Taking a penalty in football is not an easy task, especially when the kick is going to decide a match.
Not every great scorer is a reliable penalty taker. There have been stories of missed spot kicks by some of the best players in the world, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi, and the pressure of stepping up from 12 yards never truly goes away.
But some players thrive in exactly that moment, and in this article we rank the 20 best penalty takers in world football right now heading into the 2026 World Cup, based on conversion rate, volume, technique, and big-game record.
Top 20 Best Penalty Takers in the World (2026)
Here are the 20 best penalty takers in soccer at the moment:
1. Harry Kane
Harry Kane is the best penalty taker in the world right now and the numbers back it up completely.
He has taken 87 penalties across his career with a conversion rate of 87.36%, and in the Bundesliga this season he scored all 10 of the spot kicks he faced, maintaining a perfect 100% record for Bayern Munich in 2025/26.
Kane became the first player in Bundesliga history to successfully score 17 consecutive penalty kicks for one club, a record that speaks to his ice-cold composure and meticulous preparation from 12 yards.
He is England’s all-time leading scorer and one of the best strikers in the world, and at the 2026 World Cup he will be one of the most dangerous penalty takers any goalkeeper will face.
2. Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer has a career penalty conversion rate of 94.44%, having scored 17 of the 18 spot kicks he has taken, and he holds the Premier League record of 12 consecutive penalties scored without a miss.
His technique is almost unreadable. He rolls the ball into the corner with complete calm, and his famous Panenka in the Premier League against Tottenham showed that even under pressure he plays on his own terms.
At just 22, he is already one of the most decorated young players in English football and the most psychologically composed penalty taker of his generation.
3. Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe has scored 43 of the 54 penalties he has taken across his career, giving him a conversion rate of 79.63%, and in La Liga in 2025/26 he scored 8 spot kicks for Real Madrid.
He is France’s captain heading into the 2026 World Cup and the designated penalty taker for one of the most followed clubs on the planet, which tells you everything about the level of trust placed in him from 12 yards.
4. Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski has taken 83 penalties across his career and scored 74 of them, giving him an 89.16% conversion rate that ranks among the best of any player with that volume of attempts in football history.
He scored 3 from 3 in La Liga in 2025/26 and is Poland’s captain and penalty taker heading into the 2026 World Cup.
Lewandowski keeps goalkeepers guessing by varying his technique and targeting either side of the goal with precision, which is exactly why so few have stopped him over the course of a career that has produced some of the most prolific goalscoring numbers in the history of European football.
5. Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes has a career penalty conversion rate of 91.04% from 62 attempts, making him one of the most experienced and reliable spot kick takers in world football.
His signature stutter-step run-up regularly throws goalkeepers off balance, and the fact that he can score using completely different techniques makes him almost impossible to read.
He scored 4 from 6 in the Premier League in 2025/26 and remains Portugal’s go-to penalty taker at the 2026 World Cup.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 183 of the 219 penalties he has taken across his career, giving him a conversion rate of 83.6% and the record for the most penalties scored in the history of football.
His European club record alone stands at 161 scored from 187 attempts at an 86.1% rate, and his Champions League record of 19 from 22 at 87% is extraordinary for the highest-pressure competition in club football.
At 41, Ronaldo is still representing Portugal at the 2026 World Cup and remains one of the greatest footballers of all time from the spot and everywhere else on the pitch.
7. Lionel Messi
The greatest of all time, Lionel Messi has scored 114 of the 146 penalties he has taken across his career for club and country, giving him a 78.1% conversion rate and the second highest number of penalty goals in football history behind only Ronaldo.
His international record of 25 from 30 at 83.3% is particularly impressive given the weight of expectation on him every time Argentina step up from 12 yards.
This is likely Messi’s final World Cup and Argentina will once again be counting on him in the longest unbeaten run in international football history if they reach the knockout stages.
8. Ivan Toney
Ivan Toney has a career penalty conversion rate of 95.45%, the highest of any active player with over 40 attempts in world football, having scored 46 spot kicks in his career.
His famous technique of staring down the goalkeeper before striking is one of the most psychologically effective approaches in the game, and his composed conversion in the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland under enormous pressure showed exactly why he is considered one of the most reliable takers alive.
He is one of the most lethal finishers in world football from 12 yards.
9. Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres scored 3 from 3 penalties in the Premier League in 2025/26 with a 100% conversion rate, adding to a career record that underlines just how composed he is under pressure.
The Arsenal striker is one of the most feared centre-forwards in world football right now and Sweden will be relying heavily on him at the 2026 World Cup both from open play and from the spot.
10. Mikel Oyarzabal
Mikel Oyarzabal scored 7 from 7 penalties in La Liga in 2025/26, a perfect 100% record across the entire season that makes him one of the most efficient spot kick takers in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
He is part of Spain‘s 2026 World Cup squad and gives Luis de la Fuente an elite penalty option alongside Mikel Oyarzabal, Unai Simon, and some of the most technically gifted players in the world.
The Spaniard is among the top penalty-takers at the 2026 World Cup.
11. Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland has taken 52 penalties across his career and scored 3 from 4 in the Premier League in 2025/26, maintaining the powerful, direct approach that makes him one of the hardest penalty takers in the world for goalkeepers to deal with.
He drives the ball with such force that even when keepers guess correctly, they often cannot keep it out, and at the 2026 World Cup Norway’s No.9 will be one of the tournament’s most feared attackers.
12. Raphinha
Raphinha scored 3 from 3 penalties in La Liga in 2025/26 with a perfect 100% record, and as one of the best Brazilian players of his generation he will be central to the Seleção’s penalty options at the World Cup this summer.
He is composed, technically excellent, and completely unfazed by the pressure of the moment.
13. Vitinha
Vitinha has a career penalty conversion rate of 92.3%, one of the best figures of any active midfielder in world football, and he has been one of the most consistent spot kick takers in Ligue 1 over the past two seasons.
The PSG midfielder is also one of the most technically gifted playmakers in European football right now, and his composure on the ball translates directly to his ice-cold approach from 12 yards.
14. Mason Greenwood
Mason Greenwood scored 6 from 8 penalties in Ligue 1 in 2025/26, the highest volume of any player in France’s top flight this season, and his 75% conversion rate across that volume of attempts is a solid return for one of the most in-form forwards in European football.
He is one of the most dangerous attackers in Ligue 1 right now and a player who steps up without hesitation in the biggest moments.
15. Igor Thiago
Igor Thiago scored 8 from 9 penalties in the Premier League in 2025/26, the highest volume of any player in England’s top flight this season, giving him an 89% conversion rate and establishing him as one of the most prolific spot kick scorers in Europe this campaign.
The Brazilian is one of the most clinical South American strikers currently playing in European football.
16. Lamine Yamal
Lamine Yamal scored 3 from 4 penalties in La Liga in 2025/26 at a 75% conversion rate, and at just 18 years old he is already trusted with spot kick duties at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
He is considered one of the most exciting generational talents in football history and his composure from the spot at his age is as remarkable as everything else about his game.
17. Hakan Calhanoglu
Hakan Calhanoglu has scored 40 penalties from 44 attempts across his career, giving him one of the highest conversion rates of any central midfielder in world football at over 90%.
The Turkish soccer legend is definitely among the deadliest penalty-takers in the world right now.
He is Inter Milan’s designated taker and one of the best set-piece specialists in Europe, combining his penalty duties with free kick and corner responsibilities at the highest level of the game.
18. Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele scored 2 from 3 penalties in Ligue 1 in 2025/26 and is PSG’s primary penalty option this season following his Ligue 1 Player of the Year award, adding spot kick responsibility to an already devastating attacking game.
He is one of the most dangerous French players heading into the World Cup and brings the same directness and self-belief to the penalty spot that defines his style on the pitch.
19. Alejandro Grimaldo
Alejandro Grimaldo scored 3 from 3 penalties in the Bundesliga in 2025/26 with a perfect 100% record, and the fact that a left back is trusted with penalty duties at a club competing in European football tells you everything about his composure and technique from 12 yards.
He is one of Spain‘s key options at the 2026 World Cup and one of the best left backs in world football.
20. Kai Havertz
Kai Havertz is Arsenal’s penalty taker and has shown real composure from the spot during the Gunners’ Premier League title-winning campaign in 2025/26, stepping up confidently in crucial moments throughout the season.
The German international brings intelligence and calmness to everything he does on a football pitch, and those qualities translate directly to the penalty spot.
The Arsenal forward is undoubtedly one of the best penalty-takers at the 2026 World Cup.
He is one of Germany’s most important players heading into the World Cup and a reliable option from 12 yards for both club and country.
Honorable Mentions
- Raul Jimenez – Fulham
- Ismaila Sarr – Crystal Palace
- Ante Budimir – Osasuna
- Marko Arnautovic – Red Star Belgrade
- Teboho Mokoena – Mamelodi Sundowns
- Heung-min Son – Los Angeles FC
- Victor Osimhen – Galatasaray
What a terrible mistake not to include max kruse, that guy uses his poker skills to score penalties. He never missed one.