Eberechi Eze remains ready to take a penalty for England at the World Cup, even after missing from the spot in Arsenal's Champions League final shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, with the attacking midfielder stressing that the experience has not shaken confidence built during a title-winning Premier League season.
England have improved their record in shootouts, defeating Switzerland 5-3 on penalties in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, and this tournament is Eze's second major finals with the Three Lions, so when Eze was asked whether another shootout would see a volunteer, the response underlined clear intent.
"If called upon, for sure. Why wouldn't I take it? Football is full of everything, and you have to try to accept everything as it is,
to enjoy it as much as you can. Playing in a Champions League final is where I want to be, it's what I want to do. We'll go for it again next season and if there is a penalty to take, then I'll be there again. "
The Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain finished 1-1 after normal time, before Arsenal lost 4-3 on penalties, with Eze dragging a kick wide from 12 yards and Gabriel Magalhaes also failing from the spot, leaving Arsenal as the only club to hit the goalframe or miss the target twice in a Champions League final shootout.
Back on United States soil with England, Eze returned to training in Kansas City as preparations continued for the World Cup group stage.
Back out on Kansas City soil Shot on Google Pixelpic.twitter.com/dUXPrZ6VUPEngland (@England) June 14, 2026
Despite missing out on European silverware, Eze's first campaign at the Emirates Stadium in 2025-26 brought major domestic success, as Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title, with the 27-year-old contributing across all competitions and ranking high within Mikel Arteta's squad for direct goal involvement.
| Season | Club | Competition | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Total Goal Contributions | Squad Rank for Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | Arsenal | All competitions | 52 | 10 | 5 | 15 | Fifth-highest |
Within Thomas Tuchel's 26-player England squad, several names arrive after lifting trophies last season, including Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Marc Guehi, and Eze feels that background of success across the group can feed into England's World Cup challenge in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"I think it's important for a player's confidence to have that under your belt, to experience winning, achieving what you set out to achieve," Eze added. "It gives you a different level of confidence and a lot of players experiencing that is only going to help us here. Every year you're one more year experienced and have got different things under your belt that are important for the next stage. Winning gives you belief, a trust in yourself that you can go all the way. We'll all be using that for sure. "
Eze views each campaign as an extra layer of learning, with club success and European disappointment both seen as tools for the next phase with England, and the squad will soon test that belief when the Group L opener against Croatia takes place at Dallas Stadium on Wednesday.
Eze's stance on penalties, combined with a title-winning season at Arsenal and a squad packed with recent trophy winners, leaves England entering the World Cup with a group that has handled pressure moments, and the attacking midfielder expects those shared experiences to influence how the team approaches shootouts and decisive matches across the tournament.
