Record-breaking 1872 Cup attendance could be double that of Hearts match

Huge crowd anticipated on busy afternoon in west of Edinburgh

A record-breaking crowd is expected inside Murrayfield on Saturday for the second leg of the 1872 Cup between Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors.

It is understood that around 35,000 tickets have been sold which would comfortably beat the current best attendance for the fixture of 27,437, set in 2019. To put it in context, the crowd at Murrayfield could be almost double that of Hearts’ Premiership match against Ross County which kicks off at the same time at Tynecastle, less than a mile away.

The response to the Edinburgh v Glasgow match is all the more remarkable given that both clubs tend to pull in crowds of between 6,000 and 7,000 for their home games at the Hive and Scotstoun, respectively. The attendance is likely to be swollen by a large travelling support from Glasgow.

The record attendance for the Edinburgh v Glasgow Warriors fixture is 27,437, set in 2019. (Photo by Gary Hutchison / SNS Group)

“We’re really excited to go and play in front of the big crowd there,” said Franco Smith, the Glasgow coach. “Compliments to Scottish Rugby and Edinburgh for creating this event there. It’s fantastic to have so many people heading across from Glasgow. We are very appreciative of their endeavours to get there.” Sean Everitt, the Edinburgh coach, said: “We've got a massive crowd here tomorrow and that’s testament to the players and the product that they’re producing.”

Glasgow won the first leg at Scotstoun 22-10 and are favourites to retain the trophy. Edinburgh’s highest ever home attendance is the 37,881 that watched their European Champions Cup quarter-final win over Toulouse in 2012 and even that figure might come under threat on Saturday.