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 clashes between Celtic and Rangers.

The ruling covers Rangers’ home Premier Sports Cup tie against Celtic at Ibrox on 13 September and the league meeting at Parkhead a week later, both of which will now be played in front of home support only.

For months, the clubs had been working to restore a meaningful away allocation, agreeing in principle that five per cent of tickets would be set aside for visiting fans at both grounds for SPFL matches. That would have taken the Old Firm closer to the traditional travelling numbers that once defined the derby’s febrile atmosphere.

Then came March.

On-pitch clashes between rival fans during the Scottish Cup tie forced a rethink. An independent review followed, and the fragile agreement on away numbers quickly came under strain.

Rangers, citing their own assessment of risk around the upcoming cup fixture, offered Celtic 300 tickets — a fraction of the usual 2,500 or so that a five per cent allocation would bring. Celtic rejected the offer. With the clubs at an impasse, the SPFL stepped in.

After fresh talks involving both clubs, league officials and other parties, the SPFL confirmed a blanket decision: no away supporters at Old Firm games in league or League Cup competition for the rest of this season.

In a statement, the league described the move as a “temporary arrangement” designed to give Celtic, Rangers, the SPFL, Police Scotland and other stakeholders the space to digest the findings of the Independent Review, implement recommendations and plan future fixtures in more detail.

The SPFL also stressed the need for clarity. Locking in a no-away-fans policy removes the constant uncertainty that has surrounded Old Firm ticket allocations in recent years and simplifies matchday planning for police and clubs alike.

All sides, the league said, have committed to working “constructively” during this period, with safety and security placed firmly at the top of the agenda. The stance is not fixed forever: the position will be reviewed if circumstances “materially change” during the campaign.

Looking further ahead, arrangements for Old Firm matches beyond the current season will be thrashed out well before the 2027/28 campaign, when both clubs and the league hope this derby might once again be played to the full roar of two rival supports, not just one.