Penalty Shootouts: Is the Team That Kicks First More Likely to Win?

Penalty Shootouts: Is the Team That Kicks First More Likely to Win? Penalty kicks are already proving critical to big wins at this year's World Cup. But the advantage in penalty kicks has more to do with psychological effects than who kicks first. A penalty kick during the Netherlands' round of 32 match against Morocco. In a World Cup, some of the most important matches are decided by a penalty shootout. When that moment comes, the captains want to win the coin toss to decide the order of the kicks.