No Away Fans at Old Firm Matches This Season

No away fans will be allowed at any Old Firm fixtures in this season’s Premiership or League Cup, after the SPFL moved to shut visiting supporters out of Celtic v Rangers clashes entirely.

The ruling follows months of tension over allocations and a bruising backdrop of supporter flashpoints. Rangers face Celtic at Ibrox in the Premier Sports Cup on 13 September, before the rivals meet again at Parkhead in the league a week later. Both games will now be home-fans-only occasions.

For years, the clubs had worked to a five per cent away allocation for SPFL matches at both grounds, a framework that at least guaranteed a visible pocket of rival support in the middle of the storm. That deal has been ripped up.

The turning point came after their Scottish Cup tie in March, when clashes between fans on the pitch triggered an independent review into safety and security. Once that report landed, the old arrangements were put back under the microscope.

Rangers then moved first. On their own assessment of the risk around the upcoming Ibrox cup tie, they offered Celtic 300 tickets – a drastic cut from the usual 2,500 or so. Celtic rejected the offer. With neither side willing to budge, the stand-off landed on the SPFL’s desk.

The league stepped in and, after talks with both clubs, confirmed that no away allocation will be made for any Old Firm meetings in SPFL competitions this season.

In a statement, the SPFL described the move as a “temporary arrangement” designed to give Celtic, Rangers, the league, Police Scotland and other authorities the space to digest the Independent Review’s findings, act on its recommendations and plan future fixtures in detail.

The league also stressed the need for clarity. With ticket wrangles hanging over almost every derby in recent years, the decision is intended to give supporters and matchday organisers certainty, rather than leaving each game hostage to last-minute negotiations.

Safety and security, the SPFL underlined, remain the priority. All parties have pledged to work “constructively” during this period, and the position can still be revisited if circumstances change significantly before the season is out.

What happens next, beyond this campaign, is already on the agenda. The SPFL confirmed that arrangements for Old Firm matches after the current season will be considered well in advance of 2027/28.

For now, though, one of world football’s fiercest rivalries will play out in two of the noisiest stadiums in the game – with only one half of Glasgow inside each.