No Away Fans at Old Firm Fixtures 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 covers Rangers’ Premier Sports Cup home tie against Celtic at Ibrox on 13 September and the league meeting at Parkhead a week later, both of which will be played in front of home support only.

It marks a sharp turn from the position agreed by both clubs not long ago. Celtic and Rangers had signed off on a plan to restore an away allocation of around five per cent of stadium capacity for all SPFL games at Ibrox and Celtic Park, a move seen as a step back toward the traditional, full-blooded Old Firm backdrop.

That plan has now been shelved.

Tensions flared again in March, when on-pitch clashes between rival fans marred the Scottish Cup meeting between the sides. An independent review followed, and the findings forced the clubs and league to reassess how these fixtures are staged.

Rangers, citing their own assessment of safety and risk, then offered Celtic just 300 tickets for the upcoming cup tie – a fraction of the roughly 2,500 that a five per cent allocation would bring.

Celtic refused. With no agreement in sight, the SPFL intervened.

After talks involving both clubs, the league, Police Scotland and other agencies, the SPFL confirmed that all Old Firm meetings in its competitions this season will go ahead without away fans.

In a statement, the league described the move as a “temporary arrangement” designed to give Celtic, Rangers, the SPFL, Police Scotland and other stakeholders time to digest the Independent Review’s recommendations, act on them and plan future derbies “thoroughly”.

The SPFL also stressed that the decision offers clarity for supporters and those responsible for matchday operations, avoiding the drip-feed of late calls and disputes over allocations that have dogged recent fixtures.

All parties, the statement said, have committed to working “constructively” during this period, with safety and security at the heart of every decision. The stance could still shift if circumstances “materially change” during the campaign.

What happens next season and beyond will be mapped out early. The SPFL confirmed that arrangements for Old Firm games after the current campaign will be decided well in advance of the 2027/28 season, when the shape and sound of Scottish football’s fiercest rivalry may look very different.