Honoring the 12 European players who scored a hat-trick in group stages of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers

#8 Burak Yilmaz (Turkey) vs The Netherlands

Yilmaz scored Turkey's first hat-trick in eight years

The first hat-trick of the European qualifers came from Turkish striking great Burak Yilmaz against The Netherlands, the strongest side in Group G on paper.

It was also the first of his international career, and he became the first Turkish player to net thrice in a game since Umut Bulut in 2013 (versus Andorra).

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#7 Gareth Bale (Wales) vs Belarus

Bale's hat-trick against Belarus was the second of his career with the Dragons

Wales qualified for the World Cup play-offs for the first time since 1958 as they look to end their long wait to make an appearance in the tournament.

Top-scorer Gareth Bale only struck thrice in the campaign, with all of them coming in Wales' 3-2 victory over Belarus.

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#6 Eran Zahavi (Israel) vs Faroe Islands

Zahavi has four hat-tricks for Israel

Israel once again failed to qualify for the World Cup despite a fairly good run in the qualifiers. Both of Group F's top scorers are Israeli— Mu'nas Dabbur and Eran Zahavi.

The latter struck eight times, including a hat-trick away to the Faroe Islands in September. It was his fourth in Israeli colors, all coming within the last two years alone.

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#5 Erling Haaland (Norway) vs Gibraltar

Haaland struck two hat-tricks for Norway in a space of 11 months!

Erling Haaland's campaign was blighted by an injury last month, but he still finished with five goals to his name, including a hat-trick against Gibraltar.

It came less than a year after his first treble for Norway as the Borussia Dortmund striker continues his prolific record on the international stage, which currently stands at a formidable 12 goals in 15 games.