Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: Pàirc Hampden), currently known as Barclays Hampden for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football team. Hampden Park is owned by the Scottish Football Association (SFA), and regularly hosts the semi-finals and finals of the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup. The largest stadium by capacity from its opening 1903 until 1950, Hampden Park is the 11th-largest football stadium in the United Kingdom, and the second-largest football stadium in Scotland. The stadium retains all attendance records recorded in European football. Hampden Park has hosted six European finals including the 1960 European Cup final between Real Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt which, with a crowd of 127,621 in attendance, is the highest ever recorded attendance for a European Cup final. The stadium houses the offices of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and has hosted three European Cup/Champions League finals, two Cup Winners' Cup finals and a UEFA Cup final. It has hosted other sporting events including the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2014 Commonwealth Games (also hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony). Scotland was one of the eleven host countries of the Euro 2020 tournament with the stadium hosting the round of 16 matches and will host matches of Euro 2028, of which Scotland is again one of the host countries.
A stadium on the present site opened on 31 October 1903, with a capacity in excess of 100,000. This was increased between 1927 and 1937, reaching a peak of 150,000. The record attendance of 149,415, for Scotland v England in 1937, is the European record for an international football match. Tighter safety regulations meant that the capacity was reduced to 81,000 in 1977. The stadium has been fully renovated since then, with the most recent significant work being completed in 1999. Ahead of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Hampden Park underwent modifications to the stadium to include a running track and other features required for hosting the games.
History
Three Hampdens
thumb|left|The remains of [[Cathkin Park, which was the site of the second Hampden Park.]]
Queen's Park, the oldest club in Scottish football, first played at a venue called Hampden Park on 25 October 1873. That ground was overlooked by a nearby terrace named after Englishman John Hampden, who fought for the roundheads in the English Civil War. A lawn bowling club at the junction of Queen's Drive and Cathcart Road marks the site of the first Hampden. The second Hampden Park opened in October 1884. James Miller designed twin grandstands along the south side of the ground with a pavilion wedged in between. The natural slopes were shaped to form banks of terracing, designed by Archibald Leitch. During the first season following the move (1903–04, in which they finished as champions), Third Lanark played several of their home matches at the new Hampden while work was carried out on Cathkin Park. having played eight of their first nine league matches away from home and the other at the old Cathkin Park awaiting its opening. The first Scottish Cup Final played at the ground was an Old Firm match in 1904, attracting a record Scottish crowd of 64,672. The first Scotland v England match at the ground was played in April 1906 with 102,741 people in attendance, which established Hampden as the primary home of the Scotland team. Hampden Park was the biggest stadium in the world from the time of its opening until it was surpassed by the Maracanã in 1950. This work increased the official theoretical capacity of the ground to 183,388 in 1937, but the SFA were only allowed to issue 150,000 tickets for games. The 1937 Scotland v England match had an official attendance of 149,415, but at least 20,000 more people entered the ground without tickets. A week later the 1937 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Aberdeen drew an official crowd of 147,365, with 20,000 more people locked outside; this stood as a world record for a club match until 1963. The Hampden fixture list was also expanded by the new Scottish League Cup competition. In 1947, Rangers defeated Aberdeen in the first League Cup Final, a year after a 135,000 crowd watched the last edition of its wartime predecessor, the Southern League Cup, played between the same teams. The capacity of the ground was officially cut to 135,000 following the Burnden Park disaster in Bolton in March 1946,
The Coronation Cup, a competition to mark the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, was held in Glasgow during May 1953. Four major clubs from each of Scotland and England were invited, with the Old Firm clubs playing their matches at Hampden. Celtic and Hibernian progressed to the final, and a crowd of 117,060 saw Celtic win 2–0.
Scotland hosted the Magical Magyars of Hungary in December 1954 in front of 113,506 fans. The Scots put up a good fight against one of the most outstanding teams in the world at the time, but eventually lost 4–2. Scotland qualified for the 1958 FIFA World Cup by defeating Spain, including Luis Suarez, Ladislao Kubala and Alfredo Di Stéfano, at Hampden.
1960s and 1970s
thumb|[[Aberdeen F.C.|Aberdeen and Rangers teams line up before the 1978 Scottish Cup Final at Hampden.]]
Hampden hosted the 1960 European Cup Final; Real Madrid defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 7–3 with 130,000 people in attendance. Floodlights were installed at Hampden in 1961 and were inaugurated with a friendly match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers. The ground then also hosted the 1962 and 1966 finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. The attendances for each of these finals was less than 50,000, and the SFA did not offer to host another European final until the 1976 European Cup Final, in which Bayern Munich defeated St Etienne.
After Celtic won the 1967 European Cup Final, the home leg of their Intercontinental Cup tie against Racing Club was held at Hampden. Celtic won 1–0 at Hampden, but lost the tie after a play-off in Montevideo. In 1970, Celtic played in the semi-finals of the European Cup against English league champions, Leeds United. Celtic chose to move their home leg of the tie from their Celtic Park home to Hampden, which had a far greater capacity. A crowd of 136,505, a record for any match in UEFA competition, saw Celtic win 2–1 (3–1 on aggregate) to advance to the 1970 European Cup Final. Celtic also played European Cup ties against Ajax and Rosenborg at Hampden during the 1970s.
A fire was deliberately started in the south stand in October 1968, destroying offices, 1,400 seats and one of the team dressing rooms. Pittodrie and Ibrox were converted into all-seater stadiums, while Hampden's capacity was reduced to 81,000.
1990s re–development
thumb|left|Exterior of Hampden's South Stand, which was opened in 1999
During the late 1970s, it became apparent that the facilities at Hampden were in need of renewal.
The first phase of the redevelopment involved the demolition of the North Stand, the concreting of all terraces and the building of a block of turnstiles around the upper section of the East Terrace. This work, begun in October 1981 and completed in 1986, reduced the capacity to 74,370 and cost £3 million.
After the cancellation of the annual Scotland v England fixture in 1989, questions were raised as to whether Scottish football required a separate national stadium. None of these arguments impressed the National Stadium committee, which consisted of the SFA, Scottish Football League and Queen's Park.
The final stage of the renovation began in November 1997, with its £59 million cost funded by the National Lottery. The South Stand was replaced and the stadium was re-opened for the 1999 Scottish Cup Final. The ground now has a capacity of .
Recent history
thumb|right|Hampden hosted the [[2007 UEFA Cup final]]
Real Madrid were again victorious when Hampden Park hosted the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final, defeating Bayer Leverkusen, with Zinedine Zidane scoring the winning goal with a left-foot volley. Hampden then hosted the 2007 UEFA Cup Final hosting three matches in the men's tournament and five in the women's tournament. One of the matches was delayed after the North Korean team protested against the flag of South Korea being used mistakenly to represent their players. Later in 2012, a Scotland women's national football team game was played at Hampden for the first time, when it hosted the first leg of a European Championship qualifying playoff against Spain.
Hampden was temporarily converted into an athletics stadium for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It hosted its last international game before the conversion work on 15 November 2013 and Queen's Park temporarily played their home games at the Excelsior Stadium in Airdrie. Due to the works being carried out at the Olympic Stadium, the 2014 London Grand Prix was renamed the Glasgow Grand Prix and hosted by Hampden. The conversion works involved the removal of eight rows of seating, which reduced the capacity to 44,000. Hampden was converted back into a football stadium after the Commonwealth Games.
thumb|right|Interior of Hampden Park pitch, 2018
With their lease on Hampden due to expire in 2020, the SFA canvassed opinion from its member clubs about where Scotland games should be played. In September 2018, the SFA announced an agreement to purchase Hampden from Queen's Park. As part of the deal, Lesser Hampden was redeveloped and became the home stadium for Queen's Park. As of August 2020, the SFA had taken ownership of Hampden and a new facility was under construction at Lesser Hampden. Architects drew up plans in 2020 for a major redevelopment of Hampden, but this was contingent on a 2030 World Cup bid that did not materialise. Queen's Park temporarily moved back into Hampden for the 2023–24 season, having agreed a deal with the SFA to rent the stadium while allowing the Scotland national teams to use Lesser Hampden as a training pitch. In August 2024, Rangers played four home matches at Hampden (including a UEFA Champions League qualifier), due to delays with a construction project at Ibrox.
The SFA registered its interest in hosting a European club final at Hampden in either 2026 or 2027, but was unsuccessful. Naming rights were sold for the first time in December 2025, with the stadium becoming officially known as Barclays Hampden.
Tournament matches
UEFA Euro 2020
In September 2014, Hampden was one of 13 venues chosen to host matches in the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. It held three group games and one round of sixteen match, with attendances restricted to 25% of its capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
{|class="wikitable" style="width:100%"
|-
!Date
!Time
!Team #1
!Score
!Team #2
!Round
!Attendance
|-
| 14 June 2021 || 14:00 || ||style="text-align:center"| 0–2 || rowspan=2| || rowspan=3|Group D ||style="text-align:center"|9,847
|-
| 18 June 2021 || 17:00 || rowspan=2| ||style="text-align:center"| 1–1 ||style="text-align:center"|5,607
|-
| 22 June 2021 || 20:00 ||style="text-align:center"| 3–1 || ||style="text-align:center"|9,896
|-
| 29 June 2021 || 20:00 || ||style="text-align:center"| 1–2 (a.e.t) || || |Round of 16 ||style="text-align:center"|9,221
|-
|}
UEFA Euro 2028
After a proposed bid for the 2030 World Cup was dropped, the SFA instead entered a multinational bid to host some UEFA Euro 2028 games at Hampden that was successful.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;" width="100%"
|-
!Date
!Time (BST)
!Team #1
!Result
!Team #2
!Round
!Spectators
|-
| 10 June 2028||||A3||style="text-align:center;"| – ||A4|||| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 13 June 2028|||| if Qualified||style="text-align:center;"| – ||F2|||| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 17 June 2028|||| if Qualified||style="text-align:center;"| – ||F3|||| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 21 June 2028||||F4||style="text-align:center;"| – || if Qualified|||| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 26 June 2028||||Winner Group F||style="text-align:center;"| – ||3rd Group A/B/C|||| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 1 July 2028||||Winner Match 44||style="text-align:center;"| – ||Winner Match 43|||| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|}
Hampden Roar
thumb|right|[[Scotland national football team|Scotland fans inside Hampden Stadium]]
The football match crowd at Hampden were renowned for creating the Hampden Roar and trying to terrify opposing teams. The stadium's capacity exceeded 100,000 from the early 1900s until the 1980s and the Roar could be heard whenever Scotland scored an important goal. People from Glasgow may ask "What's the Hampden?" ("What's the score?", idiom for "What's happening / what's going on?").
In April 2018, the stadium operating company commissioned a study into the noise levels produced at Hampden during an Old Firm match. This found a peak noise level of 115 decibels, after goals were scored, and 109 decibels when the teams first came onto the field. Due to the dominance of the Old Firm within Scottish football and their regular qualification for cup matches played at Hampden, the East and West stands are commonly known as the Celtic and Rangers ends. The East Stand has 12,800 seats on a single tier of 53 rows. lounges and media facilities. It has been sponsored by BT Scotland since 1998. The South Stand is also the only part of the stadium split into two tiers, although there is also a small gallery above the North Stand that has 290 seats and access to lounges. The North Stand accommodates 9,100 spectators in 46 rows. The Scottish Football Museum, which opened in 2001, is located within Hampden. Part of the museum is the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. is also exhibited at the museum. The only rugby union international played at Hampden since then was in November 2004, between Scotland and Australia.
Hampden also hosted a club rugby union match between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby on 22 December 2024, the first leg of their tie in the United Rugby Championship and 1872 Cup. Glasgow triumphed 33–14 in front of 27,538 fans, a Warriors home record.
Hampden hosted the Scottish Amateur Athletics Association championships during the 1920s and 1930s, with the original Meadowbank Stadium used as an alternative venue. Eric Liddell won the 110, 220 and 440 yard dashes in the 1924 championship. His last competition in Britain was the 1925 championship, when he won the 220 yards race for a record fifth time. Hampden was temporarily converted to stage the athletics events for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It was also used for the closing ceremony.
Suzanne Lenglen, the French professional tennis player, played an exhibition match against Vivian Dewhurst at Hampden in 1927. A crowd of 10,000 saw that match and another between male players Howard Kinsey and Karel Koželuh.
During the Second World War, American armed forces based in Scotland played games of softball, baseball and American football at Hampden. American football returned to Hampden in 1998, when the NFL Europe team Scottish Claymores shared home games between Hampden and Murrayfield. World Bowl XI was held at Hampden in 2003, but after the 2004 season the Claymores folded and were replaced by the Hamburg Sea Devils.
Hampden was the home of the Glasgow Tigers speedway team from 1969 until 1972. Poor crowds, escalating costs and the refusal of the city council to allow music to be played at events contributed to the team moving to Cliftonhill, in Coatbridge. Glasgow Tigers' Svein Kaasa was killed during a race at Hampden Park on 29 September 1972.
The redeveloped Hampden was the venue for a boxing card headlined by former world champion Mike Tyson in June 2000. Tyson knocked down Lou Savarese after just 12 seconds of the fight, which the referee stopped after 38 seconds. The fight ended in farce as the referee, who had been attempting to separate the two fighters, was also knocked down by Tyson. The disappointed crowd booed Tyson out of the ring,
Uses other than sport
The 50th anniversary Conventicle of the Boys' Brigade, which had been founded in Glasgow by William Alexander Smith, was staged at Hampden in 1933. 130,000 people were inside the ground, while another 100,000 stood outside singing Psalms. American evangelical Christian missionary Billy Graham had an "All Scotland Crusade" during the spring of 1955. The major outdoor event of the tour was at Hampden, where a crowd of 100,000 heard him speak.
Concerts
Genesis and Paul Young performed in the first concert at Hampden, in 1987. The Rolling Stones played there in 1990, during their Urban Jungle Tour. Since the redevelopment of Hampden was completed in 1999, many acts have performed there, including The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, Eagles, Oasis, George Michael, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Diamond, Take That, AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Pink, Paul McCartney, Rihanna, The Stone Roses, Gerry Cinnamon and Beyoncé. The damage caused to the Hampden pitch by a U2 concert in August 2009 forced a Queen's Park league match to be postponed. Ed Sheeran was the first act in history to perform at the Hampden three times on a single tour.
{| class="wikitable collapsible" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Date
! Performer(s)
! Opening act(s)
! Tour/Event
! Attendance
! Notes
|-
|
|Genesis
|Paul Young
|Invisible Touch Tour
|
|
|-
|
|The Rolling Stones
|Gun
|Urban Jungle Tour
|
|
|-
|
|Rod Stewart
|The Proclaimers, Bjorn Again, Babylon Zoo
|
|
|
|-
|
|Tina Turner
|John Fogerty
|Twenty Four Seven Tour
|
|
|-
|
|Bon Jovi
|Matchbox Twenty, Delirious?
|One Wild Night Tour
|
|
|-
|
|Eagles
|
| An Evening With the Eagles
|
|
|-
|
|rowspan='2'|Robbie Williams
|rowspan='2'|
|rowspan='2'|Weddings, Barmitzvahs & Stadiums Tour
|rowspan='2'|
|rowspan='2'|
|-
|
|-
|
|Eminem
|D12, Xzibit, Cypress Hill
|Anger Management Tour
|
|
|-
|
|U2
|Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Interpol
|Vertigo Tour
| 53,395 / 53,395
|
|-
|
|Oasis
|Super Furry Animals
|Don't Believe the Truth Tour
|
|
|-
|
|Bon Jovi
|Nickelback
|Have a Nice Day Tour
| 42,488 / 42,488
|
|-
|
|Eagles
|
| Farewell I Tour
|
|
|-
|
|The Rolling Stones
|The Charlatans
|A Bigger Bang Tour
|
|
|-
|
|rowspan='2'|Robbie Williams
|rowspan='2'|Basement Jaxx
|rowspan='2'|Close Encounters Tour
|rowspan='2'|
|rowspan='2'|
|-
|
|-
|
|George Michael
|Sophie Ellis-Bextor
|25 Live
| 53,024 / 53,024
|
|-
|
|Rod Stewart
|The Pretenders
| Rockin' in the Round Tour
|
|
|-
|
|Red Hot Chili Peppers
|Biffy Clyro, Reverend and the Makers
|Stadium Arcadium World Tour
| 38,519 / 40,000
|
|-
|
|Neil Diamond
|
| 2008 World Tour
|
|
|-
|
|Bon Jovi
|The Feeling
|Lost Highway Tour
| 39,756 / 39,756
|
|-
|
|rowspan='3'|Take That
|rowspan='3'|The Saturdays, James Morrison, The Script
|rowspan='3'|Take That Present:The Circus Live
|rowspan='3'|
|rowspan='3'|
|-
|
|-
|
|-
|
|AC/DC
|The Answer, The Subways
|Black Ice World Tour
| 52,000 / 52,000
|
|-
|
|Eagles
|
|Long Road Out of Eden Tour
|
|
|-
|
|Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
|
|Working on a Dream Tour
| 50,544 / 50,544
|
|-
|
|U2
|Glasvegas, The Hours
|U2 360° Tour
| 50,917 / 50,917
|
|-
|
|Coldplay
|Jay-Z, White Lies
|Viva la Vida Tour
|
|
|-
|
|Paul McCartney
|Sharleen Spiteri
|Up and Coming Tour
|
|
|-
|
|P!nk
|
|The Funhouse Summer Carnival
|
|
|-
|
|rowspan='3'|Take That
|rowspan='3'|Pet Shop Boys
|rowspan='3'|Progress Live
|rowspan='3'| 152,024 / 152,024
|rowspan='3'|
|-
|
|-
|
|-
|
|Neil Diamond
|
| World Tour 2011
|
|
|-
|
|Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
|
|Wrecking Ball World Tour
| 44,000 / 46,988
|
|-
|
|rowspan='2'|Robbie Williams
|rowspan='2'|Olly Murs
|rowspan='2'|Take the Crown Stadium Tour
|rowspan='2'|
|rowspan='2'|
|-
|
|-
|
|Bon Jovi
|We Were Promised Jetpacks
|Because We Can
| 34,733 / 34,733
|
|-
|
|AC/DC
|Vintage Trouble
|Rock or Bust World Tour
| 50,335 / 50,335
|
|-
|
|Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
|
|The River Tour (2016)
| 45,330 / 45,330
|
|-
|
|Coldplay
|Alessia Cara, Lianne La Havas
|A Head Full of Dreams Tour
| 48,526 / 48,526
|
|-
|
|Rihanna
|Big Sean, Alan Walker
|Anti World Tour
|
|
|-
|
|The Stone Roses
|Primal Scream, Steve Mason
|
|
|
|-
|
|rowspan='2'| P!nk
|rowspan='2'| Vance Joy, Bang Bang Romeo, KidCutUp
|rowspan='2'|Beautiful Trauma World Tour
|rowspan='2'| 102,273 / 102,273
|rowspan='2'|
|-
|
|-
|
|rowspan='2'|Ed Sheeran
|rowspan='2'| DYLAN, Maisie Peters
|rowspan='2'|+–=÷x Tour
|rowspan='2'|
|rowspan='2'|
|-
|
|-
|
|Liam Gallagher
|Kasabian, Goat Girl
| C’mon You Know Tour
|
|
|-
|
|Calvin Harris
|MK, Disciples, Arielle Free
|
|52,000
|
|-
|
|rowspan=2|Gerry Cinnamon
|The Charlatans, Jake Bugg, The Snuts
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2| 50,000/ 50,000
|rowspan=2|
|-
|
|Travis, Jake Bugg, Vistas
|-
|
|rowspan=2|Coldplay
|H.E.R., Nina Nesbitt
|rowspan=2| Music of the Spheres World Tour
|rowspan=2| 106,209 / 106,209
|rowspan=2|
|-
|
|London Grammar, Nina Nesbitt
|-
|
|Red Hot Chili Peppers
|The Roots <br /> King Princess
|Global Stadium Tour
|
|
|-
|
|Foo Fighters
|Courtney Barnett <br /> Honeyblood
|Everything or Nothing at All Tour
|
|
|-
|
|rowspan=2|Pink
|rowspan=2|Gayle<br />KidCutUp<br />The Script
|rowspan=2|Pink Summer Carnival
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2|
|-
|
|-
|
|Lana Del Rey
|Banks
|Lana Del Rey's 2023–2025 tour
|
|
|-
|
|Chris Brown
|Bryson Tiller
|Breezy Bowl XX
|36,923 / 36,923
|
|-
|
|Kendrick Lamar<br>SZA
|Mustard
|Grand National Tour
|43,686
|
|-
|
|rowspan=2|Take That
|rowspan=2|The Script<br>Belinda Carlisle
|rowspan=2|The Circus Live – Summer 2026
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2|
|-
|
|-
|
|Metallica
|Gojira<br>Knocked Loose
|M72 World Tour
|
|
|-
|}
Records
The highest attendance recorded at Hampden for a football match was 149,415, for a 1937 British Home Championship tie between Scotland and England. Both stations are served by trains from Glasgow Central on the Cathcart Circle Lines. There is a stadium car park immediately behind the south stand, but for major events this is only available to permit holders.
See also
- Stadium relocations in Scottish football
- European club finals held at Hampden
References
Sources