The world's first official penalty shootout was held on 5 August 1970 at Boothferry Park in Hull, where Manchester United met Hull City in a cup match. [1]
Before shootouts, tied knockout games were settled by coin tosses, drawing lots or replays. That system had drawn criticism after controversial results in 1968, when international ties in tournaments such as the European Championship and the Olympics were decided by chance. [1]
The idea of a shootout was proposed to FIFA in 1969 by Israeli Football Association officials Yosef Dagan and Michael Almog. Almog said the aim was "to stop this way of deciding the winner by drawing lots, an immoral and even cruel system for the losing team and not honourable for the winner". [1]
The format used in its early form gave each team five penalties, with extra kicks if the scores stayed level after that. That structure gave football a fixed way to settle knockout matches without relying on luck or a replay. [1]
The 5 August 1970 match at Boothferry Park marked the first competitive use of the method. It became the template for one of football's most familiar tie-breakers. [1]
