Friday March 13th 2026
Hampden Park
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Drew Sandelands
Football fans will be able to buy alcohol at Hampden Park ahead of Scotland’s upcoming World Cup warm-up matches.
A booze ban is usually in place in Scottish football but trial alcohol sales have been taking place this season.
The Scottish FA proposed holding trials before fixtures against Japan and Curaçao and Glasgow’s licensing board approved the plan at a meeting today (Friday).
Alcohol will be sold at a pop-up hospitality bar, with a capacity of 225 people, within the stadium concourse.
It will only be sold for an hour and a half before the game, with bars closing half an hour before kick off. Scotland’s men’s team take on Japan on March 28 before welcoming Curaçao to Hampden Park on May 30.
Stephen McGowan, the licensing lawyer representing the SFA, said there is an “ongoing pilot project within Scottish football to gather data on the use of hospitality provision”, primarily in relation to concourse spaces.
Football authorities, in association with various clubs, have applied for “a number of occasional licences across the country”, he added. All of those licences were granted without any police objection, Mr McGowan said.
“The SFA is now looking to trial these two matches for the men’s national team. They are looking to do it in a measured and prudent way.
“For both matches, the facility will only open for an hour and a half prior to kick off.”
The hospitality areas will be in the level five east bronze and level five west bronze concourses. Only fans with tickets for seats in these areas will be able to access the bars, the licensing board was told.
Scotland v Japan kicks off at 5pm, with the licence in place from 3pm to 4.30pm. The Curaçao tie begins at 1pm, with the bar open from 11am to 12.30pm. There will be one hospitality section for the Japan fixture and two for the Curaçao clash.
A representative from Police Scotland told the board that officers had held discussions with the applicants and these had “resulted in the delivery of a suitable alcohol management plan and an event management plan”.
She added: “Although it was not deemed necessary to submit an objection on this occasion, any future applications relating to additional alcohol provision at organised football matches shall be considered on the individual merits of the application and the nature of the activities taking place.”
The general sale of alcohol has been prohibited in Scottish football stadiums since 1981.
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