Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has expressed his confidence that the current England squad under Thomas Tuchel is the best group of penalty takers the nation has ever assembled, as the Three Lions prepare for their first knockout match of the World Cup.

Tuchel and the Football Association’s coaching staff are well aware that in a World Cup featuring an additional round — the round of 32 — where England will meet DR Congo tomorrow, the probability of facing at least one penalty shootout on their path to the final is high.

Despite England’s historically poor record from the spot, the team showed improvement under former manager Gareth Southgate, winning three out of four shootouts during his tenure. Their only loss came against Italy in the final of Euro 2020, which was held in 2021 due to the pandemic. Under Southgate, England triumphed over Colombia on penalties in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup, and twice overcame Switzerland in shootouts — first in the 2019 UEFA Nations League third-place playoff, and again in the Euro 2024 quarter-final.

Tuchel’s current squad includes Al Ahli striker Ivan Toney, selected partly for his proficiency from the spot, while other dependable penalty takers such as Anthony Gordon and captain Harry Kane further strengthen England’s options.

Speaking about his own experience, Rice admitted that while he has not always been the most confident penalty taker, he has grown more assured over time. “I've never been the strongest penalty-taker, but I feel like over time, my penalty in the Champions League final, I've never been so confident for a penalty,” said Rice, recalling the successful spot-kick he took for Arsenal in their shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest.

He elaborated on his approach: “I don’t know what it was, I just have my process, I knew exactly where I was going to place it. I studied the keeper, knowing where he would expect me to go based on my previous penalties, which had gone to the other side. It was all part of the mental game.”

Rice added that he has learned to manage nerves better in such moments. “I felt really calm. I’ve been nervous with penalties before — like when we played Crystal Palace earlier in the season, I was so nervous to take it. I scored, but I didn’t feel the same nerves in that final.”

He continued, “Looking at this group now, I don’t think there’s ever been a stronger set of penalty takers in an England squad, to be honest.”

Rice went on to name several players he believes give England an edge in shootouts. “I look at Harry, I look at Ivan, Marcus [Rashford], Anthony Gordon, [Bukayo] Saka — I can take one, Jude [Bellingham] can too. We’ve got real strong takers. As the tournament progresses, you always hear that you need to win a shootout to reach a final or lift the trophy, and that moment might come. We’ll be fully ready for it.”

He also praised Kane’s meticulous preparation. “With Harry, it’s incredible — the repetition and his process before a game. The day before, he already knows where he’ll place it if he gets one the next day. There’s no hesitation in his mind. That’s true for many of the lads — they study the goalkeepers, but ultimately they trust their own technique and belief that they’ll score.”

When asked if he has discussed with teammates his belief that this is England’s best-ever penalty squad, Rice smiled and said, “I can’t go up to Kane and tell him about penalties because he’s the best there is. Everyone’s mentality is relentless — we don’t need to talk about it. Let’s just hope our keepers can save a few.”