List of Wales national football team hat-tricks

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 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]

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]

  1. ^ Jostein Nygård. "International matches of Wales". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Wales national football team statistics and records: hat tricks". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  3. ^ Pritchard, Dafydd (5 September 2021). "Belarus 2–3 Wales". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  4. ^ Barrie Courtney. "England – International Results 1872–1899 – Details". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mitic was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Inzaghi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).