A hat trick -- when a player scores three goals (excluding penalty shootouts) in a single match -- is an exceptional accomplishment in soccer. The feat is held in even higher regard when achieved on the sport's biggest stage, the FIFA World Cup.
American forward Bert Patenaude recorded the first hat trick at a World Cup, scoring each of the three goals in the United States' 3-0 win against Paraguay in the group stage of the inaugural tournament in 1930 in Uruguay.
The then-20-year-old Fall River, Massachusetts, native was the youngest player on the 16-member U.S. national team that finished third behind runner-up Argentina and host and champion Uruguay.
Ninety-two years later, at the 2022 World Cup, France's Kylian Mbappé became just the second man to record a hat trick in a World Cup final, joining England's Geoff Hurst in 1966. Unlike Hurst, Mbappé's three-goal performance came in a losing effort as the Frenchmen fell to Lionel Messi and Argentina on penalty kicks.
Messi joined the hat trick fun at the 2026 World Cup, notching three goals against Algeria in the group stage.
Check out every hat trick in FIFA World Cup history below.
June 16, 2026: Lionel Messi (Argentina) in 3-0 win vs. Algeria in group stage
Dec. 18, 2022: Kylian Mbappé (France) in 3-3 draw vs. Argentina in final (lost on penalty kicks)
Dec. 6, 2022: Gonçalo Ramos (Portugal) in 6-1 win vs. Switzerland in Round of 16
June 24, 2018: Harry Kane (England) in 6-1 win vs. Panama in group stage
June 15, 2018: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) in 3-3 draw vs. Spain in group stage
June 25, 2014: Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland) in 3-0 win vs. Honduras in group stage
June 16, 2014: Thomas Müller (Germany) in 4-0 win vs. Portugal in group stage
June 17, 2010: Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina) in 4-1 win vs. South Korea in group stage
June 10, 2002: Pauleta (Portugal) in 4-0 win vs. Poland in group stage
June 1, 2002: Miroslav Klose (Germany) in 8-0 win vs. Saudi Arabia in group stage
June 21, 1998: Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) in 5-0 win vs. Jamaica in group stage
June 28, 1994: Oleg Salenko* (Russia) in 6-1 win vs. Cameroon in group stage
June 21, 1994: Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina) in 4-0 win vs. Greece in group stage
June 23, 1990: Tomas Skuhravy (Czechoslovakia) in 4-1 win vs. Costa Rica in Round of 16
June 17, 1990: Michel (Spain) in 3-1 win vs. South Korea in group stage
June 18, 1986: Emilio Butragueno* (Spain) in 5-1 win vs. Denmark in Round of 16
June 15, 1986: Igor Belanov (Soviet Union) in 4-3 loss vs. Belgium in Round of 16
June 11, 1986: Gary Lineker (England) in 3-0 win vs. Poland in group stage
June 8, 1986: Preben Elkjaer (Denmark) in 6-1 win vs. Uruguay in group stage
July 5, 1982: Paolo Rossi (Italy) in 3-2 win vs. Brazil in second group stage
June 28, 1982: Zbigniew Boniek (Poland) in 3-0 win vs. Belgium in second group stage
June 20, 1982: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (West Germany) in 4-1 win vs. Chile in group stage
June 15, 1982: Laszlo Kiss (Hungary) in 10-1 win vs. El Salvador in group stage
June 11, 1978: Teofilo Cubilas (Peru) in 4-1 win vs. Iran in group stage
June 3, 1978: Rob Rensenbrik (Netherlands) in 3-0 win vs. Iran in group stage
June 19, 1974: Andrzej Szarmach (Poland) in 7-0 win vs. Haiti in group stage
June 18, 1974: Dusan Bajevic (Yugoslavia) in 9-0 win vs. Zaire in group stage
June 10, 1970: Gerd Müller (West Germany) in 3-1 win vs. Peru in group stage
June 7, 1970: Gerd Müller (West Germany) in 5-2 win vs. Bulgaria in group stage
July 30, 1966: Geoff Hurst (England) in 4-2 win vs. West Germany in final
July 23, 1966: Eusebio* (Portugal) in 5-3 win vs. South Korea in quarterfinals
June 3, 1962: Florian Albert (Hungary) in 6-1 win vs. Bulgaria in group stage
June 28, 1958: Just Fontaine* (France) in 6-3 win vs. West Germany in third-place match
June 24, 1958: Pelé (Brazil) in 5-2 win vs. France in semifinals
June 8, 1958: Just Fontaine (France) in 7-3 win vs. Paraguay in group stage
June 26, 1954: Josef Hugi (Switzerland) in 7-5 loss vs. Austria in quarterfinals
June 26, 1954: Theodor Wagner (Austria) in 7-5 win vs. Switzerland in quarterfinals
June 23, 1954: Max Morlock (West Germany) in 7-2 win vs. Turkey in group stage
June 20, 1954: Burhan Sargin (Turkey) in 7-0 win vs. South Korea in group stage
June 20, 1954: Sandor Kocsis* (Hungary) in 8-3 win vs. West Germany in group stage
June 19, 1954: Carlos Borges (Uruguay) in 7-0 win vs. Scotland in group stage
June 19, 1954: Erich Probst (Austria) in 5-0 win vs. Czechoslovakia in group stage
June 17, 1954: Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) in 9-0 win vs. South Korea in group stage
July 9, 1950: Ademir* (Brazil) in 7-1 win vs. Sweden in final group stage
July 2, 1950: Oscar Miguez (Uruguay) in 8-0 win vs. Bolivia in final group stage
June 12, 1938: Harry Andersson (Sweden) in 8-0 win vs. Cuba in quarterfinals
June 12, 1938: Gustav Wetterstorm (Sweden) in 8-0 win vs. Cuba in quarterfinals
June 5, 1938: Leonidas (Brazil) in 6-5 win vs. Poland in Round of 16
June 5, 1938: Ernst Wilimowski* (Poland) in 6-5 loss vs. Brazil in Round of 16
June 3, 1934: Oldrich Nejedly (Czechoslovakia) in 3-1 win vs. Germany in semifinals
May 27, 1934: Edmund Cohen (Germany) in 5-2 win vs. Belgium in Round of 16
May 27, 1934: Angelo Schiavio (Italy) in 7-1 win vs. United States in Round of 16
July 27, 1930: Pedro Cea (Uruguay) in 6-1 win vs. Yugoslavia in semifinals
July 19, 1930: Guillermo Stabile (Argentina) in 6-3 win vs. Mexico in group stage
July 17, 1930: Bert Patenaude (United States) in 3-0 win vs. Paraguay in group stage
Check out the ESPN FIFA World Cup hub page for the latest news, scores, stats, schedule, standings and more.
Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48780088/which-players-scored-hat-trick-world-cup