Five countries have stood out in the history of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) for achieving the most hat-tricks. Egypt leads the way, followed closely by Ivory Coast. Despite the surprises in the delayed 2023 AFCON, Egypt, a multiple winner, had a disappointing start with a 1-1 draw against Mozambique. On the other hand, Namibia celebrated their first ever AFCON win with a 1-0 victory over Tunisia. Defending champions Senegal came close to victory with Lamine Camara scoring twice against Gambia.

For Egypt, Mohamed Diab Al-Attar scored the country’s first ever hat-trick at the inaugural edition of AFCON in 1957. Other Egyptian legends, including Hossam Hassan, Hassan El-Shazly, Mahmoud El-Gohary, and Mohamed Morsi, also achieved hat-tricks in subsequent editions of the tournament. Ivory Coast had a memorable hat-trick in 1965 when they defeated the Democratic Republic of the Congo 3-0. Laurent Pokou scored five goals in a 6-1 win over Ethiopia in 1970, and Joel Teihi added another hat-trick for Ivory Coast in 1994 with a 4-0 victory against Sierra Leone.

Cameroon has had two hat-tricks in consecutive editions of AFCON. Patrick Mboma scored the first hat-trick in 2004 against Zimbabwe, followed by Bernard Chanda and Kalusha Bwalya who achieved hat-tricks in 1976 and 1994 respectively. Chanda’s hat-trick came in a semifinal match against Congo-Brazzaville, while Bwalya’s was in a group stage match against Sierra Leone. Algeria holds the record for the country’s only hat-trick, scored by Hacene Lalmas in a group stage match against Uganda in 1968.

These five countries have made their mark in AFCON history with their impressive hat-trick achievements, showcasing the individual talents and capabilities of their players.