Extra time and penalties: the World Cup bracket decided by fine margins
The 2026 World Cup was played on a knife's edge. Four ties were settled on penalties and several more stretched into extra time, including the final. We review the moments when the tournament turned on the smallest margins.
In knockout football the best team does not always win, but the one that gets the details right. The 2026 World Cup was a good example: as many as four ties were decided on penalties, and several more were settled in extra time, including the final itself.
The spot-kick lottery produced historic moments. In the round of 32, Paraguay knocked out Germany (1-1, 4-3), Morocco eliminated the Netherlands (1-1, 3-2) and Egypt beat Australia (1-1, 4-2). In the last 16, Switzerland put out Colombia after a 0-0 and a dramatic shootout (4-3). Four teams who went through from the penalty spot.
Extra time also played its part. Argentina needed the extra period to beat Switzerland in the quarters (3-1) and England did likewise against Norway thanks to a Bellingham brace. And the grand final, Spain-Argentina, was decided in extra time by Ferran Torres' goal (1-0).
These are the tiny margins that separate glory from elimination, the cruel charm of a single-tie tournament. In 2026, the detail made the difference more than once. Check all the penalty shootouts and the World Cup bracket on our site.