According to FIFA World Cup records, a hat trick—three goals by a player in a single match, excluding penalty shootouts—is a rare and celebrated accomplishment on soccer’s biggest stage.
The first recorded World Cup hat trick came in the inaugural 1930 tournament in Uruguay, when American forward Bert Patenaude scored all three goals in the United States’ 3-0 group-stage victory over Paraguay. Patenaude was 20 and the youngest member of the 16-player U.S. squad that finished third behind Argentina and hosts Uruguay.
Only two players have produced hat tricks in a World Cup final: England’s Geoff Hurst, who scored three in the 4-2 win over West Germany in 1966, and France’s Kylian Mbappé, who netted three in the 3-3 draw with Argentina in the 2022 final (France lost on penalty kicks). Lionel Messi joined the list in the 2026 tournament, recording three goals for Argentina against Algeria in the group stage on June 16, 2026.
Several prolific scorers appear multiple times on the list, including Gerd Müller, Gabriel Batistuta and Just Fontaine, each of whom registered more than one World Cup hat trick. The list also contains some lopsided results, such as Hungary’s László Kiss in a 10-1 win over El Salvador (1982) and Poland’s Andrzej Szarmach in a 7-0 victory over Haiti (1974).
The full chronological record of World Cup hat tricks (player, country, opponent, stage and result) includes: Bert Patenaude (United States) vs. Paraguay, 1930 group stage; Josef Hugi (Switzerland) vs. Austria, June 26, 1954; Just Fontaine (France) vs. Paraguay, June 8, 1958; Pelé (Brazil) vs. France, June 24, 1958 (semifinals); Just Fontaine (France) vs. West Germany, June 28, 1958 (third-place match); Florian Albert (Hungary) vs. Bulgaria, June 3, 1962; Eusebio (Portugal) vs. South Korea, July 23, 1966 (quarterfinals); Geoff Hurst (England) vs. West Germany, July 30, 1966 (final); Gerd Müller (West Germany) vs. Bulgaria, June 7, 1970; Gerd Müller (West Germany) vs. Peru, June 10, 1970; Dusan Bajevic (Yugoslavia) vs. Zaire, June 18, 1974; Andrzej Szarmach (Poland) vs. Haiti, June 19, 1974; Rob Rensenbrink (Netherlands) vs. Iran, June 3, 1978; Teófilo Cubillas (Peru) vs. Iran, June 11, 1978; László Kiss (Hungary) vs. El Salvador, June 15, 1982; Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany) vs. Chile, June 20, 1982; Zbigniew Boniek (Poland) vs. Belgium, June 28, 1982; Paolo Rossi (Italy) vs. Brazil, July 5, 1982 (second group stage); Preben Elkjaer (Denmark) vs. Uruguay, June 8, 1986; Gary Lineker (England) vs. Poland, June 11, 1986; Igor Belanov (Soviet Union) vs. Belgium, June 15, 1986 (Round of 16); Emilio Butragueño (Spain) vs. Denmark, June 18, 1986 (Round of 16); Michel (Spain) vs. South Korea, June 17, 1990; Tomas Skuhravy (Czechoslovakia) vs. Costa Rica, June 23, 1990 (Round of 16); Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) vs. Greece, June 21, 1994; Oleg Salenko (Russia) vs. Cameroon, June 28, 1994; Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) vs. Jamaica, June 21, 1998; Miroslav Klose (Germany) vs. Saudi Arabia, June 1, 2002; Pauleta (Portugal) vs. Poland, June 10, 2002; Gonzalo Higuaín (Argentina) vs. South Korea, June 17, 2010; Thomas Müller (Germany) vs. Portugal, June 16, 2014; Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) vs. Honduras, June 25, 2014; Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) vs. Spain, June 15, 2018; Harry Kane (England) vs. Panama, June 24, 2018; Gonçalo Ramos (Portugal) vs. Switzerland, Dec. 6, 2022 (Round of 16); Kylian Mbappé (France) vs. Argentina, Dec. 18, 2022 (final); Lionel Messi (Argentina) vs. Algeria, June 16, 2026.
