Since Scotland's first international association football match on 30 November 1872, 34 players have scored three goals (a hat trick) or more in a game. The first player to do so was John McDougall, in a match against England on 2 May 1878. 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 and Joe Harper in a friendly against a Canada Olympic team on 13 June 1967,Nap-Hand Harper, Evening Times, 14 June 1967, scan via London Hearts Supporters Club although some reports credit at least one of their goals to other players. 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.

The most recent player to score a hat-trick for Scotland was Ché Adams, in a friendly against Liechtenstein on 9 June 2025. Steven Fletcher (twice), Robert Snodgrass, James Forrest and John McGinn and Adams have all scored hat tricks for Scotland since 2015. The first of those ended a long wait for a Scotland hat-trick dating back to 17 May 1969, when Colin Stein scored four goals in the 8–0 1970 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Cyprus.

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. 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, 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. 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 them, and then by Robert Earnshaw for Wales in a friendly. 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.

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. DateGoalsPlayer OpponentVenueCompetitionResultRef Hampden Park [I], Glasgow Friendly Hampden Park [I], Glasgow Friendly Kennington Oval, London Friendly Hampden Park [II], Glasgow1884–85 British Home Championship Acton Park, Wrexham1884–85 British Home Championship Ulster Ground, Belfast1885–86 British Home Championship Solitude Ground, Belfast1887–88 British Home Championship Ibrox Park [I], Glasgow1888–89 British Home Championship Underwood Park, Paisley1889–90 British Home Championship Ulster Ground, Belfast1889–90 British Home Championship Racecourse Ground, Wrexham1892–93 British Home Championship Racecourse Ground, Wrexham1892–93 British Home Championship Fir Park, Motherwell1897–98 British Home Championship Racecourse Ground, Wrexham1898–99 British Home Championship Celtic Park, Glasgow1898–99 British Home Championship Celtic Park, Glasgow1899–1900 British Home Championship Celtic Park, Glasgow1900–01 British Home Championship Celtic Park, Glasgow1900–01 British Home Championship Grosvenor Park, Belfast1901–02 British Home Championship Dalymount Park, Dublin1907–08 British Home Championship Ibrox Park, Glasgow1925–26 British Home Championship Wembley Stadium, London1927–28 British Home Championship Ibrox Park, Glasgow1927–28 British Home Championship Windsor Park, Belfast1928–29 British Home Championship Brann Stadion, Bergen Friendly Stade Olympique, Colombes Friendly Windsor Park, Belfast1949–50 British Home Championship / 1950 FIFA World Cup qualifying Hampden Park, Glasgow1950–51 British Home Championship Stade Heysel, Brussels Friendly Hampden Park, Glasgow Friendly Hampden Park, Glasgow 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification Windsor Park, Belfast1961–62 British Home Championship Windsor Park, Belfast1962–63 British Home Championship Brann Stadion, Bergen Friendly Hampden Park, Glasgow Friendly Alexander Park, Winnipeg Friendly Hampden Park, Glasgow 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification Hampden Park, Glasgow UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Estádio Algarve, Faro UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification Hampden Park, Glasgow 2018–19 UEFA Nations League Hampden Park, Glasgow UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz Friendly Statistics The following table lists the number of hat-tricks scored by players who have scored two or more hat-tricks.

+ Multiple hat-tricksRank PlayerHat-tricks 1 Hughie Gallacher 3 Denis Law Robert Smyth McColl 2 Steven Fletcher 2 Robert Hamilton

+ Hat-tricks by opponent Rank Opponent Hat-tricks 1 14 2 7 3 5 4 3 6 2 7 1 Total 44

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. DateGoalsPlayer OpponentVenueCompetitionResultRef Athletic Ground, Richmond1892–93 British Home Championship Wembley Stadium, London1954–55 British Home Championship England v Scotland 1955 video footage from Pathé News Wembley Stadium, London1960–61 British Home Championship Ninian Park, Cardiff1978–79 British Home Championship Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, BrusselsUEFA Euro 1988 qualifying Amsterdam Arena, AmsterdamUEFA Euro 2004 qualifying playoff Millennium Stadium, CardiffFriendly EverBank Field, JacksonvilleFriendly

Notes

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. 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. Hughie Gallacher is credited with Scotland's sixth goal (his fifth) in some sources, although RSSSF credit it to Alex James. This is Scotland's only hat-trick in a game that they lost. One of the goals is credited to Jack Reynolds in some sources. Joe Harper is credited with five goals in some sources, but only three in others.

References Specific

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