The Coronation Cup was a one-off football tournament to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, between four English and four Scottish clubs, held in Glasgow in May 1953. This tournament, like the Empire Exhibition Trophy, was held in very high regard by football clubs, as at the time it allowed teams to test themselves against teams from another country in the days before European football.
Celtic and Hibernian met in the final at Hampden Park, Celtic coming out the winners 2–0 before 117,000 spectators.[1][2] Celtic's victory meant that they became the unofficial champions of Britain.[3]
Entrants
edit| Team[4] | Achievement |
|---|---|
 Aberdeen
|
1952–53 Scottish Cup runners-up |
| Celtic
|
1938 Empire Exhibition Trophy winners (unofficial reigning British champions) |
| Hibernian
|
1952–53 Scottish Division One runners-up |
| Rangers
|
1952–53 Scottish Division One champions and Scottish Cup winners |
 Arsenal
|
1952–53 First Division champions |
| Manchester United
|
1951–52 First Division champions |
| Newcastle United
|
1950–51 and 1951–52 FA Cup winners |
| Tottenham Hotspur
|
1951–52 First Division runners-up |
Quarter-finals
edit
Celtic 1 – 0[5] 
Arsenal- Manchester United 2 – 1 Rangers
- Newcastle United 4 – 0 Aberdeen
- Hibernian 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) Tottenham Hotspur
Replay[6]
- Hibernian 2 – 1 (a.e.t.) Tottenham Hotspur
Semi-finals
edit- Celtic 2 – 1[7] Manchester United
- Hibernian 4 – 0 Newcastle United
Final
edit
         Celtic
|
  Hibernian
|
|
|
See also
edit- 1888 Glasgow Exhibition Cup, similar tournament in 1888
- Glasgow International Exhibition Cup, similar tournament in 1901
- Edinburgh Exhibition Cup, similar tournament in 1908
- Empire Exhibition Trophy, similar tournament in 1938
- Saint Mungo Cup, similar tournament in 1951
References
edit- ^ "The green shoots of recovery with Hibs". Scotland On Sunday. Johnston Press. 10 September 2005.
- ^ Celtic: Coronation Cup win paved way to European Cup glory, Mike Henson, BBC Sport, 5 May 2023
- ^ "Remembering Jock Stein". BBC Sport. BBC. 8 September 2005.
- ^ "Special Honours: 1950–59". Jim Craig's Football 50. Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "Celtic 1–0 Arsenal, Coronation Cup 1st round (contemporary newspaper scans)". The Celtic Wiki. 11 May 1953. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ "Coronation Cup in Glasgow 1953". RSSSF. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
- ^ "Celtic 2–1 Manchester United, Coronation Cup SF (contemporary newspaper scans)". The Celtic Wiki. 16 May 1953. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ "Celtic 2–0 Hibernian, Coronation Cup Final (contemporary newspaper scans)". The Celtic Wiki. 20 May 1953. Retrieved 24 February 2018.