Jordan Pickford Ready to Take Penalties at 2026 World Cup as England Begin US Preparations

Jordan Pickford has made clear he harbours no reservations about shouldering penalty-taking responsibilities for England at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, should a shootout situation arise during the tournament.

“Yes. I’d back myself 100 per cent,” the 32-year-old told reporters when asked whether he would volunteer to step forward from the spot. “I’ll put the practice in and execute it.” He added: “If called upon, I play for England, I represent the country, so I’ll step up and take it when needs be.”

Pickford, who remains primarily focused on his goalkeeping duties, acknowledged the need to strike a balance between the two disciplines. “I want to focus on the saving as well, so there is a balance,” he said. “I’m keeping that work close to my chest. We’ll probably start implementing that a little bit, soon.”

The declaration carries considerable weight given Pickford’s established record in high-pressure penalty situations. He produced crucial saves in shootouts at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, UEFA Euro 2020, and UEFA Euro 2024, establishing himself as one of England’s most reliable performers when knockout matches go to spot-kicks. His credentials as a penalty taker are also on record — he successfully converted a penalty against Switzerland during the 2019 UEFA Nations League finals.

Former England manager Gareth Southgate previously acknowledged Pickford’s penalty-taking ability, having considered the option during the 2018 World Cup in Russia. “We weren’t against Jordan taking a penalty at the World Cup in Russia… he would be among our better penalty takers,” Southgate said at the time. “You feel more nervous putting a goalkeeper on a penalty but he was there on merit.” Southgate also noted of a previous penalty situation: “With the players that were left on the pitch, he was one of the leading penalty takers and he executed it as well as he could.”

England’s squad has already arrived in the United States to begin their final preparations ahead of the tournament, with friendly matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica scheduled before competitive action begins. Current manager Thomas Tuchel has been overseeing the camp as the Three Lions fine-tune their readiness for what will be a North American-hosted World Cup spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

England will open their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in Group L against Croatia in Dallas on June 17. They will subsequently face Ghana on June 23, before concluding their group stage fixtures against Panama four days later on June 27.

Pickford’s willingness to take penalties adds another dimension to England’s shootout preparations, particularly as the Three Lions have historically struggled in penalty shootouts prior to their more recent tournament successes. England were eliminated on penalties at four major tournaments between 1990 and 2006 before Pickford’s heroics helped turn the tide, most notably in the round of 16 victory over Colombia at the 2018 World Cup — England’s first shootout win in 22 years.