A total of 22 FIFA World Cup™ matches have been decided by a penalty shoot-out, the first in 1982 when West Germany beat France in the semi-finals and the most recent in 2010, when Uruguay edged out Ghana in the last eight.

Germany, France, Argentina and Italy have all
been involved in four World Cup shoot-outs, with the Germans - renowned specialists - the only nation to have won all four.

To date, two Finals have been decided by penalties, and both have involved Italy. In 1994, Brazil won 3-2 thanks to three unconverted spot kicks by the Italians, while 12 years later Gli Azzurri triumphed 5-3 over France at Germany 2006 after finding the net with every attempt.