Celtic and Rangers Ordered to Play Next Scottish Cup Home Ties Behind Closed Doors

Celtic and Rangers must each play their next home Scottish Cup match behind closed doors, and pay £100,000 to the visiting team they are drawn against, after fans from both clubs spilled onto the pitch following last season's quarter-final at Ibrox (BBC Sport).

The Scottish FA has also warned that a further incident of unacceptable conduct by either club's supporters in a Scottish Cup fixture would trigger a second home match without spectators (BBC Sport).

The penalties stem from scenes on March 8, 2026, when Celtic beat Rangers on penalties in the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox — Rangers' home ground in Glasgow. After the shootout decided the tie, supporters from both sides invaded the pitch and clashed (CBS Sports). A number of arrests were made (BBC Sport). Celtic went on to reach the semi-finals.

The Scottish FA commissioned an independent review into the post-match disorder, publishing its findings on July 21, 2026 (Scottish FA; Celtic FC). Thursday's sanctions follow from that process.

The Scottish Cup is the country's oldest knockout competition, and the Old Firm derby — the name given to the fixture between Celtic and Rangers — is one of the most fiercely contested rivalries in world football. Playing a home match behind closed doors means no supporters are allowed inside the stadium: no singing, no banners, no noise. For two clubs whose atmospheres are part of their identity, that is a punishment aimed squarely at the thing they value most.

The £100,000 payment to the visiting team is an unusual touch. Rather than a fine paid to the governing body, it goes directly to the opposition — compensating them for the lost revenue and atmosphere a normal cup tie would bring.

For the supporters who had nothing to do with the disorder, the sting is real. A cup tie without a crowd is a strange, hollow thing — two teams playing in silence, every shout from the bench echoing across empty seats. The suspended second match hangs over both clubs as well: one more episode of crowd trouble, and the doors shut again.

The message from the Scottish FA is direct. The rivalry can burn as hot as anyone wants on the pitch. Off it, the line has been drawn.