List of Scotland national football team hat-tricks

Since Scotland's first international association football match on 30 November 1872,[1] 33 players have scored three goals (a hat-trick) or more in a game. The first player to do so was John McDougall,[2][3] in a match against England on 2 May 1878.[1] The most goals scored by a single player in a match is five, scored by Hughie Gallacher in a 1928–29 British Home Championship match against Ireland on 23 February 1929[4][5] and Joe Harper in a friendly against a Canada Olympic team on 13 June 1967,[6] although some reports credit at least one of their goals to other players.[7][8] Denis Law is the only player to have scored four goals in a single match more than once. Robert Smyth McColl, Gallacher and Law are tied for the most hat-tricks for Scotland's international team, with three hat-tricks each.

A head and upper shoulders shot of a statue of a footballer
Denis Law, who scored three hat tricks for Scotland, pictured here in a statue outside Old Trafford.

The most recent player to score a hat-trick for Scotland was John McGinn, in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match against San Marino on 13 October 2019.[9] Steven Fletcher (twice), Robert Snodgrass, James Forrest and McGinn all scored hat-tricks for Scotland between 2015 and 2019,[10][11][12][13][9] ending a long wait dating back to 17 May 1969, when Colin Stein scored four goals in the 8–0 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Cyprus.[10][14]

Scotland have conceded eight hat-tricks in total, with the first scored by England's Fred Spiksley in 1893 – this does not appear in all records, with the last goal of a 5–2 scoreline being mistakenly attributed to Jack Reynolds for some time.[15] The second instance 62 years later, featuring four goals by Dennis Wilshaw of England on 2 April 1955 in a 1954–55 British Home Championship match,[16] remains the highest individual player total for either team in the fixture and the only occasion an opposing player has scored four times in a match.

Nico Claesen of Belgium was the first player from outside the Home Nations to score a hat-trick against Scotland, in the UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying match on 1 April 1987.[17] Scotland had only conceded five hat-tricks until the 2003–04 season when the feat was achieved against them in successive matches, first by Ruud van Nistelrooy for the Netherlands in a UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying playoff match against the, and then by Robert Earnshaw for Wales in a friendly.[18] The most recent hat-trick conceded by Scotland was in May 2012, when Landon Donovan scored three times in a 5–1 win for the United States in a friendly.[19]

Hat-tricks for Scotland

Key
More than a hat-trick scored *
Table

Wartime internationals, not regarded as official matches, are not included in the list.The result is presented with Scotland's score first.

DateGoalsPlayerOpponentVenueCompetitionResultRef[a]
2 March 1878
3
John McDougall EnglandHampden Park [I], GlasgowFriendly
7–2
[1]
13 March 1880
3
George Ker EnglandHampden Park [I], GlasgowFriendly
5–4
[1]
12 March 1881
3
John Smith EnglandKennington Oval, LondonFriendly
6–1
[20]
14 March 1885
3
Alex Higgins IrelandHampden Park [II], Glasgow1884–85 British Home Championship
8–2
[20]
23 March 1885[b]
3
Joseph Lindsay WalesActon Park, Wrexham1884–85 British Home Championship
8–1
[20][b]
20 March 1886
3
Charles Heggie IrelandUlster Ground, Belfast1885–86 British Home Championship
7–2
[20]
24 March 1888
4*
William Dickson IrelandSolitude Ground, Belfast1887–88 British Home Championship
10–2
[20]
9 March 1889
3
Willie Groves IrelandIbrox Park [I], Glasgow1888–89 British Home Championship
7–0
[20]
22 March 1890
4*
William Paul WalesUnderwood Park, Paisley1889–90 British Home Championship
5–0
[20]
29 March 1889
3
Gilbert Rankin IrelandUlster Ground, Belfast1889–90 British Home Championship
4–1
[20]
18 March 1893
3
John Barker WalesRacecourse Ground, Wrexham1892–93 British Home Championship
8–0
[21]
18 March 1893
4*
Jake Madden WalesRacecourse Ground, Wrexham1892–93 British Home Championship
8–0
[21]
19 March 1898
3
James Gillespie WalesFir Park, Motherwell1897–98 British Home Championship
5–2
[21]
18 March 1899
3
Robert Smyth McColl WalesRacecourse Ground, Wrexham1898–99 British Home Championship
6–0
[21]
25 March 1899
3
Robert Smyth McColl IrelandCeltic Park, Glasgow1898–99 British Home Championship
9–1
[21]
7 April 1900
3
Robert Smyth McColl EnglandCeltic Park, Glasgow1899–1900 British Home Championship
4–1
[21]
23 February 1901
4*
Sandy McMahon IrelandCeltic Park, Glasgow1900–01 British Home Championship
11–0
[22]
23 February 1901
4*
Robert Hamilton IrelandCeltic Park, Glasgow1900–01 British Home Championship
11–0
[22]
1 March 1902
3
Robert Hamilton IrelandGrosvenor Park, Belfast1901–02 British Home Championship
5–1
[22]
14 March 1908
4*
Jimmy Quinn IrelandDalymount Park, Dublin1907–08 British Home Championship
5–0
[22]
27 February 1926
3
Hughie Gallacher IrelandIbrox Park, Glasgow1925–26 British Home Championship
4–0
[4]
27 February 1928
3
Alex Jackson EnglandWembley Stadium, London1927–28 British Home Championship
5–1
[4]
27 October 1928
3
Hughie Gallacher WalesIbrox Park, Glasgow1927–28 British Home Championship
4–2
[4]
23 February 1929
5*
Hughie Gallacher[c] IrelandWindsor Park, Belfast1928–29 British Home Championship
7–3
[4]
26 May 1929
3
Alec Cheyne NorwayBrann Stadion, BergenFriendly
7–3
[4]
26 May 1932
3
Neil Dewar FranceStade Olympique, ColombesFriendly
3–1
[23]
1 October 1949
3
Henry Morris IrelandWindsor Park, Belfast1949–50 British Home Championship /
1950 FIFA World Cup qualifying
8–2
[24]
1 November 1950
4*
Billy Steel IrelandHampden Park, Glasgow1950–51 British Home Championship
6–2
[24]
20 May 1951
3
George Hamilton BelgiumStade Heysel, BrusselsFriendly
5–0
[16]
30 April 1952
3
Lawrie Reilly United StatesHampden Park, GlasgowFriendly
6–0
[16]
8 May 1957
3
Jackie Mudie SpainHampden Park, Glasgow1958 FIFA World Cup qualification
4–2
[25]
7 October 1961
3
Alex Scott Northern IrelandWindsor Park, Belfast1961–62 British Home Championship
6–1
[26]
7 November 1962
4*
Denis Law Northern IrelandWindsor Park, Belfast1962–63 British Home Championship
5–1
[26]
4 June 1963
3
Denis Law[d] NorwayBrann Stadion, BergenFriendly
3–4
[26]
7 November 1963
4*
Denis Law NorwayHampden Park, GlasgowFriendly
6–1
[26]
13 June 1967
5*
Joe Harper[f] Canada Olympic teamAlexander Park, WinnipegFriendly
7–2
[7][27][8]
17 May 1969
4*
Colin Stein CyprusHampden Park, Glasgow1970 FIFA World Cup qualification
8–0
[14]
29 March 2015
3
Steven Fletcher GibraltarHampden Park, GlasgowUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
6–1
[10]
11 October 2015
3
Steven Fletcher GibraltarEstádio Algarve, FaroUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
6–0
[11]
4 September 2016
3
Robert Snodgrass MaltaTa' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5–1
[12]
20 November 2018
3
James Forrest IsraelHampden Park, Glasgow2018–19 UEFA Nations League
3–2
[13]
13 October 2019
3
John McGinn San MarinoHampden Park, GlasgowUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
6–0
[9]

Hat-tricks conceded by Scotland

Wartime internationals, not regarded as official matches, are not included in the list. The result is presented with Scotland's score first.

Scotland have conceded eight hat-tricks, five of which have been scored by players from the Home Nations.

DateGoalsPlayerOpponentVenueCompetitionResultRef[a]
1 April 1893e
3
Fred Spiksley  EnglandAthletic Ground, Richmond1892–93 British Home Championship
2–5
[15]
2 April 1955
4*
Dennis Wilshaw EnglandWembley Stadium, London1954–55 British Home Championship
2–7
[16][28]
15 April 1961
3
Jimmy Greaves EnglandWembley Stadium, London1960–61 British Home Championship
3–9
[26]
19 May 1979
3
John Toshack WalesNinian Park, Cardiff1978–79 British Home Championship
0–3
[29]
1 April 1987
3
Nico Claesen BelgiumConstant Vanden Stock Stadium, BrusselsUEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
1–4
[17]
19 November 2003
3
Ruud van Nistelrooy NetherlandsAmsterdam Arena, AmsterdamUEFA Euro 2004 qualifying playoff
0–6
[18]
18 February 2004
3
Robert Earnshaw WalesMillennium Stadium, CardiffFriendly
0–4
[18]
27 May 2012
3
Landon Donovan United StatesEverBank Field, JacksonvilleFriendly
1–5
[19]

Notes

a A full list of Scotland results for 1872–1880, 1881–1890, 1891–1900, 1901–1910, 1911–1920, 1921–1930, 1931–1939, 1946–1950, 1951–1955, 1956–1960, 1961–1965, 1966–1970, 1971–1975, 1976–1980, 1981–1985, 1986–1990, 1991–1995, 1996–2001, 2002–2005, 2006–2010, 2011–2015, 2016–2020, 2021–2022 are listed on the RSSSF website. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
b Some sources attribute another goal in this match, elsewhere credited to Robert Calderwood, to William Anderson – this would make a hat-trick for Anderson, completed earlier chronologically than that of Joseph Lindsay.[30][31]
c Hughie Gallacher is credited with Scotland's sixth goal (his fifth) in some sources,[4][5] although RSSSF credit it to Alex James.[4]
d This is Scotland's only hat-trick in a game that they lost.
e One of the goals is credited to Jack Reynolds in some sources.[15]
f Joe Harper is credited with five goals in some sources, but only three in others.[8]

References

Specific
General