Why Women’s Euro 2025 is the worst tournament for penalties in the last 14 years | OneFootball

Women’s Euro 2025 is statistically the worst tournament for penalties out of any Women’s Euros and World Cup over the last 14 years.

Since the 2011 World Cup, no tournament compares worse to Euro 2025 when it comes to scoring from the spot.

Heading into the semi-finals, 24 out of 41 penalties have been scored. This is a total conversion rate of 58.5%.

In comparison, 80% of penalties were scored at the same tournament in England three years ago.

England’s penalty shootout win over Sweden in the quarter-finals was one of the most dramatic in women’s football history. Fans flooded onto social media to react to the shootout where Sweden twice could have sealed the victory, only to lose to the Lionesses.

However, it is not just England and Sweden who have struggled from the penalty spot.

Below, we take a look at how Euro 2025 compares to every Women’s Euros and World Cup since the 2011 World Cup for successful penalty conversion rates. SheKicks also takes a look at the reasons why there have been so many missed penalties.

Successful penalty conversion rates at major tournaments since the 2011 World Cup

Below, we take a look at each Women’s Euros and World Cup since 2011 and rank them in terms of successful penalty conversion rates.

This list includes in-game penalties and spot-kicks taken during shootouts.

Women’s Euro 2025 in-game penalty success compared to prior tournaments

When it comes to in-game penalties, Women’s Euro 2025 is not the worst tournament when it comes to successful penalty kicks.

However, it still has the second-lowest success rate out of any tournament since the 2011 World Cup.

Why have there been so many missed penalties during Women’s Euro 2025?

Goalkeepers are doing their research

There has been more success for goalkeepers at Women’s Euro 2025 and that could be down to improved scouting and data analysis in the women’s game.

As often seen in the men’s game, Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk had a list of England penalty takers and where they normally place their spot-kicks on her water bottle.

Falk saved four spot-kicks during the penalty shootout and both she and England’s Hannah Hampton went the right way for five of the seven kicks they faced.

Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger also had a list on her water bottle in their quarter-final win, though she went the wrong way for five of France’s seven penalties. However, she saved the two in which she did predict correctly.

Switzerland goalkeeper Livia Peng also clearly did her homework ahead of their quarter-final with Spain. The new Chelsea signing went the right way to deny Alexia Putellas during the game, though the hosts eventually crashed out.

Players struggling to deal with pressure

There has been a substantial growth in the women’s game over the last five years, and with an increased number of eyes brings extra pressure.

Geir Jordet – professor of football and psychology at the Norwegian School of Sports Science, told BBC Sport that research shows that penalty takers are vulnerable to pressure and that the growth of the women’s game could have an effect on players.

The tournament in Switzerland is likely to break the all-time attendance record for a single Women’s Euros. And there have been several penalties during Euro 2025 where it appears that the pressure has definitely affected the players.

The home support appeared to help Switzerland as three of the game’s top players all missed penalties against the hosts.

Ada Hegerberg and Mariona Caldentey failed to even hit their penalties on target, while Putellas saw her spot-kick saved in the quarter-final.

Sweden certainly felt the pressure after they threw a 2-0 lead away against England, as three of their seven penalties were off-target.

The technique of some penalties have also been questionable. Perhaps none more so than Amel Majri’s unorthodox wide run-up for France against Germany.

What went wrong in England vs Sweden?

Only 35.7% of the 14 spot-kicks taken during England vs Sweden were successfully scored.

England had practiced their penalties, though four players saw their spot-kicks saved.

Beth Mead, who missed England’s third penalty said: “I think we’re all frustrated in the sense that we had our system, we’ve practised them every day, we’ve got our routines, and sometimes it doesn’t go to plan.”

Sweden manager Peter Gerhardsson might have some regrets as they didn’t set up a session on penalties during training.

He said: “Somewhere it is a personal responsibility. The players who want to practise penalties can, but we haven’t set up anything. It is one of the most difficult moments in football. It is so difficult to prepare.”

Gerhardsson also said that players wanted the decision to be taken out of their hands and for the coaching staff to draw up a list.

That didn’t pay off as the bizarre decision to give Jennifer Falk the fifth penalty backfired.

Who is favourite to win Euro 2025?

Penalties could play a big factor in the semi-finals and final of Euro 2025 this week.

According to the UK’s top betting sites, Spain remain the favourites to lift the trophy for the first time.

Spain are priced at 1/2, ahead of England (11/4), Germany (7/1) and Italy (18/1).