Shocking statistic about Argentina's penalty kicks in the World Cup

Amidst the statistics and controversy, Argentina continues to write exciting chapters in the 2026 World Cup, having become the team with the most penalty kicks awarded in the last two editions of the tournament, far surpassing all other participating teams . The Argentinian national team was awarded eight penalties across the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, double the number awarded to its closest competitor on this list, thus topping the list of teams that have benefited most from penalties in the last two global tournaments . These figures emerged amidst the controversy surrounding Argentina's qualification for the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals, following their thrilling victory over Egypt. The match witnessed a historic comeback by the defending champions, overturning a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 . Egypt was minutes away from achieving one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, maintaining their lead until the 79th minute, before the Albiceleste scored three goals in 13 minutes to secure their place in the quarterfinals against Switzerland . The match sparked controversy due to several refereeing decisions, including the disallowed goal for Egypt due to a foul, and the debate surrounding Enzo Fernandez's decisive goal. This prompted Zico, the scorer of the disallowed goal, and coach Hossam Hassan to voice their dissatisfaction with the officiating . While the evaluation of refereeing decisions remains debatable, the statistics are undeniable. Argentina was awarded five penalties in the 2022 World Cup, the most by any single team in a single edition of the tournament, and has already received three more in the 2026 World Cup . England comes in second place in the list of teams awarded the most penalties in the last two World Cups with four, while Portugal, Brazil, and France have each been awarded three . Four teams have been awarded two penalties in the last two editions, while 13 countries have received only one penalty . Lionel Messi was not far behind in penalty kick statistics at the 2026 World Cup, having missed a penalty against Egypt before scoring the equalizer, becoming the first player in World Cup history to miss two penalties in a single tournament . Messi also holds a remarkable record in this regard, having missed four out of eight penalties he has taken in the last two World Cups, excluding penalty shootouts, despite his crucial role in leading Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup . 

The ranking of the teams that received the most penalty kicks in the last two editions of the World Cup is as follows:

Argentina - were awarded 8 penalty kicks .

England - were awarded 4 penalties .

Brazil - were awarded 3 penalty kicks .

Portugal - were awarded 3 penalties .

France - were awarded 3 penalty kicks .

Poland - I was awarded two penalty kicks .

Switzerland - were awarded two penalty kicks .

Iran - were awarded two penalty kicks .

Germany - I got two penalty kicks.