Edinburgh Spectator Sports

Watch Scotland play the best rugby teams in the world at Murrayfield Stadium. It’s the spiritual home of Scottish Rugby, although the world’s first ever international match was played at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh.

In 1975 a crowd of 104,000 watched Scotland play Wales, until very recently the largest crowd ever to watch a rugby match. Edinburgh Rugby also play their Celtic League and Heineken Cup games at Murrayfield.

The stadia of Premier League Football Club teams Heart of Midlothian FC (Hearts) and Hibernian FC (Hibs) are close to the city centre. The derby games between the two sides represent one of the oldest sporting rivalries in world football. Hearts take their name from a novel by Sir Walter Scott which is apt in a city region where both sport and culture thrive. Hibs was founded by Irish-born football enthusiasts in 1875, and given the name 'Hibernian', the Roman name for Ireland. Livingston Football Club, Scotland’s newest club, is based in West Lothian, to the west of Edinburgh.

Watch top horse racing at Musselburgh Racecourse, which recently underwent a major re-development. Along the coast, Muirfield Golf Course is a regular venue for the British Open and attracts crowds of over 100,000.