Against which national team did Ronaldo score his first international hat-trick?

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first international hat-trick against Northern Ireland. He achieved the feat for Portugal on 6 September 2013 in a World Cup qualifying match in Belfast.

Northern Ireland took an early lead through Gareth McAuley, but Ronaldo responded with three goals. He scored twice before half-time and completed his hat-trick in the second half, helping Portugal win 4–2. The performance was particularly important because the match was part of Portugal’s qualification campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

This match is sometimes confused with Ronaldo’s other major international scoring milestones. His first Portugal goal came in 2004 against Greece, while his first international hat-trick arrived nearly a decade later. Ronaldo later scored many more three-goal performances for Portugal, including a hat-trick against Spain at the 2018 World Cup, but Northern Ireland was the opponent for his first one.