The Old Firm rivalry is about to look very different. Rangers and Celtic will play the rest of their 2026/27 matches without away supporters after the two clubs and the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) agreed to suspend visiting-fan allocations for the remainder of the season.
The decision was announced by the SPFL on Friday, just over a week before Rangers host Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup quarterfinal at Ibrox on September 13. The teams will meet again at Celtic Park in the Scottish Premiership on September 20, with both games now set to feature only the home club’s supporters. The arrangement covers all Rangers-Celtic fixtures in SPFL competitions this season. It does not automatically apply to the Scottish Cup, which is administered by the Scottish FA rather than the SPFL.
Why Rangers and Celtic Will Play Without Visiting Support
The decision follows the disorder that surrounded the Scottish Cup quarterfinal at Ibrox on March 8. Celtic won the match on penalties, but the result was overshadowed by pitch incursions involving supporters from both clubs and clashes that led to a Scottish FA independent review.
Before those events, Rangers and Celtic had agreed that visiting supporters would receive five percent of the available capacity when the clubs met in SPFL competition. For the upcoming League Cup match at Ibrox, Rangers proposed cutting Celtic’s allocation to about 300 tickets rather than the roughly 2,500 that five percent would have represented. Celtic rejected that proposal and asked the SPFL to make the decision. After further discussions involving the two clubs, the league and Police Scotland, the parties instead agreed to remove away supporters altogether for the season.
The SPFL described the arrangement as temporary. The league said the additional time will allow the clubs, Police Scotland and other stakeholders to consider the independent review’s recommendations and put measures in place before deciding what happens beyond this season.
A Major Change to the Old Firm Atmosphere
For supporters, the biggest change will be obvious as soon as the teams walk onto the field. There will be no traveling section of Celtic fans at Ibrox and no Rangers supporters in the away end at Celtic Park for SPFL meetings this season.
That removes one of the defining features of an Old Firm match. The rivalry between the Glasgow clubs is among the most intense in European soccer, and the presence of thousands of opposing supporters has traditionally added another layer to an already charged occasion. It will also make the September double-header particularly unusual. Rangers will host Celtic in the League Cup on September 13 before Celtic welcome Rangers to Parkhead seven days later for a league meeting.
The clubs and the SPFL have stressed that the arrangement is not necessarily permanent. The league said the position can be reviewed if circumstances materially change, while arrangements for meetings beyond the current season will be considered ahead of 2027/28. For now, though, both sides will have to get used to an Old Firm without an away end. The football itself will remain just as important, but the atmosphere inside Ibrox and Celtic Park will be missing one of the elements that has made these fixtures so distinctive for generations.
Old Firm Set for a Very Different Season After Away-Fan Decision