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A hat trick, scoring three or more goals in a single match, is one of the rarest and most celebrated achievements in football.
At the FIFA World Cup, where the pressure is immense and the defences are elite, hat tricks are extraordinarily rare. Since the inaugural tournament in 1930 in Uruguay through the 2026 edition hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, only 57 hat-tricks have been recorded across over 800 matches.
The first was scored by American forward Bert Patenaude against Paraguay in 1930. The most recent hat tricks heading into the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup belong to Argentina’s Lionel Messi (vs Algeria, June 16) and Canada’s Jonathan David (vs Qatar, June 18). Below is the complete, verified list of every hat trick in FIFA World Cup history.
| 57 Total Hat Tricks (1930–2026) | 56 Players Who Scored One | 4 Players with Multiple Hat Tricks | 1954 Most in One Tournament (8) | 2006 Only Tournament with Zero |
2026 World Cup Hat Tricks (Latest)
The 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted across 16 stadiums in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, has already produced two hat tricks in the group stage:
| Player | Country | Opponent | Result | Notable Fact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | Algeria (3–0) | Jun 16, 2026 | First WC hat trick of his career; tied Klose’s all-time goals record (16); oldest WC hat trick scorer |
| Jonathan David | Canada | Qatar (6–0) | Jun 18, 2026 | Part of Canada’s historic first-ever World Cup win; Canada tripled their all-time WC goal tally in one match |
FIFA World Cup All-Time Hat-Tricks
Listed chronologically from 1930 to 2026. Players who scored four or five goals are noted under the ‘Goals’ column. (L) = player’s team lost the match.
| # | Player | Country | Goals | Opponent | Result | Round | Year / Tournament |
| 1 | Bert Patenaude | United States | 3 | Paraguay | 3–0 | Group Stage | 1930 – Uruguay |
| 2 | Guillermo Stábile | Argentina | 3 | Mexico | 6–3 | Group Stage | 1930 – Uruguay |
| 3 | Pedro Cea | Uruguay | 3 | Yugoslavia | 6–1 | Semi-Final | 1930 – Uruguay |
| 4 | Angelo Schiavio | Italy | 3 | United States | 7–1 | Round of 16 | 1934 – Italy |
| 5 | Edmund Conen | Germany | 3 | Belgium | 5–2 | Round of 16 | 1934 – Italy |
| 6 | Oldřich Nejedlý | Czechoslovakia | 3 | Germany | 3–1 | Semi-Final | 1934 – Italy |
| 7 | Ernst Wilimowski | Poland | 4 | Brazil | 5–6 (L) | Round of 16 | 1938 – France |
| 8 | Leônidas | Brazil | 3 | Poland | 6–5 (aet) | Round of 16 | 1938 – France |
| 9 | Gustav Wetterström | Sweden | 3 | Cuba | 8–0 | Quarter-Final | 1938 – France |
| 10 | Harry Andersson | Sweden | 3 | Cuba | 8–0 | Quarter-Final | 1938 – France |
| 11 | Óscar Míguez | Uruguay | 3 | Bolivia | 8–0 | Group Stage | 1950 – Brazil |
| 12 | Ademir | Brazil | 4 | Sweden | 7–1 | Final Group Stage | 1950 – Brazil |
| 13 | Sándor Kocsis (1) | Hungary | 3 | South Korea | 9–0 | Group Stage | 1954 – Switzerland |
| 14 | Erich Probst | Austria | 3 | Czechoslovakia | 5–0 | Group Stage | 1954 – Switzerland |
| 15 | Carlos Borges | Uruguay | 3 | Scotland | 7–0 | Group Stage | 1954 – Switzerland |
| 16 | Sándor Kocsis (2) | Hungary | 4 | West Germany | 8–3 | Group Stage | 1954 – Switzerland |
| 17 | Burhan Sargın | Turkey | 3 | South Korea | 7–0 | Group Stage | 1954 – Switzerland |
| 18 | Max Morlock | West Germany | 3 | Turkey | 7–2 | Group Stage | 1954 – Switzerland |
| 19 | Theodor Wagner | Austria | 3 | Switzerland | 7–5 | Quarter-Final | 1954 – Switzerland |
| 20 | Josef Hügi | Switzerland | 3 | Austria | 5–7 (L) | Quarter-Final | 1954 – Switzerland |
| 21 | Just Fontaine (1) | France | 3 | Paraguay | 7–3 | Group Stage | 1958 – Sweden |
| 22 | Pelé | Brazil | 3 | France | 5–2 | Semi-Final | 1958 – Sweden |
| 23 | Just Fontaine (2) | France | 4 | West Germany | 6–3 | 3rd Place Match | 1958 – Sweden |
| 24 | Flórián Albert | Hungary | 3 | Bulgaria | 6–1 | Group Stage | 1962 – Chile |
| 25 | Eusébio | Portugal | 4 | North Korea | 5–3 | Quarter-Final | 1966 – England |
| 26 | Geoff Hurst | England | 3 | West Germany | 4–2 (aet) | Final | 1966 – England |
| 27 | Gerd Müller (1) | West Germany | 3 | Bulgaria | 5–2 | Group Stage | 1970 – Mexico |
| 28 | Gerd Müller (2) | West Germany | 3 | Peru | 3–1 | Group Stage | 1970 – Mexico |
| 29 | Dušan Bajević | Yugoslavia | 3 | Zaire | 9–0 | Group Stage | 1974 – West Germany |
| 30 | Andrzej Szarmach | Poland | 3 | Haiti | 7–0 | Group Stage | 1974 – West Germany |
| 31 | Rob Rensenbrink | Netherlands | 3 | Iran | 3–0 | Group Stage | 1978 – Argentina |
| 32 | Teófilo Cubillas | Peru | 3 | Iran | 4–1 | Group Stage | 1978 – Argentina |
| 33 | László Kiss | Hungary | 3 | El Salvador | 10–1 | Group Stage | 1982 – Spain |
| 34 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | 3 | Chile | 4–1 | Group Stage | 1982 – Spain |
| 35 | Zbigniew Boniek | Poland | 3 | Belgium | 3–0 | 2nd Group Stage | 1982 – Spain |
| 36 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | 3 | Brazil | 3–2 | 2nd Group Stage | 1982 – Spain |
| 37 | Preben Elkjær | Denmark | 3 | Uruguay | 6–1 | Group Stage | 1986 – Mexico |
| 38 | Gary Lineker | England | 3 | Poland | 3–0 | Group Stage | 1986 – Mexico |
| 39 | Igor Belanov | Soviet Union | 3 | Belgium | 3–4 (L) | Round of 16 | 1986 – Mexico |
| 40 | Emilio Butragueño | Spain | 4 | Denmark | 5–1 | Round of 16 | 1986 – Mexico |
| 41 | Míchel | Spain | 3 | South Korea | 3–1 | Group Stage | 1990 – Italy |
| 42 | Tomáš Skuhravý | Czechoslovakia | 3 (headers) | Costa Rica | 4–1 | Round of 16 | 1990 – Italy |
| 43 | Gabriel Batistuta (1) | Argentina | 3 | Greece | 4–0 | Group Stage | 1994 – USA |
| 44 | Oleg Salenko | Russia | 5 | Cameroon | 6–1 | Group Stage | 1994 – USA |
| 45 | Gabriel Batistuta (2) | Argentina | 3 | Jamaica | 5–0 | Group Stage | 1998 – France |
| 46 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 3 (headers) | Saudi Arabia | 8–0 | Group Stage | 2002 – Korea/Japan |
| 47 | Pauleta | Portugal | 3 | Poland | 4–0 | Group Stage | 2002 – Korea/Japan |
| 48 | Gonzalo Higuaín | Argentina | 3 | South Korea | 4–1 | Group Stage | 2010 – South Africa |
| 49 | Thomas Müller | Germany | 3 | Portugal | 4–0 | Group Stage | 2014 – Brazil |
| 50 | Xherdan Shaqiri | Switzerland | 3 | Honduras | 3–0 | Group Stage | 2014 – Brazil |
| 51 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 3 | Spain | 3–3 | Group Stage | 2018 – Russia |
| 52 | Harry Kane | England | 3 | Panama | 6–1 | Group Stage | 2018 – Russia |
| 53 | Gonçalo Ramos | Portugal | 3 | Switzerland | 6–1 | Round of 16 | 2022 – Qatar |
| 54 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 3 | Argentina | 3–3 (L pens) | Final | 2022 – Qatar |
| 55 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 3 | Algeria | 3–0 | Group Stage | 2026 – USA/CAN/MEX |
| 56 | Jonathan David | Canada | 3 | Qatar | 6–0 | Group Stage | 2026 – USA/CAN/MEX |
* Numbers in ‘Goals’ column indicate total goals scored in that match. Players with 4 or 5 goals are included as their performance exceeded a standard hat trick.
Players with Multiple Hat Tricks
Only four players have scored more than one hat trick at the FIFA World Cup:
| Player | Country | Tournaments | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 1994 & 1998 | Only player to score hat-tricks at two different World Cups |
| Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 1954 (x2) | Both hat tricks in the same tournament; scored 11 goals in 1954 |
| Just Fontaine | France | 1958 (x2) | Part of his record 13-goal campaign in a single World Cup |
| Gerd Müller | West Germany | 1970 (x2) | Scored in consecutive matches; finished with 14 goals across two WCs |
Hat Tricks in the World Cup Final
- Geoff Hurst (England, 1966): Scored all three of England’s second-half and extra-time goals in a 4–2 win over West Germany at Wembley, the only World Cup final hat trick where the player’s team won.
- Kylian Mbappé (France, 2022): Scored three goals in the final against Argentina in a thrilling 3–3 draw, but France lost 4–2 on penalties. Mbappé’s hat trick came in the space of just 38 minutes in the second half and extra time.
Age Records
- Youngest hat-trick scorer: Pelé (Brazil, 1958) – aged 17 years and 244 days, against France in the semi-final.
- Oldest hat-trick scorer: Lionel Messi (Argentina, 2026) – aged 38 years and 353 days, against Algeria in the group stage. He surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo (33 years, 122 days in 2018).
Fastest Hat Tricks
- Earliest goals scored (first goal to third goal in minutes from kickoff): Erich Probst (Austria, 1954) goals at 4′, 21′, and 24′ vs Czechoslovakia.
- Shortest time between first and third goal: László Kiss (Hungary, 1982) hat trick in just 7 minutes and 42 seconds (69′, 72′, 76′) against El Salvador. Kiss is also the only substitute ever to score a World Cup hat trick.
- Longest hat trick: Geoff Hurst (England, 1966) goals at 18′, 98′, and 120′, spanning 102 minutes of a single match.
5-Goal Performance
- Oleg Salenko (Russia, 1994) holds the record for most goals in a single World Cup match with five, scored in a 6–1 group-stage win over Cameroon. He shared the Golden Boot at the 1994 World Cup with Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoichkov.
Hat Tricks for the Losing Side
- Ernst Wilimowski (Poland, 1938): Scored four goals against Brazil – the only player to score four in a World Cup match and still lose (5–6).
- Josef Hügi (Switzerland, 1954): Hat trick in the 5–7 quarter-final loss to Austria.
- Igor Belanov (Soviet Union, 1986): Hat trick in the 3–4 extra-time loss to Belgium.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, 2018) and Kylian Mbappé (France, 2022) also scored hat tricks in matches their side did not win (draws), though Mbappé’s team ultimately lost on penalties.
Two Hat Tricks in the Same Match
On three occasions, two players scored hat-tricks in the same match:
- 1938: Brazil vs Poland (6–5 aet) – Leônidas (Brazil) and Ernst Wilimowski (Poland)
- 1938: Sweden vs Cuba (8–0) – Gustav Wetterström and Harry Andersson (both Sweden)
- 1954: Austria vs Switzerland (7–5) – Theodor Wagner (Austria) and Josef Hügi (Switzerland)
Most Hat Tricks by Country in the FIFA World Cup
| Country | Hat Tricks Scored | Notable Scorers |
|---|---|---|
| Germany / West Germany | 7 | Müller (2), Rummenigge, Morlock, T. Müller, Klose, Conen |
| France | 5 | Fontaine (2), Pelé*, Mbappé, G. Ramos* |
| Argentina | 4 | Stábile, Batistuta (2), Higuaín, Messi |
| Hungary | 4 | Kocsis (2), Albert, Kiss |
| Austria | 3 | Probst, T. Wagner, Hügi† |
| Brazil | 3 | Leônidas, Ademir, Cea† |
| Portugal | 3 | Eusébio, Pauleta, Ronaldo |
| England | 3 | Hurst, Lineker, Kane |
| Sweden | 2 | Wetterström, H. Andersson |
* Gonçalo Ramos played for Portugal, not France. Pelé scored for Brazil in the 1958 semi-final vs France. † Hügi scored for Switzerland (not Austria); Cea scored for Uruguay.
Hat Tricks by Tournament
| Tournament | Count | Notable Mentions |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 – USA/CAN/MEX | 2* | Messi (1st career WC hat trick); David (Canada’s 1st WC win) |
| 2022 – Qatar | 2 | Mbappé (WC Final), Gonçalo Ramos (Round of 16) |
| 2018 – Russia | 2 | Ronaldo (vs Spain), Kane (6 goals in the tournament) |
| 2014 – Brazil | 2 | T. Müller, Shaqiri |
| 2010 – South Africa | 1 | Higuaín |
| 2006 – Germany | 0 | Only tournament in history with no hat tricks |
| 2002 – South Korea & Japan | 2 | Klose (all headers), Pauleta |
| 1998 – France | 1 | Batistuta (2nd at two WCs) |
| 1994 – USA | 2 | Batistuta (1st), Salenko (5 goals) |
| 1990 – Italy | 2 | Skuhravý (all headers), Míchel |
| 1986 – Mexico | 4 | Butragueño (4 goals), Belanov, Lineker, Elkjær |
| 1982 – Spain | 4 | Kiss (sub, fastest WC hat trick), Rummenigge, Boniek, Rossi |
| 1978 – Argentina | 2 | Rensenbrink, Cubillas |
| 1974 – West Germany | 2 | Szarmach, Bajević |
| 1970 – Mexico | 2 | Müller (2, consecutive matches) |
| 1966 – England | 2 | Hurst (WC Final), Eusébio (4 goals) |
| 1962 – Chile | 1 | Flórián Albert |
| 1958 – Sweden | 3 | Fontaine (2, incl. 4-goal game), Pelé (youngest) |
| 1954 – Switzerland | 8 | Record for most in one tournament; Kocsis scored two |
| 1950 – Brazil | 2 | Ademir (4 goals), Míguez |
| 1938 – France | 4 | 3 matches saw two hat-tricks each |
| 1934 – Italy | 3 | Nejedlý, Conen, Schiavio |
| 1930 – Uruguay | 3 | Patenaude (1st ever), Stábile, Cea |
Final Takeaway
The mystery of the “missing #1” on World Cup hat-trick lists comes down to a mix of coding gaps and historical drama. For decades, a dispute over a credited goal kept America’s Bert Patenaude from his rightful title as the first person to score a tournament hat-trick, creating a statistical ripple effect.
With FIFA’s official correction firmly in place and the data loops repaired, the historical timeline is fully restored. As of the ongoing 2026 World Cup, the record stands at 56 unique hat-tricks, properly leading off from rank #1.
