Who are the penalty-takers and backup penalty-takers for every national team at the Qatar World Cup 2022?
The decision as to who will step up to that penalty spot is huge. Penalties are often decisive in the outcome of a soccer match, and can be the difference between success and failure.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, VAR will be present. This is likely to result in even more penalties being given compared to previous World Cups. We may see quite a few players stepping up to take a penalty kick throughout the tournament, all with the aim of converting and bagging a goal for their nation.
You might enjoy betting on goal scorers. Or, you may be doing your soccer DFS and fantasy draft research. Either way, it is important to know who takes the penalties for every team at the World Cup 2022. And that’s what we’re here to tell you about.
World Cup Penalty Takers & Backup Penalty Takers
| National Team | Penalty Taker | Likely Backup Penalty Taker |
| Argentina | Lionel Messi | Lautaro Martínez |
| Australia | Jason Cummings | Aaron Mooy |
| Belgium | Romelu Lukaku | Eden Hazard |
| Brazil | Neymar | Richarlison |
| Cameroon | Vincent Aboubakar | Bryan Mbuemo |
| Canada | Alfonso Davies | Junior Hoilett |
| Costa Rica | Celso Borges | Johan Venegas |
| Croatia | Luka Modric | Andrej Kramarić |
| Denmark | Christian Eriksen | Kasper Dolberg |
| Ecuador | Enner Valencia | Michael Estrada |
| England | Harry Kane | Bukayo Saka |
| France | Kylian Mbappe | Antoine Griezmann |
| Germany | Ilkay Gundogan | Thomas Muller |
| Ghana | Jordan Ayew | André Ayew |
| Iran | Mehdi Taremi | Karim Ansarifard |
| Japan | Takumi Minamino | Daichi Kamada |
| Mexico | Raul Jimenez | Orbelín Pineda |
| Morocco | Sofiane Boufal | Youssef En-Nesyri |
| Netherlands | Memphis Depay | Steven Berghuis |
| Poland | Robert Lewandowski | Krzysztof Piatek |
| Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo | Bruno Fernandes |
| Qatar | Akram Afif | Hassan Al-Haydos |
| Saudia Arabia | Salem Al-Dawsari | Yahya Al-Shehri |
| Senegal | Sadio Mané | Ismaïla Sarr |
| Serbia | Aleksandar Mitrovic | Dušan Tadić |
| South Korea | Son Heung-min | Cho Young-wook |
| Spain | Alvaro Morata | Pablo Sarabia |
| Switzerland | Ricardo Rodriguez | Haris Seferovic |
| Tunisia | Wahbi Khazri | Seifeddine Jaziri |
| United States | Christian Pulisic | Giovanni Reyna |
| Uruguay | Luis Suarez | Darwin Núñez |
| Wales | Gareth Bale | Brennan Johnson |
World Cup Penalty Takers FAQ
Who will take France’s penalties at the World Cup?
Kylian Mbappe is expected to take France’s penalties at the Qatar World Cup. It was a toss-up between Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann as to who will step up if Mbappe is not on the pitch. However, Benzema has now been ruled out of this year’s World Cup.
Will Lionel Messi take Argentina’s penalties?
Yes, he will. Lionel Messi has been Argentina’s designated penalty taker for years. In his career, Messi has taken 132 penalties and scored 102 of them. Messi is one of the best World Cup penalty takers and now plays for Inter Miami.
Who will take USA’s penalties at the World Cup 2022?
Christian Pulisic is expected to step up and take penalties for the United States at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. If he is unavailable, Giovanni Reyna will probably take his place.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo take Portugal’s penalties?
Yes, Ronaldo will take Portugal’s penalties at the World Cup in Qatar. Despite controversies surrounding his club football, Cristiano is still the man to step up to the spot for Portugal.
Who takes penalties for Qatar?
Qatar and Al Sadd’s Akram Afif will be Qatar’s World Cup penalty taker. Given the match fixing allegations associated with the Qataris ahead of this World Cup, many expect Qatar to be given at least one penalty. We choose not to comment.
Does Neymar take Brazil’s penalties?
Neymar is Brazil’s first choice penalty taker. If he is not on the field, it will be up to Richarlison to step up and convert from the penalty spot.
Who will take Canada’s penalties at the 2022 Qatar World Cup?
Bayern Munich’s Alfonso Davies will take Canada’s penalties at the World Cup. The backup penalty-taker for Canada is Junior Hoilett.
Which team has taken the most penalties at the Qatar World Cup?
There were a total of 22 penalties awarded at the 2022 World Cup. Argentina were awarded the highest number of penalties (6). Messi has taken all six and has scored five of them.
Here are all of the penalties that have been awarded so far:
- Enner Valencia (Ecuador) vs Qatar – scored
- Mehdi Taremi (Iran) vs England – scored
- Gareth Bale (Wales) vs USA – scored
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) vs Saudi Arabia – scored
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland) vs Mexico – missed
- Ilkay Gundogan (Germany) vs Japan – scored
- Ferran Torres (Spain) vs Costa Rica – scored
- Alphonso Davies (Canada) vs Belgium – scored
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) vs Ghana – scored
- Salem Al Dawsari (Saudi Arabia) vs Poland – missed
- Bruno Fernandes (Portugal) vs Uruguay – scored
- Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) vs Ecuador – scored
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) vs Poland – missed
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland) vs France – missed
- Neymar (Brazil) vs South Korea – scored
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) vs Netherlands – scored
- Harry Kane (England) vs France – scored
- Harry Kane (England) vs France – missed
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) vs Croatia – scored
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) vs France – scored
- Kylian Mbappe (France) vs Argentina – scored
- Kylian Mbappe (France) vs Argentina – scored
Robert Lewandowski, Salem Al Dawsari, Lionel Messi and Harry Kane have all missed from the penalty spot at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Who takes Morocco’s penalties?
Sofiane Boufal is Morocco’s first-choice penalty kick taker. However, you can’t forget that Achraf Hakimi panenka to send the Moroccans through to the Qatar World Cup Quarter Finals.
Who takes penalty kicks for Croatia?
The penalty kick taker for Croatia is Luka Modric. Andrej Kramarić is most likely to step up and take penalties for Croatia in the unlikely event that Modric is not on the field. Although, Croatia are yet to be given a penalty at the 2022 World Cup.
How do teams decide who takes penalties?
This decision is often down to the manager and coaching staff at the soccer club or national team. However, very occasionally, a player may take it upon themselves to step up to the spot. This can often provide controversy and drama.
Who is the best penalty taker in the world?
The best penalty taker in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo. He has scored the most penalties of all football players around the world, and by some distance.
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