Analysis

The 10 best penalty stoppers at the 2026 World Cup (and why USMNT should beware)

Croatia's Dominik Livakovic saves a penalty from Japan's Maya Yoshida at the 2022 World Cup Julian Finney/Getty Images

By Geir JordetJune 29, 2026 Updated 9:11 am EDT

Geir Jordet is an industry-leading expert on penalties and author of the book, Pressure, about the psychology of penalty shootouts. Jordet teaches and conducts research on psychology and elite performance at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and will be part of The Athletic’s World Cup coverage this summer. 

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Traditionally when it comes to penalties, the pressure has been off goalkeepers, with the advantage so heavily weighted towards the taker.

But that doesn’t mean ‘keepers are helpless, nor does it mean they just get lucky by guessing correctly. Stopping penalties is a specialist skill, and some have turned it into an art form. Others have built a reputation on it.

We have already presented the 10 best penalty takers at the 2026 World Cup, so it’s only right that we also look at the best penalty stoppers.

Catch Up On The Story The 10 best penalty takers at the 2026 World Cup (with apologies to Messi and Ronaldo) Our expert breaks down the technique of the best penalty takers at the tournament

One way to do it is to look at the penalty-stopping percentage, which I have done. The 145 World Cup goalkeepers (Egypt brought four) have faced a total of 4,976 regular penalty kicks and have, on average, stopped 17.2 per cent of them. Among the goalkeepers considered, but ultimately not selected, were Americans Matt Turner (28.9 per cent) and Dayne St Clair (28 per cent). Keep in mind that total stats are not the only consideration. I have also considered a goalkeeper’s record in high-pressure situations, in shootouts, and the level of competition. Another strong candidate that almost made the list was Oliver Baumann, who has stopped 26 of 110 penalties (23.6 per cent) and seems to be Germany’s prime penalty killer, but others were ahead of him.

I have also factored in both their shot-stopping technique and interactive style in the penalty duel to assess the degree of deliberation and reproducibility of good performances.

Yassine Bounou of Morocco saves a penalty from Spain’s Carlos Soler at the 2022 World Cup (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

This list is not restricted to the likely starters. There are a few reserve options, which raises the possibility of a 2014 Tim Krul situation, where a manager brings on a goalkeeper specifically for a penalty shootout.

One thing to note about the use of the word ‘saved’, and reference to a goalkeeper’s save percentage: I have grouped every kind of ‘non-goal’, so that includes kicks that have gone wide or hit the post or bar. This is partly because the statistics that delineate misses and saves are much less accessible and reliable. The other reason is that, while it’s not the same as a save, the goalkeeper deserves credit for a duel ‘won’ if the taker shoots wide.

With that in mind, here are the best penalty stoppers at the 2026 World Cup…

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10. Joseph Anang (Ghana)

Joseph Anang during Ghana’s 2-0 friendly defeat against Japan in November (Toru Hanai/Getty Images)

This is the Ghana reserve goalkeeper. He plays for St Patrick’s Athletic in Ireland. He may appear a strange choice, but I’ve selected him for two reasons. First, the numbers: if we combine regular penalties and shootouts, he has faced 32 penalties in his career and stopped 12 of them. That’s 37.5 per cent, which is very high (even though his sample is low and luck could have played some part). He’s also been in three shootouts and won two of them.

Anang is unorthodox. He doesn’t come across as a typical penalty killer. He’s subtle, he’s quiet, he does little things to disrupt the taker, he’s clever in the way he delays the referee. I’ve seen him in penalty shootouts connecting with the assistant referee, having a chat. I’ve seen him do small things to inconvenience the taker just a little bit, such as taking up position at the post when the penalty taker starts their run-up, or leaving the ball when he easily could have handed it to the taker.

Quiet behaviours barely become signals in all the noise, but they’ve seemed sufficient. Is he really the 10th-best ‘keeper in the world on penalties? I’m not sure. But because of his great numbers (while blatantly disregarding the small sample) and the little things he does, he’s in. I’m very curious to see whether he could deliver if called upon.

9. Senne Lammens (Belgium)

The Belgian reserve goalkeeper is here for potential, because he’s only faced 16 penalties, and I haven’t found any shootouts. But he has saved six of those 16 (37.5 per cent), and his technique and mindset are promising.

He tries to trick his opponent and adapts his style according to the taker. For example, 95 per cent of the goalkeepers who face Raul Jimenez would be tricked by him, but that didn’t happen with Lammens when Manchester United played Fulham last season. He did a clever double fake in Jimenez’s run-up, then moved in the correct direction and was extremely close to stopping the kick. There was a brief but great moment afterwards when the two clearly connected over the experience they had just shared. It was like class recognising class.

Belgium No 1 Thibaut Courtois has a lot more experience, with 91 penalties against him, but his average stopping percentage is just above average (20.9 per cent).

Lammens tries a ‘double-fake’ against Jimenez of Fulham in February; shuffling his upper body to the striker’s left (pic 2), then right (pic 3), before finally pushing off his left foot and diving (pic 5)

8. Dominik Livakovic (Croatia)

Livakovic celebrates after Croatia beat Brazil in a shootout at the 2022 World Cup (Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

His numbers, both regular and in shootouts, are 28 saved of 99, a rate of 28.2 per cent. That’s decent but, more impressively, Livakovic has been in seven shootouts and won four, including two at the last World Cup. His record of four saves (and two wins) in World Cup penalty shootouts gets him on the list, particularly stopping three penalties against Japan. The Athletic interviewed Livakovic about his shootout technique last year, revealing a modest and calm penalty-saving specialist who meticulously studies his opponents before the game and when they walk towards him from the halfway line. He saved Harry Kane’s first effort in Croatia’s opening match of the World Cup, only for it to be retaken due to encroachment.

7. Diogo Costa (Portugal)

Diogo Costa in training for Portugal (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Another with good numbers: 59 penalties in total, saved 17, which is 28.8 per cent. Many of the best goalkeepers adapt their approach to penalty taker technique, and Costa is a good example. He approaches things very differently when he faces a taker with a goalkeeper-dependent technique or a goalkeeper-independent approach. He’s proven that in multiple high-level shootouts, including the 2025 Nations League final and at Euro 2024, when he saved three kicks against Slovenia. Costa comfortably makes this top-10 list.

6. Unai Simon (Spain)

Unai Simon has a better record than Raya at penalties (Ulises Ruiz/AFP via Getty Images)

The Spanish situation is fascinating, with maybe the world’s best goalkeeper in the 2025-26 season not in their starting XI. However, Unai Simon has stopped more penalties than David Raya. He has been up against 71 kicks and stopped 19, a 26.8 per cent save rate. He’s been in seven shootouts and won four.

There’s something about him in these situations that appeals. Like Livakovic, he seems to have a lot of humility. There’s not a lot of extra fuss around him. He doesn’t use a lot of mind games, there’s no disrespect — he’s about as far from Emiliano Martinez as you can get. But he does his job, and he does it well. Goalkeeper-dependent takers will struggle against him. Like many of the goalkeepers on this list (but few of those off it), he does this fake movement that puts a lot of shooters off.

5. Dean Henderson (England)

Jordan Pickford’s experience in high-stakes shootouts for England is unparalleled and important, but his numbers are just above average with 17.9 per cent shots stopped. Henderson’s numbers, on the other hand, are outstanding: he’s faced 46 penalties, and 15 haven’t gone in, a rate of 32.6 per cent. He’s been in three shootouts and won two.

Performing well for Crystal Palace in the Premier League, he has shown he can compete in one of the most challenging divisions for a goalkeeper.

One particular save showing his level came against Harry Kane in a 2022 Premier League fixture. Kane’s goalkeeper-independent shot, directed low to his left, was absolutely brilliant — precise and hard. But because Henderson started his movement so early, while Kane still had two meters left of his run-up, the goalkeeper achieved an extraordinary reach. The ball looked destined to nestle in the side net but it was spectacularly blocked.

Henderson plants his left foot to push off to his right while Kane is still nowhere near the ball (Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham, August 2022)

4. Mike Maignan (France)

He’s faced 83 penalties and stopped 23: that’s 27.7 per cent from a large sample. He’s been part of three shootouts and won them all. These are good numbers at a high level — in Serie A and for France. Maignan is more than that, though. He has personality and an attitude. He uses various distraction methods and will find ways to interact with the penalty taker: a skewed starting position where he’ll stand by the post, a deliberate delay, and a quiet confrontation. Compared to many of the others on this list, Maignan is a less predictable opponent, and his subtle mind games are a good ally in a high-pressure World Cup penalty shootout.

Maignan stands off centre in an attempt to put off Hakan Calhanoglu of Inter November last year. The penalty was saved.

3. Nikola Vasilj (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Amar Memic and Nikola Vasilj celebrate after beating Qatar earlier in the tournament (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The Bosnia and St Pauli goalkeeper has great numbers: he’s faced 43 penalties and stopped 16, a 37.2 per cent stop rate. He has an excellent penalty record in the Bundesliga, where he has saved six of 10 penalties in the last two seasons. He’s been in three shootouts and won them all, two of which were in the play-offs for this World Cup, against Wales and then Italy, so he brings a fresh positive penalty experience into the World Cup. Could he be involved in a shootout against the United States in the round of 32?