Stadium History

There was a time where Hampden was the biggest and best football stadium in the world.

For generations of football fans, Hampden Park in Glasgow has been the home of Scottish football - a field of dreams shared by the masses.

For a large part of the 20th century, the greats of the world game appeared at the Mount Florida ground, amazed by the crowds in the terracing, with such passion and affections for clubs and country. Hampden is also the oldest International football stadium in the world.

1873

Queen’s Park FC, Scotland’s oldest club, move in to the world’s first purpose-built stadium for club and international football, now the site of Hampden Bowling Club. This is where the ‘Scotch Professors’ develop the modern passing game of football and subsequently export it to the world.

1884

The building of the Cathcart Circle Railway line forces a move to the second Hampden Park (now known as Cathkin Park).

1903

Match attendances quickly outgrow the second Hampden, leading Queen's Park FC to build the third and current Hampden Park in Mount Florida. The stadium officially opens on 31st October 1903 with Queen's Park defeating Celtic 1-0.

1904

Hampden hosts its first Scottish Cup Final in front of 64,472 fans, the largest crowd ever seen at a Scottish Cup Final up to that point.

1937

Ground improvements increase the official capacity of the ground to 183,724.

Scotland’s 3-1 victory over England is watched by an attendance of 149,415 fans - a British record for any match.
One week later, the Scottish Cup Final receives a crowd of 147,365 fans, a European record for a club match, with an estimated 20,000 supporters locked outside.

1960

Real Madrid win their fifth European Cup in a row against Eintracht Frankfurt with a 7-3 victory in front of 127,621 fans - the highest attendance ever in a European Cup final.

1962

Hampden hosts the European Cup Winners' Cup final which ends in a 1-1 draw after extra time between Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina, watched by 29,066 spectators.

1966

Liverpool suffer a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Borussia Dortmund after extra time in the European Cup Winners' Cup final, watched by a crowd of 41,657.

1970

Celtic’s European Cup semi-final second leg 2-1 victory against Leeds United is seen by 136,505 supporters, a semi-final record. This remains the record for the largest crowd to attend a European Cup or Champions League game in any round of the competition.

1976

FC Bayern defeat Saint Etienne 1-0 in the European Cup Final. Saint Etienne hit the woodwork twice, but the Bavarian giants produce a defensive masterclass to claim their third consecutive title in front of a crowd of 54,864.

1989

Scotland hosts the FIFA Under-16 World Championship tournament, where Scotland reach the final of the competition. 50,956 spectators see a gallant performance from the young Scotland team, who lose on penalties after a 2-2 draw to Saudi Arabia.

1991

Brothers Tommy and Jim McLean face off against each other in the Scottish Cup Final, managing Motherwell and Dundee United respectively. In a thrilling final which some consider to be the best-ever, super-sub Steve Kirk nets the winner for Motherwell in extra time as the Steelmen win 4-3.

1993

Phase one of the national stadium's redevelopment is completed, with the north and east terraces being converted into the current stands. The stadium is now an all-seater venue ahead of the second phase of redevelopment.

1996

The second phase of redevelopment begins as the west terrace and south stand are demolished to make way for the current stands. Queen's Park FC continues to play at the stadium during the redevelopment, utilising temporary changing facilities while the work is carried out.

1999

Redevelopment is completed - Hampden Park becomes a 51,866 capacity all-seater stadium, with UEFA awarding it the highest category four status for its upgraded facilities.

2000

Hampden played host to former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson as he defeated Lou Savarese in front of 30,000 fans at Hampden, after just 38 seconds.

2002

Real Madrid return to Hampden and Zinedine Zidane's volley, regarded as one of the greatest goals ever scored, clinched a 2-1 Champions League Final win over Bayer Leverkusen.

2007

The latest European final at Hampden - a UEFA Cup Final clash with Sevilla defeating Espanyol 3-1 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra time.

2009

Hampden hosts a venue record-breaking number of concerts in one summer with AC/DC, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Take That and The Eagles all performing.

2012

Hampden hosts football matches as part of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

2019

The Scotland women’s national football team attracted a record attendance of 18,555 fans for a 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup warm-up friendly with Jamaica.

2019

The Scottish Football Association completes a deal with Queen's Park FC for the ownership of Hampden, with the transfer being completed in 2020. The Spiders move across the Hampden Campus to Lesser Hampden, later renamed The City Stadium.

2021

Hampden hosts matches for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020, including Scotland matches against Czech Republic and Croatia and a Round of 16 match between Sweden and Ukraine. Scotland's men round off the year by defeating Euros semi-finalists Denmark 2-0 with goals from John Souttar and Ché Adams.

2022

Scotland's women's team set a record attendance for a competitive match with 10,708 fans in attendance for a World Cup play-off match against Republic of Ireland. Concerts resume at Hampden following the pandemic with Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher, Calvin Harris, Gerry Cinnamon and Coldplay taking to the stage.

2025

Scotland round off a thrilling World Cup qualifying campaign at home to Denmark, securing a return to the FIFA World Cup after a 28-year absence. Steve Clarke's side defeats the Danes 4-2 with Scott McTominay, Lawrence Shankland, Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean scoring the all-important goals to spark huge celebrations across Scotland.

2028

Hampden Park is set to host matches at the Euro 2028 tournament, held across Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.