Football penalty kicks Stats and Facts for the 22/23 season across Europe
| Updated: October 11, 2023 
Penalties often play a big role in determining the outcome of football matches, making them a crucial part of the beloved game. In the latest SportingPedia analysis we look into Europe’s top 15 leagues, identifying the best and worst penalty takers during the 2022/23 season. The study examines the number of penalties awarded, conversion rates, and notable trends across different leagues.
The data shows a total of 1476 penalties given and 1161 of them converted into goals. For the duration of the 2022/23 season, each of the 253 teams in the studied leagues has received an average of 5.8 penalties. That number varies from as little as 3.3 in the Dutch Eredivisie, to 7.4 in the Belgian Jupiler Pro.
Key Takeaways
- A total of 1476 penalties have been awarded and 1161 converted into goals
- The average number of penalties received by each of the studied 253 teams across Europe’s top 15 leagues is 5.8
- Fenerbahce from Turkey comes on top, having received 17 penalties
- Out of the 15 leagues, only 2 teams were not awarded a single penalty across the 2022/23 season – Bournemouth (English Premier League) and Volendam (Dutch Eredivisie)
- Only 2 of the 253 teams, that received 10 or more penalties and were 100% accurate
- The league with the best penalty conversion rate on the list is the Czech Fortuna Liga with 86.6% (67 awarded and 58 scored)
- The worst penalty takers were the players in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, with a conversion rate of 69.2%
- Each team from the Belgian Jupiler Pro League has received an average of 7.4 penalties throughout the season, while the teams in the Netherlands received only 3.3
- Barcelona is one of only two teams to have been awarded more than one penalty and to miss them all
- The Scottish Livingston is the only team awarded more than 5 penalties throughout the 2022/23 season that has a success rate of only 33%. They scored only 2 out of 8 awarded penalties
The Czech Fortuna Liga boasts the highest conversion rate with an impressive 86.6%. In stark contrast, the Portuguese Primeira Liga, comes with the lowest success rate with 69.2%.
Fenerbahce, from Turkey, received the most penalties with a total of 17. This highlights their ability to draw fouls in the box and capitalize on scoring chances. Only two teams were awarded 10 or more penalties and converted all. They were the French Marseille and Heart of Midlothian from Scotland. Both sides displayed exceptional accuracy and composure, scoring 10 out of 10 penalties.
Livingston, another Scottish side, received 8 penalties during the season. Converting only 2 puts them last in effectiveness among the teams who have taken at least five.
Barcelona, one of the most recognizable names, faced a total failure in their penalty-taking endeavors. They were one of only two teams who received more than one penalty throughout the season and did not score any. Excelsior is the other side, who had similar struggles from the spot. Out of the 253 teams, only 2 did not receive a single penalty throughout the previous campaign. They were Bournemouth from England and the Dutch side Volendam.
English Premier League
There were a total of 99 penalties in the English top flight during the 2022/23 season. 74 were scored and another 25 missed. Manchester City who won the title was the team that received the highest number of penalty kicks with 10. Bournemouth on the other hand, did not go to the spot even once throughout the campaign.
Spanish La Liga
115 penalties were awarded in La Liga across the 2022/23 campaign. The conversation rate in Spain was 72%. Real Madrid was on the receiving end of 12 penalty calls, while their arch-rivals Barcelona were the only team not to score from 11 meters out during the season.
German Bundesliga
Last season Hoffenheim did not receive a single penalty and this campaign they were awarded the most in Germany – 9. The overall number in the Bundesliga reached 109 penalties, and the conversion rate for the 2022/23 season was 78%.
Italian Serie A
In Serie A, a total of 109 penalties were awarded throughout the season. 85 of these were successfully converted into goals, leading to a success rate of 78.0%. Sassuolo, Napoli and Roma saw 10 penalty calls go in their favour.
French Ligue 1
Ligue 1 saw the highest total number of 143 penalties awarded throughout the season. 114 were successfully turned into goals, resulting in a conversion rate of 79.7%. The most penalties – 12 were awarded to Lille, while Marseille’s players were flawless from the spot converting 10 out of 10.
Netherlands Eredivisie
The Eredivisie witnessed a total of 60 penalties given throughout the season. Among these, 48 were scored, leading to a success rate of 80.0%. PSV and Fortuna Sittard received 7 each, while Volendam was not awarded a single penalty for the duration of the campaign.
Primeira Liga (Portugal)
The Primeira Liga saw a total of 120 penalties awarded during the season. However, only 83 of these penalties were successfully converted into goals, leading to the lowest success rate of 69.2% on the list. Benfica was the team who received the most – 13.
Jupiler Pro (Belgium)
A total of 133 penalties were awarded throughout the season. Among these, 109 were converted into goals, resulting in a 82.0% success rate. Leuven received the highest number with 14, while another four teams received ten or more penalty kicks.
Premiership (Scotland)
In the Premiership, a total of 78 penalties were given across the season. 62 were turned into goals, resulting in a success rate of 79.5%. Rangers and Heart of Midlothian, both received the most with 10. On the other hand, Livingston was the worst performing team (5 penalties received or more) in Europe, scoring only 2 out of 8.
Bundesliga (Austria)
In the Bundesliga, the teams received a total of 55 penalties throughout the season. 47 were scored, thus leading to a high success rate of 85.5%. Austria Klagenfurt received the most – 8, while Altach was awarded only 1.
Super Liga (Serbia)
In Serbia’s highest level of professional football, the referees pointed 93 times to the penalty spot in the 2022/23 season. 74 of them were scored, resulting in a conversion rate of 79.6%. The teams of Red Star and Novi Pazar both received the most – 11.
Super Lig (Turkey)
The Super Lig witnessed 136 penalties during the campaign, with 115 converted into goals, leading to an impressive success rate of 84.6%. Fenerbahce was on the receiving end of 17, which is not only the highest number in Turkey, but across all studied leagues.
Super League (Switzerland)
In the Swiss Super League, a total of 70 penalties were awarded throughout the season. 56 were successfully executed and led to goals, bringing an effectiveness rate of 80.0%. Young Boys were awarded the most – 12.
Premier League (Ukraine)
The Ukrainian Premier League saw a total of 89 penalty calls across the 2022/23 season. 68 of these were scored, which shows a conversion rate of 76.4%. Vorskla Poltava was the team with the highest number of awarded penalties with 12, while PFK Lviv received only 1 and missed it.
Fortuna Liga (Czech Republic)
The Fortuna Liga witnessed a total of 67 penalties given during the season. 58 of these were successfully turned into goals, resulting in the highest success rate in Europe at 86.6%. Sparta Prague was the team that got the most calls in its favour with 9 penalties awarded.