Fastest Hat Tricks in AFCON: McCarthy, Alloudi, Ad Diba Make History in Africa Cup of Nations

• There have been 17 hat-tricks recorded in Africa Cup of Nations history
• Benni McCarthy scored the fastest AFCON triple in the 1998 group stage
• Soufiane Alloudi also scored a hat-trick in the first half of an AFCON tie

One of the toughest things to do on a football field is to score a hat-trick.

Only 17 hat-tricks have been recorded in the Africa Cup of Nations since the tournament started in 1957.

Sports Brief looks at the fastest hat-tricks scored in the AFCON ahead of this year’s event.

Fastest Hat-Tricks in AFCON history

Benedict McCarthy (South Africa, 1998)

McCarthy was in a hurry to score goals against Namibia in the group stage of the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations, recording a hat-trick for South Africa in the opening quarter of their encounter.

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The Bafana Bafana star added another goal in the 21st minute of that contest to record one of the greatest scoring performances in AFCON history.

What made McCarthy’s hat-trick even more impressive was that he achieved his four-goal explosion in just a 14-minute span.

He opened the scoring for South Africa in the eighth minute and immediately doubled his tally in the 11th minute. He achieved the hat-trick in the 19th minute.

Soufiane Alloudi (Morocco, 2008)

The last hat-trick recorded in the Africa Cup of Nations came in 2008 when Soufiane Alloudi scored three goals past Namibia in Morocco’s 5-1 win, per CAFOnline.

He started the match with a bang, scoring the game’s opening goal in the first minute. He doubled his tally in the fifth minute with a fine solo effort.

He completed the hat-trick in the 28th minute with a far post header, sending Morocco fans into a frenzy.

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Hassan El-Shazly (United Arab Republic, 1970)

El-Shazly helped the United Arab Republic grab third place in the 1970 AFCON, scoring a hat-trick in their 3-1 win over the Ivory Coast.

He opened the scoring in the third minute and immediately doubled his tally in the 14th minute to give his team a 2-0 lead.

He completed the hat-trick with a goal in the 50th minute.

Patrick Mboma (Cameroon, 2004)

Mboma became the first Cameroon player to score a hat-trick in the Africa Cup of Nations, scoring three goals past Zimbabwe in their 5-3 win back in 2004.

He opened his account in the 31st minute to tie the match at 1-1. He scored another goal just before the half-time break to give Cameroon a 3-1 lead.

He then made history with his third goal of the match in the 65th minute.

Ad-Diba (Egypt, 1957)

The greatest hat-trick in AFCON history happens to be the first one ever recorded in the competition.

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Ad-Diba accomplished it on the biggest stage, scoring all of Egypt’s goals in their 4-0 win over Ethiopia in the 1957 final.

He opened his account in the second minute of that championship match and immediately doubled his tally in the seventh minute.

He completed his hat-trick in the 68th minute before adding another goal in the 89th minute.

Biggest sporting events in the year 2024

Sports Brief also previously reported on the biggest sporting events to watch in 2024.

Tournaments such as AFCON and the Asian Cup will take place from January to February.

The Copa America and the European Championship will then be staged from June to July.