The Golden Boots: Every World Cup Hat-Trick
Bert Patenaude made history on July 17, 1930, scoring the first-ever World Cup hat-trick for the United States against Paraguay. The final score in that Group 4 match was 3-0, with Patenaude netting goals in the 10th, 15th, and 50th minutes. Just two days later, Guillermo Stábile of Argentina matched the feat, putting three past Mexico in a 6-3 victory. Stábile's goals came in the 12th, 17th, and 80th minutes, cementing his place in the inaugural tournament's record books.
The 1934 World Cup in Italy saw Edmund Conen of Germany join the exclusive club. He bagged his hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Belgium on May 27, 1934, contributing to Germany's third-place finish. Angelo Schiavio of Italy also scored three against the USA in a dominant 7-1 performance on June 27, 1934, during the round of 16. That tournament was brutal.
Four years later, during the 1938 World Cup in France, Leônidas of Brazil showcased his talent with a hat-trick against Poland on June 5, 1938. Brazil won that thrilling first-round match 6-5 after extra time. The same tournament also saw Ernest Wilimowski score four goals for Poland in that very same match against Brazil, though Poland ultimately lost and was eliminated. Gunnar Gren, the legendary Swedish forward, scored three against Cuba in a 1938 quarter-final, a game Sweden won 8-0 on June 12, 1938.
The post-war 1950 World Cup in Brazil had two hat-tricks. Ademir of Brazil tore apart Sweden in a 7-1 victory on July 9, 1950, scoring goals in the 17th, 36th, 52nd, and 58th minutes. Alcides Ghiggia also scored a key goal in the final game that year, but it was Ademir who put on a show earlier. Four days later, on July 13, Oscar Míguez of Uruguay netted three against Bolivia in an 8-0 group stage rout.
Switzerland hosted the 1954 World Cup, which produced a flurry of hat-tricks. Sándor Kocsis of Hungary, a key player for the "Magical Magyars," scored three against West Germany in an 8-3 group stage win on June 20, 1954. Max Morlock of West Germany returned the favor with a hat-trick against Turkey in a 7-2 win on June 23, 1954. Carlos Borges of Uruguay joined the list against Scotland in a 7-0 victory on June 19, 1954. Erich Probst of Austria scored three against Czechoslovakia in a 5-0 win on June 19, 1954. The 1954 tournament was a goal-fest.
Just Fontaine, France's prolific striker, famously scored four goals against West Germany in the third-place playoff of the 1958 World Cup on June 28, 1958, leading France to a 6-3 win. Pelé, the Brazilian legend, announced himself to the world with a hat-trick against France in the semi-final of that same tournament, scoring in a 5-2 victory on June 24, 1958. It was the first of his many World Cup heroics.
The 1962 World Cup in Chile saw Flórián Albert of Hungary score three against Bulgaria in a 6-1 group stage win on June 3, 1962. Eusebio, the "Black Panther" from Portugal, dazzled in the 1966 World Cup, scoring four goals against North Korea in a dramatic 5-3 quarter-final comeback on July 23, 1966. Geoff Hurst's controversial hat-trick for England in the 1966 final against West Germany on July 30, 1966, secured a 4-2 extra-time victory and England's only World Cup title. That second goal still causes arguments.
Gerd Müller, "Der Bomber," was a hat-trick machine for West Germany in the 1970 World Cup. He scored three against Peru in a 3-1 group stage win on June 10, 1970, and then another three against England in a 3-2 quarter-final victory on June 14, 1970. Paolo Rossi of Italy famously scored a hat-trick against Brazil in the second group stage of the 1982 World Cup, a key 3-2 victory on July 5, 1982, en route to Italy's triumph. Zbigniew Boniek of Poland also scored three against Belgium in a 3-0 second group stage win on June 28, 1982. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge of West Germany bagged a hat-trick against Chile in a 4-1 group stage victory on June 20, 1982.
Emilio Butragueño, "El Buitre," of Spain, torched Denmark for four goals in a 5-1 round of 16 victory in the 1986 World Cup on June 18, 1986. Gary Lineker for England scored three against Poland in a 3-0 group stage win on June 11, 1986. Oleg Salenko of Russia holds the record for most goals in a single World Cup match, scoring five against Cameroon in a 6-1 group stage win on June 28, 1994. Gabriel Batistuta of Argentina notched hat-tricks in two different World Cups: against Greece in a 4-0 win on June 21, 1994, and then against Jamaica in a 5-0 victory on June 21, 1998, becoming the only player to do so.
The 2002 World Cup in South Korea/Japan saw Miroslav Klose of Germany score three against Saudi Arabia in an 8-0 group stage demolition on June 1, 2002. Gonzalo Higuaín of Argentina scored three against South Korea in a 4-1 group stage victory during the 2010 World Cup on June 17, 2010. Thomas Müller of Germany continued the trend with a hat-trick against Portugal in a 4-0 group stage win at the 2014 World Cup on June 16, 2014.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia featured two memorable hat-tricks. Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal delivered a stunning performance with three goals against Spain in a thrilling 3-3 group stage draw on June 15, 2018, including a late free-kick equalizer. Harry Kane of England then scored three against Panama in a dominant 6-1 group stage victory on June 24, 2018, en route to winning the Golden Boot. The most recent World Cup, Qatar 2022, provided two more. Gonçalo Ramos of Portugal, surprisingly starting over Ronaldo, scored three against Switzerland in a 6-1 Round of 16 win on December 6, 2022. Kylian Mbappé of France then scored a hat-trick in the final itself against Argentina on December 18, 2022, though France ultimately lost 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw. That game was an instant classic, but Mbappé’s individual brilliance was overshadowed. Real talk, the World Cup final hat-trick is the most impressive, even in a losing effort.
Here's my bold prediction: We'll see at least one hat-trick from a midfielder in the 2026 World Cup.