Aberdeen docked 500 Hampden tickets after Kilmarnock trouble
Aberdeen will have 500 fewer supporters at Hampden for their cup semi-final against Rangers.
The cut is punishment for what happened in the last round away to Kilmarnock. It lands a month before the tie at Scotland's national stadium.
The SPFL confirmed the sanction on Friday 25 September 2026 in a statement titled 'SPFL Statement | Aberdeen FC Dons sanctioned over two serious incidents'. The league pointed to two issues at Rugby Park. Some Aberdeen fans ran onto the pitch after a penalty shoot-out win, the spot-kick tie-breaker used when a knockout game finishes level, and there was a pyrotechnics display in the away end, according to BBC Sport.
That night had ended in celebration. It has now cost the club off the pitch. Pyrotechnics, such as flares and smoke devices, are banned in Scottish grounds for safety reasons. Pitch invasions can also bring sanctions because they risk clashes with players, staff and stewards.
Aberdeen had secured around 17,000 tickets for the semi-final. That number will now fall by 500. The club must also pay for the seats left empty by the sanction.
The semi-final is scheduled for Hampden on Saturday 31 October. Kick-off is at 5.30pm, according to Rangers. The Premier Sports Cup is Scotland's League Cup, an early-season knockout played alongside the league campaign.
The power to act sits with the competition organisers. SPFL rules give its board full power to decide how many tickets each club receives for the closing stages, as set out in the SPFL rules. The board has used that power here to trim Aberdeen's end and leave a gap in the stands.
For fans, this means disappointment for hundreds who hoped to be there. Five hundred seats is a small slice of 17,000. It still matters to those missing out. The Dons will still bring strong backing to Glasgow's south side.
The noise should still be huge. Hampden on semi-final day usually is, with two large supports split around the ground and a place in the final on the line. Aberdeen's players now have a clear job. Give the fans who are there something to shout about.
