Yesterday, Celtic drew Rangers in the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup. The match will be played at Ibrox, and it has brought a lot of discussion regarding ticket allocation.
As per the rules of the Scottish Cup, the away club has the right to claim admission for its supporters of up to 20% of the spectator capacity at the ground where the match will be played. If rules were followed, that would mean Celtic would be granted 10,000 tickets for their supporters.
We all know that isn't going to happen though, with bodies always referencing "safety issues" as their reason. Away allocations may never be the same again, but is there a good reason for it?
Should we return to old allocations?
In 2018, Rangers cut all away team allocations, leaving the Celts with fewer than 900 tickets for travelling supporters. The Hoops hit back, granting only 800 tickets to the Gers in the return fixture.
After the COVID-19 pandemic locked fans out of stadiums completely, Celtic and Rangers fans were allowed to take 700 away supporters to their respective grounds when football with crowds returned.
Following issues in 2023, Celtic made the decision to ban Gers fans from Celtic Park, citing "safety concerns", with Rangers quickly following suit. Eventually, the SPFL stepped in and demanded that both sides end their feud, and eventually, an agreement was reached to allow each club to have a 4% allocation for derbies.
This left each team with just a tiny corner of fans at the other's ground, and it sadly seems that the days of each side of Glasgow taking up an entire stand are long gone.
However, with the Scottish Cup rules being brought to light, could that all be about to change?
We know from a Freedom of Information Act Request filed in late 2025 that Celtic and Rangers have spent a combined total of £3.1 million on policing for derbies at each ground. According to a police union chief, fan violence is rising every season, and it seems that paying that much is inevitable for such a massive game.
Sectarianism is only getting worse every year too, and while the Glasgow derby has always been a heated affair, the rise in both of these is undoubtedly a reason why we will never see the return of old allocations.
Some will argue that this is a good thing though. A section of supporters may be keen to use the argument that Celtic and Rangers shouldn't be treated any differently from other away teams. They should sit in the corner of the stadium just like everyone else. But if we're using that argument and are happy with it being used to defend smaller allocations in the league, then we should also consider that every team has the option for 20% allocation in the Scottish Cup.
There is no reason why Celtic shouldn't ask for it. If it's denied, it's denied, but if you don't ask, you don't get.