Penalty shootouts separate the great from the legendary.
From 12 yards out, with the pressure at its peak, the goalkeeper is the last line of defence and the man who can swing the outcome of a knockout tie in a single moment.
With the 2026 World Cup now underway across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, penalty shootouts will once again define which nations advance and which go home early.
In this article, we rank the 11 best penalty-saving goalkeepers in world football right now, based on shootout record, penalty save percentage, notable saves, and big-game impact.
11 Best Penalty-Saving Goalkeepers in World Football (2026)
Here are 11 of the best soccer goalkeepers who are good at saving penalties:
11. Ronwen Williams
Country: South Africa
Club: Mamelodi Sundowns
Ronwen Williams produced one of the greatest single penalty shootout performances in major international tournament history at AFCON 2024 in Ivory Coast.
Against Cape Verde in the quarter-finals, Williams saved four penalties in a single shootout, diving the right way for all five kicks and stopping Bebe, Willy Semedo, Laros Duarte, and Patrick Andrade to send South Africa to the semi-finals.
Four saves in one shootout at a major international competition is a record, and it came after he had already made what many called the save of the tournament in normal time, tipping a goal-bound effort onto the crossbar in stoppage time.
He then saved two more penalties in the third-place playoff against Congo to help South Africa claim bronze, finishing the tournament as the best goalkeeper of the competition.
Williams is captain of Mamelodi Sundowns and one of the most consistently excellent goalkeepers in African football.
10. Unai Simon
Country: Spain
Club: Athletic Club
Unai Simon is Spain’s first choice at the 2026 World Cup despite fierce competition from David Raya and Joan Garcia, and his penalty record is a key reason why.
Simon has saved 8 of the 45 penalties he has faced in regular time for club and country, and in shootouts he has saved 7 from 27 attempts, giving him a shootout save rate of around 26%.
He saved a penalty at Euro 2024 in Spain’s 3-0 group stage win over Croatia and his calm decision-making under shootout pressure makes him one of the more underrated penalty specialists in world football.
Spain have one of the longest unbeaten runs in international football in recent history, and Simon’s composure has been a quiet but important part of that.
9. Mike Maignan
Country: France
Club: AC Milan
Mike Maignan has saved 14 penalties across his career, denying Mohamed Salah, Memphis Depay, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Moise Kean from 12 yards at club level.
He is France’s number one heading into the World Cup and is one of the best goalkeepers to ever wear the number 1 shirt in Ligue 1 and Serie A.
Maignan favours a disciplined, patient approach, holding his position late and committing at the last moment, which makes him extremely difficult to beat even for elite penalty takers.
His 13 clean sheets in 37 Serie A appearances in 2025/26 show that his shot-stopping quality extends far beyond the spot, but it is in these high-stakes moments that he has repeatedly shown his nerve.
8. Manuel Neuer
Country: Germany
Club: Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer has saved 17 penalties during his career, and his most memorable shootout came in the 2012 Champions League semi-final when he denied both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka from the spot to send Bayern to the final.
At 40, Neuer remains an intimidating figure in one-on-one situations and his reading of the taker, command of his line, and sheer presence make him one of the most difficult goalkeepers to beat from 12 yards even now.
Germany are one of the most decorated footballing nations on the planet in penalty shootout terms and will look to their experienced captain to deliver if the tournament goes the distance.
7. Yassine Bounou
Country: Morocco
Club: Al Hilal
Yassine Bounou, known as Bono, is one of the most underrated penalty specialists on this list and one of the finest African goalkeepers of his generation.
He kept 14 clean sheets in 26 Saudi Pro League appearances in 2025/26 and his penalty save percentage across his career at Sevilla consistently ranked among the best in La Liga, earning him the Zamora Trophy in 2021/22.
He is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers at the 2026 World Cup at penalties.
At the 2022 World Cup, Bounou was outstanding as Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals, and he ranked fifth in the 2023 Yashin Trophy standings.
His ability to read the shooter, stay tall, and hold his nerve in the biggest moments makes him a genuine danger to any team that faces Morocco from the spot.
6. Dominik Livaković
Country: Croatia
Club: Girona
Dominik Livaković is the ultimate tournament goalkeeper and there is no moment in football he thrives in more than a penalty shootout.
At the 2022 World Cup, he saved three penalties against Japan in the round of 16, becoming only the third goalkeeper in World Cup history to save three in a single shootout, according to the BBC.
He then saved Rodrygo’s penalty against Brazil in the quarter-finals, keeping his nerve in one of the most high-pressure moments the tournament had produced to send Croatia through to the semi-finals.
Croatia have won four out of four World Cup penalty shootouts and Livakovic has been central to that remarkable record, making him one of the most feared penalty-saving goalkeepers heading into the 2026 World Cup.
5. Stanley Nwabali
Country: Nigeria
Club: Currently a free agent
Stanley Nwabali may not play for a European club right now, but his record in international penalty shootouts over the past two years puts him firmly on any honest global list of the best penalty savers in world football.
At AFCON 2024 in Ivory Coast, Nwabali was outstanding throughout the knockout stages, keeping clean sheets across multiple rounds and saving two penalties in the semi-final against South Africa to send Nigeria to the final.
At AFCON 2025 in Morocco, he delivered again. Nigeria conceded just four goals in the entire competition and did not allow a single goal during the knockout rounds. In the third-place playoff against Egypt, he saved penalties from Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush in the same shootout, two of the best forwards on the African continent, to claim the bronze medal.
His 50% penalty save rate across two AFCON tournaments is extraordinary given the quality of taker he has faced.
4. Jordan Pickford
Country: England
Club: Everton
Jordan Pickford has been the driving force behind England winning three of their last four major tournament penalty shootouts, and his record from the spot is among the best of any active international goalkeeper.
He has saved 5 penalties in international shootouts for England and 8 for Everton in regular time, including an Erling Haaland penalty in December 2024.
His famous water bottle method, where he studies detailed notes on opposing penalty takers before shootouts, has become one of the most well-known preparation techniques in modern football and has directly led to key saves at major tournaments.
He is one of the most durable and consistent goalkeepers in international football over the past decade and England will be counting on him again this summer.
3. Diogo Costa
Country: Portugal
Club: Porto
Diogo Costa became the first goalkeeper in the history of the European Championship to save three consecutive penalties in a single shootout, denying Slovenia’s Josip Ilicic, Jure Balkovec, and Benjamin Verbic at Euro 2024 to send Portugal through to the quarter-finals.
This came moments after Cristiano Ronaldo had missed a penalty in extra time, making Costa’s three consecutive saves one of the most dramatic individual goalkeeping performances in tournament history.
His career penalty save rate of over 41% in regular time across 24 penalties faced is one of the best among active goalkeepers anywhere in world football, according to All Football.
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez described Costa as the “secret of Portugal” after the Slovenia shootout, and at just 26, his penalty record is already historic.
2. Gianluigi Donnarumma
Country: Italy
Club: Manchester City
Gianluigi Donnarumma has won six out of seven career penalty shootouts and holds a shootout save percentage of 23.3%, having saved 10 of the 43 shootout penalties he has faced across his career.
He is obviously one of the best goalkeepers in the world, especially when it comes to saving penalties.
His defining moment came at Euro 2020 when he saved two penalties in the final against England at Wembley to secure Italy’s European Championship, earning him the Player of the Tournament award.
At PSG, he saved penalties against Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones in the Champions League round of 16 as part of the historic quadruple-winning campaign that earned him the 2025 Yashin Trophy.
At 6 feet 4 inches tall, Donnarumma’s frame alone reduces the angles available to any penalty taker, and his sheer physicality combined with elite reflexes makes him one of the two hardest goalkeepers in the world to beat from 12 yards.
1. Emiliano Martinez
Country: Argentina
Club: Aston Villa
Emiliano Martinez is the best penalty-saving goalkeeper in the world and it is not particularly close.
He has never lost a penalty shootout with Argentina. Across four shootouts for the national team, opponents have managed just a 50% conversion rate against him, an extraordinary statistic at the highest level of international football.
He saved 3 penalties against Colombia at Copa America 2021, 2 against the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup quarter-final, 1 in the World Cup final against France including a crucial stop on Kingsley Coman, and 2 more against Ecuador at Copa America 2024 after Messi had missed to rescue Argentina from elimination.
His psychological approach is as devastating as his physical one. He stares down takers, delays, moves along his line, and does everything within the laws of the game to get inside the head of every player who walks up to take a spot kick.
Martinez won the Europa League with Aston Villa in 2025/26, adding to a trophy haul that already includes a World Cup, two Copa Americas, and a Finalissima.
Heading into the 2026 World Cup as Argentina’s number one, he is the goalkeeper that every penalty taker in world football least wants to face.
Honorable Mentions
- Gregor Kobel – Borussia Dortmund. 10 career penalty saves including 3 in the Champions League, and the Bundesliga’s best clean sheet record in 2025/26 with 15.
- David Raya – Arsenal. Saved crucial penalties in Arsenal’s 2025/26 Champions League run and is one of the best number ones in the world right now with three consecutive Premier League Golden Gloves.
- Wojciech Szczesny – Barcelona. 20 career penalty saves including two in a single World Cup shootout against Argentina and Saudi Arabia in 2022.
