Influences on success rates of penalty kicks: A retrospective analysis of UEFA-European Championships and FIFA-World Cups 1982-2012

Research on penalty kicks can serve two purposes. Some researchers try to test established theories in a more realistic performance environment. Others are interested in gaining applicable knowledge that increases the chances of successful penalty kicks. Both approaches pose the question of whether findings are also observable in penalty shoot-outs from World Cups and European Championships. The influence of six candidate variables (jersey colour, kicking leg, experience, nationality, kicking order, kick direction) was examined by means of a retrospective analysis of all past penalty shoot-outs from the World Cups and European Championships since 1982. The results indicate that three factors - (kick direction, nationality, and penalty kick order) - have an real impact on the probability of success in penalty shoot-outs from World Cups and European Championships. Finally, the implications for the relevance of experimentally obtained results are critically discussed.