There's a strong chance that England will be involved in multiple knockout rounds in North America and could end up relying on their penalty takers to advance further in the competition.
Here, Flashscore takes a look at the countries' record in World Cup shootouts, as well as who the best options are in the squad should the need arise.
Find out more about Scotland's penalty takers here.
Who are the ideal five?
*Unless specified, stats don't include records from penalty shootouts*
For a long time, the Three Lions were synonymous with failing to win penalty shootouts. Across 16 years from 1996 to 2012, England took part in five shootouts at either a World Cup or European Championship and lost every single one.
Things changed after the arrival of manager Gareth Southgate, who saw the national team win three of their next four showdowns from the spot (Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, Switzerland in the 2019 Nations League and Switzerland again at the 2024 Euros).
Given the extra knockout round this summer, it seems likely that England will have to contend with penalties at least once more if they want to go far in the competition. So, who are the best from the spot in Thomas Tuchel's 26-man squad?
In a stellar senior career, star striker Harry Kane has netted a staggering 107 penalties, missing 14. In terms of direct shootouts, Kane has taken twice for England at major tournaments and scored both of them.
Supporters will remember his miss against France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, as well as when his spot kick was saved in the Euro 2020 semi-final with Denmark - but Kane's overall record commands a name in the Three Lions' first five takers.
Likewise, his deputy Ivan Toney is equally fantastic from the spot. The Al Ahli striker has scored 58 in his career and missed just four. He also scored in his only England shootout, when the Three Lions defeated Switzerland in 2024.
His inclusion in the squad raised some eyebrows, but it seems likely that if the occasion arrives, Toney will be on the pitch for an England penalty shootout once again.
There's a significant drop to the next most scored, which is Marcus Rashford on 21 with only two misses. If you include shootouts, though, he missed the target in England's Euro 2020 final with Italy - something that could have a psychological effect this time around.
There are also question marks as to whether or not he would be on the pitch come the end of a match; it's likely Rashford will be rotated a fair bit with Anthony Gordon.
The former Newcastle winger has an equally impressive record from the spot with 17 goals and three misses - as well as the advantage of having never missed for England before. He was chosen to take in the Three Lions' 3-0 win over Costa Rica earlier this week ahead of Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze.
That would suggest Tuchel favours the winger from the spot and, if it came down to it, would select him in a shootout.
After Gordon, Saka has scored the next most with 16. The star forward has only missed three in his career, but did infamously see his spot kick saved in that Italy final.
Saka seems to have expelled those demons, though, having netted in England's 2024 shootout win over Switzerland.
That would be the ideal five takers based on their numerical record - but it, of course, doesn't take into account the mental side of the game that comes in penalty shootouts. It would also be unlikely that all five of Kane, Toney, Rashford, Gordon and Saka would all be on the pitch come the end of a game.
Tuchel has plenty of capable deputies to call upon, though, including Bellingham and Elliot Anderson, who have only missed once each in their respective careers. Eze is also a solid option, having scored eight and missed just twice.
Ollie Watkins is the only forward with a genuinely questionable record. The Aston Villa striker has missed more than he has scored through his professional career (six goals, seven misses).
What about the goalkeepers?
England's number one, Jordan Pickford has been exceptional between the sticks for the Three Lions and has a superb record when it comes to penalty shootouts at major tournaments.
The 32-year-old saved one in 2024 against Switzerland, two in the Euro 2020 final with Italy and another in the 2018 World Cup shootout with Colombia.
Outside of shootouts, he has saved 11 of the 69 he has faced. Pickford has even scored one himself, against Switzerland in 2019, which makes him an interesting option if there were to ever be a need for him to be shooting rather than protecting the goal.
Back-up goalkeepers James Trafford and Dean Henderson also have respectable records. Trafford has saved five from 16, while Henderson has stopped 12 out of the 34 he has faced.
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FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament will feature 48 national teams and will be played in 16 modern stadiums.
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