Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup Final
Celtic v Dunfermline Athletic
Saturday, 23 May 2026, kick off 3:00pm
Barclays Hampden, Glasgow
The showpiece match in the men’s game in Scotland kicks off on Saturday afternoon as a fascinating match-up between Celtic and Dunfermline Athletic takes places at Barclays Hampden in the Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup Final.
Celtic fell at the final hurdle in last year’s competition in their quest to retain the cup after defeat on penalties to Aberdeen, while the Pars are seeking their first Scottish cup triumph since defeating Heart of Midlothian in the final in 1968.
Previous Meetings
This is the first time the sides have met in the Scottish Cup since February 2010, when Tony Mowbray’s Celtic came back from 2-1 down at East End Park to defeat Jim McIntyre’s Dunfermline 4-2. Goals from Diomansy Kamara, Morten Rasmussen, an own goal from Calum Woods and a Robbie Keane penalty were enough to overcome the Pars who had taken the lead via David Graham and an Andy Kirk penalty.
This is the fifth time the sides have met in the Scottish Cup final, with Celtic coming out on top three times, and the Pars once.
In the 2007 Scottish Cup final, a late winner from Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe saw the Hoops lift the trophy. In a tight game, a strong Pars side featuring the likes of Dorus De Vries, Mark Burchill and the late Sol Bamba battled throughout the game. With just six minutes of the game remaining, Craig Beattie’s deflected cross fell for Doumbe in the box, and the full-back stabbed the ball into the corner, securing the trophy for Gordon Strachan’s side.
2004 saw the closure of eras for each side, as the final saw Jimmy Calderwood’s time in charge of Dunfermline come to an end. It looked like it may end with glory as Lithuanian centre-back Andrius Skerla looped a header over David Marshall to give the Fifers the lead just before half-time. However, the second half saw Henrik Larsson, in his final game for Celtic, grab a hold of the game to secure his final medal of a glorious spell with the club, netting twice before Stiliyan Petrov rounded it off with a third.
The 1961 edition of the Scottish Cup was concluded with one of the Pars’ most famous days. Led by legendary manager Jock Stein, the Pars were triumphant over Celtic in a replay as Dave Thomson and record goal-scorer Charlie Dickson secured the club’s first major trophy in front of over 87,000 people at Hampden.
Cup Form
Celtic have lifted the Scottish Cup on 42 occasions, and the Scottish Premiership Champions will be looking to add a 43rd after one of the most dramatic seasons in living memory.
A 2-0 fourth Round victory against West of Scotland Premier Division side Auchinleck Talbot was as close as it came to routine for Celtic in this season’s competition.
A late, late equaliser against Dundee at Celtic Park saw the game go to extra-time, with a Sebastian Tounekti winner minutes into the extended period dragging them over the line.
The Quarter-Finals saw a blockbuster match against Rangers at Ibrox. An attritional affair, neither side could take advantage during the 90 minutes, nor extra-time, seeing the game go to penalties. Misses from James Tavernier and Djeidi Gassama saw Celtic progress to the final four of the competition and a return to Hampden.
Facing off against St. Mirren in the Semi-Finals, Celtic took the lead inside 60 seconds, with Daizen Maeda pouncing on a mistake to give them the lead. An absolute rocket from Tony Ralston just ahead of half-time looked like it had secured the win, only for Mikael Mandron’s second-half double to send the game to extra-time. An astonishing spell of 4 goals in 6 minutes secured the win in extra-time in another remarkable afternoon for Martin O’Neill’s men.
Dunfermline Athletic have reached the final the hard way, defeating three top-flight sides on their way to Hampden.
Kicking off their campaign at home against League 1’s Queen of the South, a double from Chris Kane saw them secure the win after an early John Tod own goal.
David Gray’s Hibernian were the next visitors to East End Park on this cup run, as manager Neil Lennon faced another of his former sides. A battling performance from the home side saw them progress after a Miguel Chaiwa own goal with minutes remaining saw the Pars progress.
The fifth round saw a Fife derby at East End Park as Kelty Hearts made the short hop to Dunfermline. Another double from Chris Kane saw the Pars heading for the Quarter-Finals.
Welcoming another Premiership side to Fife, Lennon’s charges put Aberdeen to the sword this time. A dominant performance with a goal from Matty Todd and a double from Oliver Thomas sent the Pars to Hampden.
Facing off against old foes Falkirk at Barclays Hampden, it was a real nail-biter. With the sides unable to be separated in the 90 minutes, or extra-time, it went to penalties. With the Pars perfect from the spot as Cooper, Gilmour, Hamilton and Oakley-Boothe netted, it was on-loan keeper Aston Oxborough the hero, as his save from Liam Henderson after Brad Spencer’s miss proved crucial.
How to Watch
The match will be live on both BBC Scotland and Premier Sports.
Match Programmes
Programmes are available now through Ignition Sport Media.
To purchase your copy online, click here.
With insights from both managers, road to the final recollections and in-depth features from former greats, this A4-size 84-page commemorative edition is a must-have keepsake as history plays out at Hampden on Saturday 23rd May.
This piece of cherished memorabilia is available for £8 around the ground on matchday or for home delivery.
Match Mascots
Three lifelong Scottish football fans take centre stage at Barclays Hampden on Saturday as they walk out with the match officials ahead of the Scottish Cup Final.
Celtic supporter Des Garrity, 76, from East Kilbride, and Dunfermline Athletic supporters John Robertson, 81, and Ron Buist, 76, were invited to take part as referee mascots through Football Memories Scotland, with support from Specsavers.
The trio will accompany referee Steven McLean and assistant referees Frank Connor and Scott Anderson out of the tunnel and onto the pitch before kick-off at the national stadium.
The Hampden walk-out is created to shine a light on Football Memories Scotland, a Scottish Football Museum project run in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland, which uses football memories, images and memorabilia to support people living with memory loss conditions, including dementia, as well as those experiencing loneliness and social isolation.
The special moment was made possible through Specsavers’ continued support for Football Memories, which forms part of its wider partnership with the Scottish FA and helps bring memorable football experiences to groups across Scotland.