The first-ever hat-trick in an international match was recorded on 2 March 1878, when John McDougall scored three times for Scotland in a 7–2 win against England. Since then there have been numerous players who scored three or more goals in a single match, either in club or international football. The great majority of the scorers of a hat-trick have played for the winning side, but there have also been a few occasions when the player's team have drawn or lost the game. Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to reach 10 international hat-tricks when he netted three goals for Portugal in a 5–0 win over Luxembourg on 12 October 2021, and overall, he has scored 60 in his career, which is more than any other active player. According to Guinness World Records

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...

has scored the most hat-tricks in history, however, based on RSSSF's data the record belongs to

Erwin Helmchen Erwin Helmchen (10 May 1907 – 8 June 1981) was a German footballer who played as a striker. He is the most prolific goalscorer in official matches in recorded history according to RSSSF with at least 987 goals scored in 577 official matches, ...

with at least 141.

still holds the record for the youngest player to strike three times in a FIFA World Cup match after achieving the feat in 1958, while Ntinos Pontikas became the youngest ever to score a hat-trick in 1996. Stjepan Lucijanic equalized Josef Bican's record with the most consecutive hat-tricks in 2016, just over a century after Sophus Nielsen scored 10 goals in a single international match at the 1908 Olympic tournament, a record that was equalized four years later at the

1912 Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, bet ...

when

Gottfried Fuchs Gottfried Erik Fuchs (also Godfrey Fuchs; (3 May 1889 – 25 February 1972) was a German Olympic footballer. He scored a then-world record 10 goals for the Germany national football team in a 16–0 win against Russia at the 1912 Olympics. He le ...

netted 10 goals against Russia, and they jointly held the record for nearly 90 years until Archie Thompson broke it when he scored 13 goals in a 31–0 victory over American Samoa in 2001. When it comes to continental competitions Michel Platini is the only player who scored two hat-tricks in the UEFA European Championship, but there have been ten players who managed to achieve the same feat in the Copa America:

Ademir Ademir is a Brazilian common given name. It may refer to these Brazilian footballers: * Ademir Marques de Menezes (1922–1996), who participated at 1950 FIFA World Cup; *Ademir da Silva Santos Júnior (born 1995), forward * Ademir da Guia ( ...

Javier Ambrois Javier Ambrois Campaña https://www.ancestry.com/search/?name=Ambrose_Campana (May 9, 1932 in Montevideo, Uruguay – June 25, 1975 in Montevideo, Uruguay) was a Uruguayan footballer who played for clubs of Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil and the ...

, David Arellano,

Teodoro Fernandez The name ''Teodoro'' is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish form of Theodore. People Given name * Teodoro Alcalde (1913–1995) * Teodoro Ardemans (died 1726) * Teodoro Borlongan (1955–2005) * Teodoro Buontempo (1946–2013) * Teodoro Cano ...

, Herminio Masantonio, Pedro Petrone,

Sylvio Pirillo Sylvio Pirillo (or Sílvio Pirillo) (27 July 1916 in Porto Alegre – 22 April 1991 in Porto Alegre) was a Brazilian football striker. Pirillo's first professional club was Sport Club Americano. His good performances granted him moves to In ...

Jose Sanfilippo Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galile ...

Severino Varela Severino Varela Puente (14 September 1913 – 29 July 1995) was a Uruguayan footballer who played as a striker. With 15 goals, he is Uruguay's all-time top scorer at the Copa América. Career Varela started his playing career in 1932 with ...

, and Paolo Guerrero.

Ferenc Puskas Ferenc () is a given name of Hungarian origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, Francesco, François, Frank and Franz. People with the name include: * Ferenc Batthyány, Hungarian magnate and general * Ferenc Berényi, Hungarian artist * ...

is the only player to score 2 hat-tricks in a major international club final, achieved the feat with trebles at the

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

finals of

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

and

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...

for

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. Malika-e-Noor holds the record for the most goals scored in a women's football match. The list below features association football players who achieved, held or currently hold hat-trick records, including professionals, semi-professionals, amateurs, women, in any football league, cup, official friendlies or other competition around the world.

World records

Players in bold are still active. ''As of 21 December 2021''

Player with most hat-tricks in history (RSSSF)

Active players with most hat-tricks

Players who scored most hat-tricks for a national team

Players with most consecutive hat-tricks in history

Goalkeepers who scored a hat-trick

Defenders who scored a hat-trick

Players who scored a hat-trick of free-kicks

Records of most goals scored in a single match

Youngest players in history to score a hat-trick

Youngest player to score a hat-trick for a national team

Players with most FIFA World Cup hat-tricks

Player with most FIFA Confederations Cup hat-tricks

Youngest hat-trick scorer in the FIFA World Cup

Youngest hat-trick scorer in the FIFA Women's World Cup

Oldest hat-trick scorer in the FIFA World Cup

Oldest hat-trick scorer in the FIFA Women's World Cup

Player with most goals in a single FIFA World Cup match

Players with most goals in a single FIFA Women's World Cup match

Players to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup Final

Player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA Women's World Cup Final

Player with most goals in a single match in the Olympics

Players with most hat-tricks in the Olympics

Players who scored the fastest hat-tricks in history

Here, "fastest" is defined as the shortest span between the first and third goals.

Continental records

Players in bold are still active.

Player with most hat-tricks in the European Championship

Player with most hat-tricks in the Africa Cup of Nations

Player with most hat-tricks in the Oceania Cup of Nations

Players with most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League

Players with most hat-tricks in the Copa Libertadores

Player with most hat-tricks in the UEFA Europa League

Players with most hat-tricks in the AFC Champions League

Youngest hat-trick scorer in the UEFA Champions League

Oldest hat-trick scorer in the UEFA European Cup

Oldest hat-trick scorer in the UEFA Champions League

Players to score a hat-trick in a continental club final

References

{{reflist Lists of association football hat-tricks Association football records and statistics

Hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...