Could you score a World Cup penalty kick? Many men say yes

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In a survey this week, 24% of American men say they would definitely or probably score a penalty kick in a World Cup match — including 41% of men under 30.

Among both men and women, younger people are more likely than older people to say they would score.

Belief in one's own soccer prowess is particularly strong among young Republicans. Among adults under 45, 58% of Republican men say they could score a penalty kick, compared to 28% of Democratic men and 26% of Independent men. 34% of Republican women under 45 say they could score a penalty kick, compared to 21% of young Democratic women and 14% of young Independent women.

Among both men and women 45 and older, there's little difference in the share of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who say they would score a penalty kick.

YouGov polling has found men are more likely than women to say they would win a variety of contests including fights with wild animals, tennis points against Serena Williams, battles with aviation emergencies, fights for survival with the wilderness or a sea wreck, and a fight with Donald Trump. For the hypothetical fight with Trump, Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say they would win.

Sometimes women are more confident than men. One recent poll of ours found that women are more likely than men to think they could deliver a baby in an emergency. And our latest poll found that men are more likely than women to think that if they were trying to save a World Cup penalty kick, they would fail.

See the full results of this poll.

Methodology: The Daily Questions survey was conducted online on July 9 - 10, 2026 among 6,297 U.S. adults. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, U.S. census region, and political party. The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 1.5%.

Image: Getty (Image Source)

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