As a global showcase for the beautiful game, the FIFA World Cup has been held annually since 1930. The tournament is played amongst the men's national teams of the FIFA member associations.
Except for 1942 and 1946 when World War II interrupted participation, the event has been held regularly every four years. Scoring three goals in a single game is an impressive feat, and doing it in the world's most prestigious international soccer event is even more so.
Over the course of 21 men's FIFA World Cup events, there have been 52 hat tricks scored. No doubt certain hat tricks have stood out more than others, but they are all remarkable in their own right.
Who scored the first World Cup hat trick?
It was American Bert Patenaude, playing for the United States, who achieved the first hat trick at the 1930 World Cup. It occurred on July 17, 1930, at the Estadio Gran Parque Central in Montevideo, Uruguay, during a World Cup match versus Paraguay.
When Argentina beat Mexico 6-3 on July 19, 1930, it was widely believed that Guillermo Stabile, an Argentine forward, had scored the first hat trick in World Cup history. However, this claim was not disproved until 2006. FIFA's investigation revealed that a goal originally awarded to Tom Florie of the United States in their game against Paraguay should have been credited to Patenaude, making his hat trick official.
The issue now is whether or not hat tricks were more common in prior World Cups. This would seem to be the case, and it might be due to a number of factors, including the fact that the rules favor offensive players and the greater inequality across countries.
Of the 52 hat tricks scored in the World Cup, half of them (26) occurred in the first eight tournaments, and the remaining 26 have occurred throughout the course of the latter 13 tournaments, despite the latter tournaments having more total matches.
