UEFA confirm Hampden Park in running to host European final after SFA declare interest

Hampden Park is in the running to host a European final in 2026 or 2027 after UEFA announced the national stadium was a contender to stage one of the continent’s showpiece events.

The Scottish Football Association registered its interest to host either the Women’s Champions League, the men’s Europa League and Europa Conference League final in either of those years, with final proposals to be submitted by February 21 next year.

European football’s governing body said the declaration of interest was not binding and that a final decision on hosting will be made in May 2024.

Hampden last played host to a European final when Sevilla defeated Spanish rivals Espanyol in the 2007 UEFA Cup Final, while La Liga giants Real Madrid famously won the 1960 European Cup final in Mount Florida after beating Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 in front of a crowd of 127,000.

That marked Real’s fifth major success, and they would also claim their ninth European title in Glasgow when they lifted the Champions League in 2002.

Hampden will be up against one of Gelsenkirchen, Munich or Stuttgart, plus Oslo, for the right to stage a Women’s Champions League final. For the Europa League finals, its rivals will be one of Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Leipzig, or Stuttgart, plus Bucharest and Istanbul.

Leipzig, Jersualem, Oslo, Geneva and Istanbul are the other venues in the running for the Conference League finals. Budapest and Milan are the two candidates for the men’s Champions League final of 2026 and 2027.