news-engine

Celtic’s League Cup quarter-final trip to Ibrox has immediately raised one familiar question: how many Hoops supporters will actually be allowed through the doors? There is an important difference between next month’s Premier Sports Cup tie and Celtic’s Scottish Cup visit to Ibrox last season. Despite the two being domestic cup competitions, the rules governing away allocations are not the same. The Scottish Cup has regulations which allow a visiting club to claim up to 20 per cent of the permitted capacity. That was particularly significant when Celtic travelled across Glasgow in last season’s quarter-final. The League Cup is different. A check of the SPFL’s newly published 2026/27 League Cup regulations shows no equivalent rule entitling Celtic to 20 per cent of Ibrox, or indeed any other fixed percentage of the stadium. ( Regulation 11 covers “Admission Arrangements for Visiting Clubs and clubs”, but the only specific numbers stated concern complimentary tickets for the visiting club. The home side must provide 10 tickets for the Directors’ Box and 40 for the stand. There is no minimum supporter allocation stipulated in that section. The SPFL’s general rules contain a provision requiring home clubs to make room for a “reasonable number” of visiting supporters, with the number agreed between the clubs. If they cannot reach an agreement, the SPFL Board can ultimately make a determination. However, the wording of that general rule specifically refers to League Matches and Play-Off Matches. It cannot simply be assumed that it guarantees Celtic a particular allocation for this League Cup fixture. That leaves the precise arrangements for September’s game needing to be established. And recent history tells us ticketing between Celtic and Rangers rarely passes without incident. Now another conversation over away supporters is potentially coming. Celtic were handed Rangers away in Sunday evening’s League Cup quarter-final draw, with the tie scheduled for the weekend of September 12/13. The clubs then meet again at Celtic Park in the Premiership on September 20. (SPFL) We believe the league style set up of around 2500 is where things will land in the coming days.