Famous matches & records

Landmark occasions

1. 20 August 1887

   Opening of the first Ibrox

   Preston North End beat Rangers 8–1. The match was abandoned after about 70 minutes when spectators came onto the pitch.

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2. 30 December 1899

   The present ground opens

   Rangers beat Hearts 3–1 in the first match on the current site.

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3. 1900 and 1901

   Early Scottish Cup finals

   Celtic beat Queen’s Park 4–3 in 1900, and Hearts beat Celtic 4–3 a year later, both at the new Ibrox.

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4. 1917

   A royal investiture

   King George V held a wartime investiture at the ground.

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5. 3 May 1938

   Empire Exhibition opening

   The opening ceremony of the Empire Exhibition, held in nearby Bellahouston Park, took place at Ibrox.

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6. 2 January 1939

   The record crowd

   118,567 people watched Rangers play Celtic, a figure no British league match has matched since.

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7. 8 December 1953

   Under the lights

   Arsenal won 2–1 in the friendly that opened the Ibrox floodlights. The first floodlit Scottish league match followed in March 1956.

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8. 1980

   World title boxing

   Glasgow’s Jim Watt defended his world lightweight title against Howard Davis at Ibrox.

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9. 19 September 1981

   The rebuilt stadium opens

   Rangers played Celtic to mark the completion of the three new stands.

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10. 1992–97

    Scotland’s temporary home

    While Hampden was rebuilt, Ibrox hosted Scotland internationals, including Portugal in October 1992, and the League Cup finals of 1994 and 1997.

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11. 1997

    Kilmarnock’s Scottish Cup

    Kilmarnock beat Falkirk 1–0 in the Scottish Cup final at Ibrox.

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12. October 2014

    Scotland v Georgia

    Scotland won 1–0 at Ibrox while Hampden was being converted back after the Commonwealth Games.

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A common mistake: the famous 1971 League Cup final, Partick Thistle 4–1 Celtic, was played at Hampden, not Ibrox.