for Switzerland, missing in the Euro 2020 defeat to Spain. At club level he has scored in both of the shootouts he has taken part in. Overall, though, Vagas has only taken one penalty in-game, which he scored last November.
Predicted Switzerland penalty order
- Granit Xhaka
- Zeki Amdouni
- Manuel Akanji
- Cedric Itten
- Ruben Vargas
Who will win if Argentina vs Switzerland goes to penalties?
Switzerland’s gameplan will no doubt involve the chance of penalties. But that may not be enough. Despite their shootout win last time out, they do not have a good record on penalties.
When you combine that with Argentina’s experience in World Cup penalty shootouts, all signs point to another victory for La Albiceleste.
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