Geir Jordet, a sport psychology researcher at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, has spent over two decades answering questions about human decision-making under extreme pressure. His laboratory just happens to be the penalty spot at the FIFA World Cup.
Jordet began researching penalty kicks in 2004, shortly after completing his PhD in sport psychology. Since then, he has analyzed every major men’s international tournament shootout dating back to 1976. Conversion rates during penalty shootouts drop significantly under the most extreme pressure conditions. Nearly one in four knockout-stage games at major tournaments ends up being decided by penalties.
Jordet has been especially active ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In June 2026, he authored a piece in The Athletic titled “How to really watch a penalty shootout,” followed by a July 1 article examining the unique psychological challenges faced by late penalty specialists, those substitutes brought on specifically to take a kick in a shootout.
When a player is substituted on late with the explicit expectation of scoring a penalty, the pressure doesn’t decrease because they’re a “specialist.” It increases. The narrower your mandate, the more catastrophic failure feels.
