FIFA is proposing a significant change to penalty shootout procedures, advocating for a single coin toss instead of the current two. This amendment, if approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), aims to simplify the process and mitigate perceived unfair advantages derived purely from luck.

Under current rules, referees conduct two separate coin tosses: one to determine which team kicks first, and another to decide the goal where the shootout will take place. FIFA's new proposal suggests that the team winning the single coin toss would choose one of two options: either to kick first or second, or to select the goal. The remaining choice would then be allocated to the opposing team.

FIFA awaits approval from the International Football Association Board (IFAB) for this proposed change to the penalty shootout organization. If approved, referees will perform only one coin toss before the two teams begin the decisive shootout, rather than two as per the current regulation.

Lionel Messi successfully takes a penalty kick for Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final against France at Lusail Stadium in Qatar on 18/12/2022. *Photo: AFP*

This adjustment would prevent a single team from gaining both advantages, a situation that arose in the 2025-2026 Champions League final. In that match, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) won both coin tosses, allowing them to decide both the kicking order and the goal. With this advantage, the Paris capital club secured a 4-3 victory to retain their championship title.

According to observers, FIFA aims to streamline the penalty shootout process while reducing controversies over advantages that a team might receive purely by chance from coin tosses.

Numerous statistical studies in football indicate that the team taking the first kick often holds a psychological advantage. Consistently leading or forcing the opponent to chase the score can create greater pressure on the team kicking second. Analyses over several years have shown that the win rate for teams kicking first is generally higher than for those kicking second.

The coin toss procedure before the penalty shootout in the Champions League final between Arsenal and PSG at Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary on 30/5. *Photo: Reuters*

This is not the first time FIFA and IFAB have sought to adjust penalty shootout formats. In recent years, football lawmakers experimented with the "ABBA" system, designed to reduce the advantage held by the team kicking first.

Under the traditional penalty shootout format, two teams alternate kicks in an A-B-A-B-A-B sequence. In contrast, in the ABBA system, team A would take the first kick, then team B would take two consecutive kicks before the turn returned to team A. The sequence would unfold as A-B-B-A-A-B-B-A.

For example, if team A took the first kick, team B would execute the second and third kicks, before team A executed the fourth and fifth kicks. This arrangement was built on the model of tie-breaks in tennis, with the goal of reducing psychological pressure on the team kicking second.

However, after several trial tournaments, the ABBA method was not widely adopted. It was deemed too complex, causing difficulties for players, referees, and spectators in following the sequence of kicks.

It remains unclear whether, if approved by IFAB, the new rule would become mandatory across all football competitions or if organizing bodies would have the discretion to apply it.

According to Norwegian newspaper VG, FIFA anticipates the change could be approved before the World Cup 2026 knockout stage commences on 28/6. If approved in time, the new rule would be immediately implemented in matches requiring penalty shootouts during the knockout phase.

By Hong Duy