Detail "unites" penalty shootouts in the World Cup; understand

The 2026 World Cup, which enters the quarterfinals this Thursday (9), has so far had four penalty shootouts. In all of them, an unusual detail caught attention: the teams that won were not the first to make the decisive kick.

Paraguay, Morocco, Egypt and Switzerland advanced to the next stage after triumphing in their respective series. This pattern raises the question of whether the order of the shots confers some kind of psychological or technical advantage in the World Cup qualifiers.

The Opta statistics service reinforces the observation by pointing out that 13 of the last 15 penalty shootouts in World Cups were won by the team that took the second sequence. Historically, of the 35 contests prior to 2026, 11 also had the winner starting second.

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Advantage?
The possible advantage of the second charge has already been the subject of study by FIFA. The entity even tested a new competition model, called "ABBA", where the first team charges once and the opponent, twice consecutively, alternating the sequence.

The main objective of the change would be to reduce any potential superiority linked to the traditional order. However, the ABBA system was only implemented on an experimental basis in 2017 and was not continued, as FIFA did not prove a significant sporting advantage.

Quarter-final clashes
With the end of the round of 16, the 2026 World Cup moves on to the quarter-finals.

Top Cifras

Toque agora.

1 Balancê Sara Tavares

2 Con El Cielo Hillsong Worship

3 Augusta, Angélica e Consolação Tom Zé

4 Hipnose Manu Gavassi

These matches will define the tournament's semifinalists, which promise more excitement and, who knows, new penalty shootouts with this curious detail.

- Thursday, July 9, 2026, 5pm - Morocco x France - Gillette Stadium, Boston.
- Friday, July 10, 2026, 4pm - Spain x Belgium - SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles.
- Saturday, July 11, 2026, 6pm - Norway x England - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami. July 11, 2026, 10pm - Argentina x Switzerland - Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City.

For the first time, the quarterfinals of the World Cup are without Brazil, Germany and Italy

This text was generated by artificial intelligence based on content produced by Itatiaia. All information is investigated and checked by journalists. The final text is also reviewed by the CNN Brasil journalism team.

Source: CNN