♣ Hat-trick records

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 66 in his career, which is more than any other active player. According to Guinness World Records Pelé has scored the most hat-tricks in history, but based on RSSSF's data the record belongs to Erwin Helmchen with at least 141. Pelé 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 when Gottfried Fuchs 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, Javier Ambrois, David Arellano, Teodoro Fernandez, Herminio Masantonio, Pedro Petrone, Sylvio Pirillo, Jose Sanfilippo, Severino Varela, and Paolo Guerrero. Ferenc Puskas is the only player to score 2 hat-tricks in a major international club final, achieved the feat with trebles at the European Cup finals of 1960 and 1962 for Real Madrid. Shokhan Salihi 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.

▼ Connection Pages

Players who scored most hat-tricks for a national team

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

Records of most goals scored in a single match

Players who scored a hat-trick of free-kicks

Players who scored the fastest hat-tricks in history

Players with most hat-tricks

Defenders who scored a hat-trick

Youngest players in history to score a hat-trick

▶ Hat-tricks Record Go page