EDINBURGH – Scottish Rugby confirmed today that the Guinness Women’s Six Nations match between Scotland and England on Saturday 18 April 2026 at Scottish Gas Murrayfield will become the best-attended standalone women’s sporting event ever held in Scotland.
The news has sent a wave of emotion through the Scotland Women squad. Players who have fought for years to grow the game at home say they feel overwhelming pride that their team will be the one to break the barrier.
Full-back Chloe Rollie could barely contain her excitement. “To hear that this game will break the national attendance record in women’s sport, and that our team is the one making that history, is massive,” she said. “We’re so grateful to everyone who has already bought a ticket.”
Players Speak: “This One Feels Different”
Winger Francesca McGhie says the record crowd is proof the team is leaving the jersey in a better place.
“We were lucky enough to play in front of packed stadiums at the Rugby World Cup last year,” McGhie told reporters. “Now we get to feel that same energy on our own turf. The Scotland fans who travelled last year were unbelievable. I cannot wait to run out at Murrayfield and hear an even bigger roar.”
Hooker Elis Martin called the moment “hard to put into words.”
“We’ve played in front of big crowds before, but this time the crowd is truly ours,” she said. “Scottish supporters are different. They’re loud, they’re passionate, they lift you when you’re tired. Knowing tens of thousands of them will be there just for us – it’s going to be electric.”
What the Record Actually Means
The current Scottish record for a standalone women’s sporting event stands at just over 9,000, set when Celtic played Rangers in the SWPL at Celtic Park in 2023. Murrayfield’s lower tier alone holds more than 20,000. Early ticket sales suggest the final figure will comfortably smash 30,000 and could push toward 40,000 – numbers unthinkable for women’s rugby in Scotland even five years ago.
For context:
- Scotland’s biggest home crowd before this season was 7,774 at the Hive Stadium against Ireland in 2025
- The 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham drew 58,398
- England regularly sell out Twickenham (82,000) for their home Six Nations games
Moving the Calcutta Cup equivalent in the women’s game to the national stadium is Scottish Rugby finally matching ambition with action.
Inspiration for the Next Generation
Chloe Rollie, who grew up in the Borders, hopes young girls watching from the stands or on TV will see a new reality.
“If they dream of playing for Scotland in front of huge crowds at Murrayfield, that dream is now real,” she said. “It’s not England or New Zealand or some far-away place. It can happen right here at home. That’s what gets me emotional.”
Francesca McGhie added: “We always say we want to leave the jersey in a better place. When 30- or 40-thousand people turn up for us, that’s the clearest sign possible that we’re doing it.”
A Thank You to the Fans Who Made It Happen
The players repeatedly stressed one thing: none of this happens without the supporters who kept showing up when crowds were small, when results were tough, and when the game was still played in half-empty club grounds.
Elis Martin put it simply: “You believed in us before it was cool to believe in us. Now we get to say thank you in the best way possible – by running out at a packed Murrayfield wearing the thistle. We can’t wait to make you proud.”
Tickets remain on sale and demand is high. Anyone still thinking about it probably shouldn’t wait much longer.
This is no longer just a match. It’s the day Scottish women’s rugby finally claims its place on the biggest stage the country has to offer.
