The annual Varsity football match between Oxford and Cambridge is set to be held in Cambridge this year, the first time since 2012.

The game is to be held at the Abbey Stadium, the home of Cambridge United, scheduled for a 3pm kickoff on Sunday 8th March. It is yet to be confirmed whether tickets will set to go on sale at the end of this week, or early next week.

The 131st Varsity football match will be played on home turf for the first time in three years, as tradition dictates the event is played on neutral territory. When previously in Cambridge, the match was played at Cambridge City's ground on Milton Road, which has since been demolished. Last year's fixture, held at Fulham Football Club's Craven Cottage ground, took place on the same day as the Boat Race on the Thames.

James May, captain of Cambridge University Association Football Club (CUAFC), said it was a shame Craven Cottage would not be hosting the event on Boat Race day, as is tradition but "the option simply wasn't available to us this year for a number of reasons". Although it was Oxford's turn to host the match, the Light Blue captain was "delighted to offer The Abbey as an alternative" after talks to secure the Kassam Stadium in Oxford fell through.

"With a capacity of just over 8000 it is the perfect venue for such an occasion" May added, "with a strong Light Blue crowd cheering us on we will be confident of bringing the Varsity trophy home to Cambridge for the fourth successive year".

The annual Varsity match is the longest running fixture in world football, having been played every year since 1873, with breaks only for the First and Second World Wars. Played at Wembley until 1988, it has since been held at numerous locations including Craven Cottage, which had become the fixture's traditional home in recent years.