England is back in the knockout stage of a major soccer tournament. And that usually means one thing: A strong chance of being involved in a penalty shootout.

That's bad news for the English.

England has lost six of its seven shootouts in major tournaments since 1990, making it something of an unwanted tradition for the national team.

Players like Stuart Pearce, Chris Waddle, Gareth Southgate and David Batty are as well known for missing penalties for England than anything else they achieved in their careers.

England will play Iceland in the round of 16 at the European Championship in Nice on Monday, and captain Wayne Rooney said the team has been practicing penalties after every training session at the tournament.

"We don't practice in terms of, 'You're No. 1, you're No. 2,'" Rooney said, "but the players will practice penalties and we go through the rhythm which we do in a game.

"Obviously it is different with the crowd and the pressure, but it is important for the players when you practice penalties to practice how you're going to do it (during a game)."

England's catalogue of woe in penalty shootouts began at the 1990 World Cup, when Pearce had a spot kick saved and Waddle blasted his over the bar in a semifinal loss to Germany.

At Euro 1996, which England hosted, the team beat Spain on penalties in the quarterfinals — Pearce memorably scored one to partially make up for his failure in 1990 — but then lost in the semifinals, again to Germany.

England lost on penalties to Argentina in the last 16 of the 1998 World Cup, to Portugal in the quarterfinals of both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, and then to Italy in the quarterfinals of Euro 2012.

Rooney scored his against Italy, but Ashley Young and Ashley Cole failed to score as England made its familiar exit.

"The good thing about this squad now is I don't think there is one player who has been in a shootout and missed for England, who is in this squad," Rooney said. "So that won't be hanging over any player.

"We are confident and if it goes to penalties we will give it our best and hopefully that will be good enough."

The English will be hoping they don't need to go to penalties against Iceland, the tiny island nation of 330,000 people that is the smallest country to compete at a European Championship.

Iceland arguably has been the surprise of the tournament, finishing its group unbeaten and above Portugal, but will start as the underdog against England.

Rooney watched Iceland play — and beat — the Netherlands in qualifying for Euro 2016.

"They were a very well-organized team and difficult to break down — similar to the games we've faced already in this tournament," Rooney said, referring to England's group matches against Russia, Wales and Slovakia. "We know it is going to be a tough game for us to break them down and it's important that we play at a really high tempo and make them work and try to tire them out, and then take the chances when they come."

And that, according to Rooney, has been England's problem this tournament.

"We do have to be a bit more ruthless, in terms of chances we have had," said England's record scorer with 52 goals. "We have to take a few more of them."

Rooney is set to be restored to the team against Iceland after being on the bench against Slovakia, meaning he will make his 115th international appearance — tying David Beckham's record for an outfield player for England. Goalkeeper Peter Shilton holds the national team's overall record with 125 caps.

Beckham has texted Rooney and Hodgson to wish them good luck in Nice.