Rice Backs England's Penalty Takers As World Cup Progresses
Declan Rice backs England's penalty-taking ability as the strongest in the team's history, citing stars like Kane, Rashford, and Bellingham ahead of their World Cup round-of-32 clash against Congo.
England midfielder Declan Rice has stated that the current Three Lions squad has the best penalty-takers in the team's history following their entry into the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament is progressing through the final 32-team round, with two of the first five matches already settled by penalty shootouts. European powerhouses Netherlands and Germany have been eliminated after losing their penalty contests.
In a recent interview, Rice commented: "Looking at the team right now, I think this might be the group of players who can take penalties as well as England has ever had."
He highlighted specific players: "I look at Harry Kane, Ivan Toney, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka—I can take one myself—and Jude Bellingham. We have very strong penalty-takers, and I feel that as the tournament goes on, you've probably heard about the statistics showing that you need to win penalty shootouts to reach the final or win the championship. You know it could happen, so we've prepared thoroughly for this."
England will face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the round of 32 at 23:00 Thai time on July 1.
