Games · Penalty Shootout

Penalty Shootout: free online football game

Shoot with a flick of your finger, pick your corner, bend the ball and dive to save. A shootout against the computer at three levels, a no-miss mode and a daily penalty challenge that is the same for everyone. Free, no account needed.

How to play

• To shoot, drag your finger (or the mouse) from the ball towards the goal and let go. The direction of the swipe picks the spot; a longer or faster swipe gives more power and the ball rises higher. Too much power and it flies over.
• Curve your swipe to put spin on it: the ball bends and the keeper finds it harder to read. On a computer you can also aim with the arrow keys and shoot with Enter.
• When the opponent shoots, tap the part of the goal your keeper should dive to (there are 9 zones) before the ball gets there. On Easy a target shows where the kick is going; on Normal it only flashes and is less accurate; on Hard there is none. On a keyboard, use the numbers 1 to 9.
• Shootout: 5 kicks each, taking turns; if it is still level, it goes to sudden death. No miss: shoot until you miss, and the keeper improves with every goal. Daily penalties: 10 kicks, the same for everyone, worth 100 points per goal plus up to 50 bonus when the ball goes in near the corners.

Where the penalty comes from

The penalty kick entered the Laws of the Game in 1891. The idea is credited to William McCrum, an Irish goalkeeper, as a way to punish fouls committed near the goal to stop a goal. At first the kick could be taken from anywhere 12 yards from the goal line; the penalty spot came later.

The penalty shootout was adopted in 1970. Before that, knockout matches that ended level were settled with a replay or even a coin toss. The first shootout at a World Cup came in 1982.

Free game, no betting and no prizes. Teams are shown only with colours and simplified flags. Your game is saved on this device.