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World Record For The Longest Penalty Shootout Was Set In 2022...In The 10th Tier Of English Football

By Connor Fleming August 12, 2023
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Astonishingly, only five penalties were missed during the longest penalty shootout in history.
@Ollie_Bayliss | Twitter

It's a record that you'd imagine can never be broken, but that's exactly what you would've thought about the previous mark. In 2022, on a Wednesday night in Sunderland, the world record for the longest penalty shootout ever was set when Washington and Bedlington Terriers went 27 rounds — taking 54 penalties total — after a 3-3 draw in the Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup.

The previous longest penalty shootout record was 48 attempts from the 2005 Namibian Cup, won 17-16 by KK Palace over Civics. So they missed 15 attempts in that match. 

Of the 54 penalties in the 2022 world record shootout, only five were missed. After both sides went five-for-five to bring us to sudden death, the first opportunity to end things was actually in the sixth round but both teams missed. 

Both sides then missed again in the 12th round and then Bedlington missed in round 27 while Washington converted to end it. 

Think about that — between round 12 and 27, the two teams collectively converted 14 straight. Washington converted 15 straight to win. According to reports, 40 lucky individuals were witness to history on this magical night. Unfortunately there is no video for us to share.

"I've never seen anything like that, it was crazy," Bedlington manager Andy Ferguson told Chronicle Live. "What made it worse was the last penalty was taken, we hadn't even shook hands with the opposition, and the timer went off so the lights went out at the venue. It's crazy, what would have happened if we'd scored our last penalty?"

The two clubs compete in Northern League Division Two. Northern League Division One is on the ninth tier of the English football league system.

In comparison, the recent 20-kick penalty shootout between Australia and France in the 2023 Women's World Cup was 34 kicks shy of the world record. But, on the flip side, there is video evidence to enjoy:

Read next: The 18 Greatest World Records in Football History

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