Dembele’s hat-trick was completed in just 32 minutes, making it the first one since 1994 to be completed inside the first half of a World Cup match. | Photo Credit: AFP

France forward Ousmane Dembele on Friday scored a hat-trick during the side’s Group I match against Norway in Boston during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

He needed just 32 minutes to complete the three goals, making him just the third French player to notch a treble in the World Cup. Kylian Mbappe and Just Fontaine are only other players from France to achieve the feat.

Fontaine, the legendary French striker, registered two hat-tricks during the 1958 World Cup, against Paraguay and West Germany. Mbappe’s hat-trick came during the 2022 World Cup final, against Argentina which France lost on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

Dembele’s hat-trick is also the first since 1994 to be completed inside the first half. He got going in the seventh minute with a right-footed shot that went into the left corner. He hit the left corner again in the 20th minute with a shot from outside the box, and completed his hat-trick 12 minutes later with a curling shot past the Norway keeper.

Published on Jun 27, 2026