How many Celtic fans will get Ibrox tickets? Premier Sports Cup rules explained

Martin O’Neill’s side were handed an away Glasgow Derby after Sunday’s draw, with the tie scheduled to take place on the weekend of September 12/13.

Attention has quickly turned towards Celtic’s potential allocation, particularly after last season’s Scottish Cup ticket dispute eventually resulted in the Hoops receiving the full Broomloan Stand.

However, the rules governing the Premier Sports Cup are different and Celtic do not have an automatic right to a specific percentage of Ibrox.

Rule I27 of the SPFL regulations states that home clubs must provide a “reasonable number” of tickets for visiting supporters, with the SPFL Board able to intervene if the clubs cannot reach an agreement.

Crucially, that regulation applies specifically to League Matches and Play-Off Matches.

The Premier Sports Cup regulations separately outline which elements of Section I apply to the competition, beginning with I33 before later incorporating I52 to I54. Rule I27 is not included.

There is a ticketing provision contained directly within the Premier Sports Cup regulations, but it relates only to complimentary club tickets.

Regulation 11.1 requires the home side to provide the visiting club with 10 Directors’ Box tickets and a further 40 stand tickets free of charge.

Beyond that, there is no minimum percentage or numerical requirement for the number of tickets which must be provided to away supporters at the quarter-final stage.

It means Celtic cannot automatically demand 20 per cent of Ibrox or point towards a competition rule guaranteeing them the entire Broomloan Stand.

The regulations become more specific at the semi-final and final stages, when the SPFL Board has the authority to determine the number of tickets allocated to each participating club.

Much of the confusion is likely to stem from last season’s Scottish Cup meeting at Ibrox, when Celtic eventually secured the full Broomloan Stand following a dispute over their allocation.

The Scottish Cup operates under separate regulations, including the provision which brought a 20 per cent allocation into that argument. Those rules do not carry over into the Premier Sports Cup.

Away allocations have remained a major talking point around Glasgow Derby fixtures since then, with Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh also previously addressing his club’s position on Celtic supporters attending Ibrox.

For now, Celtic supporters face a wait to discover how many will be allowed inside Ibrox, with the eventual allocation to be determined separately rather than through an automatic percentage contained within the Premier Sports Cup regulations.