When conjuring up images of penalty-shootout heartbreak, you could be forgiven for immediately thinking of England.The Three Lions’ penalty curse was well documented prior to the cathartic shootout victory over Colombia in the Last 16 of the 2018 World Cup.You might also consider Netherlands, which has a similar reputation for an aversion to the test of nerves that is spot kicks. Maybe, it is Italy and Roberto Baggio’s iconic skied effort at USA ’94 that springs to mind. Or maybe your first thought is of France—the only nation to lose more than one World Cup final by shootout.Perhaps surprisingly, then, it is actually Spain who top the table for penalty shootout defeats at men’s World Cups, with four.Spain Holders of Surprising RecordSpain’s last two World Cups have ended in penalty heartache. | Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty ImagesLa Roja—rightly—are one of this summer’s big favorites, but they have actually not triumphed in a knockout match at a World Cup since winning the tournament back in 2010.In 2014, the defending champions never made it out the group stage, as they suffered a shock 5–1 defeat by Netherlands and a 2–0 reverse against Chile. Since then, it’s all been painful penalty drama.In 2018, Fernando Hierro’s team were undone by hosts Russia in the last 16—with Koke and Iago Aspas missing spot kicks in a shootout defeat. Four years ago, in Qatar, it was the same story but worse. Spain lost 3–0 on penalties to surprise package Morocco, with Pablo Sarabia, Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all fluffing their lines.Penalty Record at World CupsNationShootout DefeatsShootout VictoriesWin %Spain4120England3125Italy3125Netherlands3125France3240Japan200Mexico200Romania200Brazil3260Disappointment from 12 yards has become an unwanted habit for La Roja, with no nation ‘boasting’ more defeats than Spain’s four since shootouts were introduced to the World Cup back in 1978.In addition to the losses against Morocco (2022) and Russia (2018), Spain were also bested by Belgium in the 1986 quarterfinals and South Korea at the same stage in 2002.Spain’s only ever penalty shootout win also came in 2002, in the round before, as they beat Republic of Ireland 3–2 on spot kicks. While Hierro, Rubén Baraja and Gaizka Mendieta all scored that day, misses from Juanfran and Juan Carlos Valerón meant that it was up to goalkeeper Iker Casillas to become the hero, saving twice.Behind Spain in the rankings sit England, France, Italy and Netherlands—all with three defeats each.By contrast, Argentina—the team that beat France in the 2022 final—have the most World Cup shootout victories with six from seven.Could Penalties Play a Factor for Spain This Summer?Spain lost to Portugal on penalties in last year’s Nations League final. | Kevin Voigt/GettyImagesInterestingly, Spain’s penalty problems extend beyond the World Cup. Luis de la Fuente’s team lost the UEFA Nations League final to Portugal’s last year, with the shootout going 7–5 against them after the match ended 2–2 after extra time.While they won the previous Nations League final against Croatia on penalties in 2023, Spain also suffered semifinal defeat by shootout in Euro 2020 to eventual winners Italy.Álvaro Morata missed decisive kicks in both defeats, but has not been included in the roster for this World Cup.First-choice keeper Unai Simon has a 17.8% penalty save record for club and country, but has only ever stopped one spot kick to date while wearing the national team jersey.The prospect of matches going all the way this summer will surely be on De la Fuente’s mind, with marginal gains an ever-important factor for top international managers. As England will attest, losing shootouts becomes a hard habit to break.The Three Lions’ work to banish their penalty ghosts is well-documented with Gareth Southgate putting in extra work on technique and mental readiness before the World Cup in 2018, removing the national conditioning that the shootout is simply a lottery.Ultimately, Spain may not need to face a shootout to win the World Cup—only four out of 13 champions since 1978 have—but why leave anything to chance?READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow