List of Wales national football team hat-tricks

Wales played their first international association football match on 25 March 1876 against Scotland.[1] As of September 2021, fifteen Welsh international players have scored a hat-trick (three goals) or more in a game. The first player to achieve the feat was John Price who scored four goals against Ireland on 25 February 1882.[2] Other than Price, three other players have scored four goals during a match, Jack Doughty against Ireland in 1888, Mel Charles against Northern Ireland in 1962 and Ian Edwards against Malta in 1978.[2]

A footballer wearing a black jersey and black shorts attempts to dribble a football.
Gareth Bale scored the most recent hat-trick for Wales, in September 2021 against Belarus.

Wales' first five hat-tricks were all scored against the same opposition, Ireland, before Trevor Ford scored three times against Belgium on 23 November 1949, also becoming the first Welsh player to score a hat-trick against a team not from the home nations.[2] As of September 2021 the most recent player to score a hat-trick for Wales was Gareth Bale, in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Belarus on 5 September 2021.[3]

Wales have conceded 26 hat-tricks during their history,[a] the first being scored by Clement Mitchell in a friendly match on 3 February 1883 against England.[4] The first player to score a hat-trick against Wales from outside the home nations was Rajko Mitić for Yugoslavia on 21 May 1953.[5] Seven players have scored more than three goals in a single match against Wales, Joe Bambrick's six goals for Ireland during a 1929–30 British Home Championship match is the most goals scored by a player against Wales in a single match. Filippo Inzaghi of Italy is the most recent player to score a hat-trick against Wales, in a UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying match on 6 September 2003.[6]

Hat-tricks for Wales

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 Wales' score first.

DateGoalsPlayerOpponentVenueCompetitionResultRef
25 February 1882
4*
John Price IrelandRacecourse Ground, WrexhamFriendly
7–1
[7]
11 April 1885
3
Herbert Sisson IrelandUlster Ground, Ballynafeigh1884–85 British Home Championship
8–2
[8]
3 March 1888
4*
Jack Doughty IrelandRacecourse Ground1887–88 British Home Championship
11–0
[9]
27 April 1889
3
Richard Jarrett IrelandUlster Ground, Ballynafeigh1888–89 British Home Championship
3–0
[10]
2 April 1906
3
William Green IrelandRacecourse Ground1905–06 British Home Championship
4–4
[11]
23 November 1949
3
Trevor Ford  BelgiumNinian Park, CardiffFriendly
5–1
[12]
20 April 1955
3
John Charles  Northern IrelandWindsor Park1954–55 British Home Championship
3–2
[13]
25 September 1957
3
Des Palmer  East GermanyNinian Park, Cardiff1958 FIFA World Cup qualification
4–1
[14]
11 April 1962
4*
Mel Charles Northern IrelandNinian Park, Cardiff1961–62 British Home Championship
4–0
[15]
3 April 1963
3
Cliff Jones Northern IrelandWindsor Park, Belfast1962–63 British Home Championship
4–1
[16]
25 October 1978
4*
Ian Edwards MaltaRacecourse Ground, WrexhamUEFA Euro 1980 qualification
7–0
[17]
19 May 1979
3
John Toshack ScotlandNinian Park, Cardiff1978–79 British Home Championship
3–0
[18]
9 September 1992
3
Ian Rush Faroe IslandsCardiff Arms Park, Cardiff1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
6–0
[19]
18 February 2004
3
Robert Earnshaw ScotlandMillennium Stadium, CardiffFriendly
4–0
[20]
22 March 2018
3
Gareth Bale China PRGuangxi Sports Center, Nanning2018 China Cup
6–0
[21]
5 September 2021
3
Gareth Bale BelarusCentral Stadium, Kazan2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification
3–2
[3]

Hat-tricks conceded by Wales

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

DateGoalsPlayerOpponentVenueCompetitionResultRef(s)
3 February 1883
3
Clement Mitchell EnglandKensington Oval, LondonFriendly
0–5
[4]
23 March 1885
3
Joseph Lindsay ScotlandActon Park, Wrexham1884–85 British Home Championship
1–8
[22]
4 February 1888
3
Fred Dewhurst EnglandNantwich Road, Crewe1887–88 British Home Championship
1–5
[4]
22 March 1890
4*
William Paul ScotlandUnderwood Park, Paisley1890 British Home Championship
0–5
[22]
7 February 1891
4*
Olphert Stanfield IrelandUlsterville, Belfast1890–91 British Home Championship
2–7
[23]
18 March 1893
3
John Barker ScotlandRacecourse Ground, Wrexham1892–93 British Home Championship
0–8
[24]
18 March 1893
4*
Jake Madden ScotlandRacecourse Ground, Wrexham1892–93 British Home Championship
0–8
[24]
8 April 1893
3
Jack Peden IrelandSolitude, Belfast1892–93 British Home Championship
2–7
[25]
12 March 1894
3
John Veitch EnglandRacecourse Ground, Wrexham1893–94 British Home Championship
1–5
[4]
16 March 1896
5*
Steve Bloomer EnglandArms Park, Cardiff1895–96 British Home Championship
1–9
[4]
19 March 1898
3
James Gillespie ScotlandFir Park, Motherwell1897–98 British Home Championship
2–5
[24]
18 March 1899
3
Robert Smyth McColl ScotlandRacecourse Ground, Wrexham1898–99 British Home Championship
0–6
[24]
18 March 1901
4*
Steve Bloomer EnglandSt James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne1900–01 British Home Championship
0–6
[26]
22 February 1902
3
Andy Gara IrelandNinian Park, Cardiff1901–02 British Home Championship
0–3
[27]
16 March 1908
3
Vivian Woodward EnglandRacecourse Ground, Wrexham1907–08 British Home Championship
1–7
[26]
27 October 1928
3
Hugh Gallagher ScotlandIbrox Park, Glasgow1928–29 British Home Championship
2–4
[28]
20 November 1929
3
George Camsell EnglandStamford Bridge, London1929–30 British Home Championship
0–6
[29]
1 February 1930
6*
Joe Bambrick IrelandWindsor Park, Belfast1929–30 British Home Championship
0–7
[30]
15 October 1949
3
Jackie Milburn EnglandNinian Park, Cardiff1950 FIFA World Cup qualification
1950 British Home Championship
1–4
[31]
21 May 1953
3
Rajko Mitić YugoslaviaJNA Stadium, BelgradeFriendly
2–5
[5]
22 September 1954
3
Todor Veselinović YugoslaviaNinian Park, CardiffFriendly
1–3
[32]
10 November 1954
3
Roy Bentley EnglandWembley Stadium, London1953–54 British Home Championship
2–3
[33][34]
4 November 1969
3
Gigi Riva ItalyStadio Olimpico, Rome1970 FIFA World Cup qualification
1–4
[35]
9 November 1996
3
Dennis Bergkamp NetherlandsPhilips Stadion, Eindhoven1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
1–7
[36]
20 August 1997
4*
Hakan Şükür TurkeyAli Sami Yen Stadium, Istanbul1998 FIFA World Cup qualification
4–6
[37]
6 September 2003
3
Filippo Inzaghi ItalySan Siro, MilanUEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
0–4
[6]

Notes

a Some sources attribute a hat-trick to Alex Smith during a 5–1 victory for Scotland on 15 March 1902.[38][39] However, others, including the Scottish Football Association, attribute two of his goals to other Scottish players.[40][41]

References