Upamecano and Saliba in the spotlight: centre-backs struggling from the penalty spot

On the eve of the France-Morocco quarter-final at the 2026 World Cup, an alarming statistic hangs over the Blues’ central defence: if the match were to go to a penalty shootout, Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba could be risky penalty-takers.

The picture has been clear since the start of the tournament. Of the ten centre-backs who have stepped up to face the opposing goalkeeper during penalty shootouts, only four have scored. In the round of 16, Australian Souttar and Egyptian Herrington both failed. On Tuesday evening, during Switzerland-Colombia, Manuel Akanji and Davinson Sanchez met the same fate, reinforcing a trend that should not escape Didier Deschamps’ attention.

For France, the most recent precedent dates back to the 2025 Nations League. In the quarter-final against Croatia, Upamecano had successfully converted his penalty — he was the seventh and final shooter for the Blues — while full-backs Jules Koundé and Theo Hernandez had missed theirs. Saliba, meanwhile, had not been called upon that evening, appearing on the designated list of penalty-takers but not being used.

In the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina, Deschamps had skipped his centre-backs in the penalty-taker hierarchy. The two French misses were signed by Aurélien Tchouaméni and Kingsley Coman.

Furthermore, three French players are approaching this quarter-final under the threat of suspension: Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné are each one yellow card away from being ruled out for a potential semi-final. A caution on Thursday evening would rule them out of the next round.