Hampden Park is a football stadium in Glasgow, Scotland. The stadium is designated the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football team. Hampden Park is owned by the governing body of Scottish football, the Scottish Football Association (SFA). The stadium regularly showcases matches of the Scottish national team, the final stages of the Scottish League Cup, and Scottish Cup for both men and women.
The stadium originally opened its doors in 1903, when it held the title for being the largest capacity football stadium (a title the stadium kept till 1950). The stadium is currently the 2nd largest stadium in Scotland, the 11th largest stadium in the UK, and the 50th largest stadium in Europe overall.
Back in 1903 Hampden Park carried a capacity in excess of 100,000. This was gradually increased in the 1920s and 1930s, reaching a peak capacity of 150,000 by 1937. On 17 April 1937 the stadium recorded its highest attendance to date, reaching a crowd of 149,415 spectators during a Scotland versus England match. The European record attendance match was won by Scotland 3-1. In 1977 the stadium’s capacity was greatly reduced to a capacity of 81,000, in order to meet tighter safety regulations.
The most recent significant renovations to the stadium completed in 1999. In order to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games Hampden Park underwent several significant modifications again, including the addition of a running track between the seats and the pitch, something that was required in order to host the games.
Hampden Park has hosted six European finals, three European Cup/Champions League finals, two Cup Winners’ Cup finals and a UEFA Cup final. It has also hosted other non-football sporting events, which included the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The stadium is scheduled to host a number of matches during the UEFA Euro 2028 championship as well.
Aside hosting sporting events, the stadium encompasses the offices of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL).