Hampden Park to host 1872 Cup opener

Glasgow Warriors will break new ground this December, after it was officially confirmed that the opening leg of the 2024/25 1872 Cup will be played at Hampden Park in an unprecedented move for rugby in Glasgow and the west of Scotland.

It will be the first time in the club’s professional history that the Warriors will run out at the home of Scottish football, marking the latest battleground upon which Franco Smith’s men will take on Edinburgh in rugby’s oldest club rivalry.

The move to Hampden Park will also see the first derby of the season move to a new date and kick-off time to accommodate the shift in venue, with the two teams now set to go head-to-head on Sunday 22 December (kick-off 3pm) on one of Glasgow’s – and Scotland’s – biggest stages.

Season Ticket Holders and Warrior Nation Members will receive an email in the coming days outlining the ticket allocation process for Hampden Park.

Tickets will go on general sale on Friday 25 October at 10am.

Speaking following the announcement, Glasgow Warriors Managing Director, Al Kellock, said: “This is a massive moment in the history of not just our club, but rugby within our city and our Glasgow Warriors community.

“To be able to take one of our biggest games of the season to one of Scotland’s national stadia is a reflection of the journey that we have been on as a club, as we continue to grow the game in our city, the west of Scotland and Caledonia regions.

“It’s a journey that has seen the Warrior Nation follow us through thick and thin; from the club grounds across Scotland that shape our Warriors, to the high veldt in Pretoria where we became URC champions. To be able to take this fixture to Hampden is a reflection of the support upon which this club is built, and we know that our supporters will make Hampden an atmosphere unlike any other.

“We’re excited by the opportunity this fixture presents, not only on the field but off it as well – we also hope to welcome a new audience that may otherwise not attend a Glasgow Warriors match, especially in the run-up to the festive holidays.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in making this fixture happen, from our friends at the Scottish FA, Scottish Rugby, United Rugby Championship and Premier Sports, to the efforts of everyone involved at Scotstoun.

“Our ask to the Warrior Nation is to now make this as big an occasion as we possibly can – I firmly believe that we have earned the opportunity through our performances over the last season, to show our club, our values and our players to a new audience on one of Scotland’s biggest stages. We know that Glasgow is not just a football city – let’s show that to the world.”

Club captain Kyle Steyn added: “It’s such an exciting opportunity – derby matches are already the type of fixture that you want to be involved in as a player, so to have the chance to run out at an iconic Glasgow venue is extremely special.

“Having our own ‘big game’ concept is an outstanding reflection of the support that this club has year in, year out – they get behind us wherever we are, and they give us that extra edge time and again.

“We know that 1872 Cup atmospheres are always electric, and I can’t wait to see and hear the buzz that the Warrior Nation will create at Hampden.”

About Hampden Park

First built in 1903 – and still the holder of the European record for attendance of a football match, with 149,547 watching Scotland take on England in 1937 – Hampden was renovated to its current form in 1999, with a capacity of 52,000 on Glasgow’s southside.

The home of both Scotland’s men’s and women’s senior international football teams, the stadium has hosted a Champions League, European Championship and Olympic football fixtures, and both the athletics and closing ceremony for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, all since the turn of the millennium.

Hampden Park has also held four full international rugby union matches since the stadium’s opening, the first of which saw Scotland beat South Africa 6-0 in 1906 in front of 30,000 spectators; the stadium has since been a venue for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, and most recently saw Scotland take on Australia in an autumn Test in November 2004.

Easily accessible by rail – Mount Florida, King’s Park, Cathcart and Queen’s Park stations are all within a 15-minute walk of the stadium – and First Bus services, supporters can find more information here.