Rangers could, in theory, hand Celtic just 50 tickets for their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox. Under the SPFL Premier Sports Cup regulations, the home side only has to provide 10 directors' box tickets and 40 stand tickets, which is the bare minimum written into the rulebook. The match is scheduled for the weekend of 12 September, with the exact date and kick-off time still to be set by broadcast selection.
The rulebook minimum
The relevant clause is brutally short. BBC quoted the regulations as saying: "11.1 The Home Club shall forward to the Visiting Club 'without charge' tickets, in the numbers set out below, so that they will be in the hands of the Visiting Club on or before the fifth day before the Match (unless under circumstances which render this impracticable) - 10 for Directors' Box, 40 for the Stand."
The same rules also state that no official or player of the visiting club can enter the ground without a ticket. So the theory is there, even if it would sit awkwardly beside the way Old Firm fixtures are usually handled.
The likelier outcome at Ibrox
A compromise closer to five per cent of the respective grounds has been used for Premiership Old Firm games in recent years, which would mean around 2,500 away fans. That is the more realistic number to watch if Rangers and Celtic follow the pattern used in league matches, especially with March's Ibrox meeting still fresh in memory.
In that Scottish Cup tie, Celtic supporters had the whole of the Broomloan Stand, and the game ended in a penalty shootout win for them before an independent inquiry into safety and operational issues. Fireworks were thrown, multiple arrests were made after the pitch invasion, and those scenes are now part of the backdrop to any ticket talks.
River Rangers come into the tie with one win in their last five matches, while Celtic have won all five of theirs. Rangers finished second in the 2025 Premiership table and Celtic finished first, so the fixture already had enough edge before the allocation row even surfaced.
The football will still matter once the teams are in the ground, but the first decision is likely to be about numbers rather than noise. If the clubs settle on the old 5 per cent compromise, Celtic's support would be far beyond the 50-ticket floor, and the exact allocation should become clear once the TV-picked date is confirmed for the weekend of 12 September.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
