Stadium

• Stadium Name: Ibrox Stadium
• Year Opened: 1899
• Capacity: 51,700

History of the stadium

Welcome to the home of Rangers Football Club, Ibrox. Rangers moved here in 1899 (when it was named Ibrox Park) after playing their first ever match in May 1872 at Glasgow Green. Rangers initially played home games on various public pitches in Glasgow before settling at Burnbank in 1875. The following year, they moved to the Clydesdale cricket ground in Kinning Park, which was upgraded to hold 7,000 spectators but wasn’t owned by the club. In 1887, after the landlords indicated plans to redevelop the site, Rangers vacated Kinning Park in February. For the rest of the 1886–87 season, they shared Cathkin Park with Third Lanark.

Rangers first moved to the Ibrox area in 1887, playing on a site immediately to the east of the current stadium. The club then opted to construct a new stadium, raising funds by forming a limited company. The last match at the old ground was played on 9 December 1899.

The new Ibrox Park was formally opened with a 3–1 victory over Hearts on 30 December. Ibrox Park, the name used from 1899 to 1997, bears little resemblance to the modern Ibrox Stadium. Like many Scottish stadiums of its era, it featured an oval running track encircling the pitch, with a pavilion and a single stand along one side. The venue could accommodate up to 40,000 spectators.

In the 1930s, the terracing at Ibrox was further expanded. On 2 January, the Old Firm match against Celtic drew a record-breaking 118,567 spectators, the highest attendance ever for a league match in Britain. At that time, Ibrox ranked as the second-largest stadium in the country.

The 1971 Ibrox disaster prompted Rangers to transform their stadium into a modern, safe facility. During the 1974 World Cup, Willie Waddell toured advanced stadiums in West Germany and concluded that steep terracing and exits like Stairway 13 needed replacement. This, along with reduced capacity and boardroom shifts, led to ambitious proposals by the Miller Partnership, unveiled in November 1977. Their designs drew inspiration from Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion.

While later incidents like the Hillsborough disaster and the Taylor Report validated Rangers’ redevelopment plans, the project was a bold and risky undertaking.

Estimated at £6million, the cost was beyond the reach of most clubs at the time. Funding came from the Rangers football pools, the largest club-run scheme in Britain. The redevelopment began in 1978, starting with the demolition of the east terracing, replaced by the Copland Road Stand. The following year, the west side followed suit, with two identical stands, each accommodating 7,500 seats. The project concluded in 1981 with the Centenary Stand replaced by the 10,300-seat Govan Stand.

The new Ibrox had a capacity of 44,000 and was opened with an Old Firm game played on 19 September 1981. In 2006, Rangers increased Ibrox’s capacity to 50,817 by adding three rows of seats to the Govan Stand’s upper tier, connected to the new ‘Bar 72’ area. Chief executive Martin Bain noted the potential to replicate this in the Copland Stand. That September, the Main Stand was renamed the Bill Struth Main Stand to mark the 50th anniversary of his death.

In January 2023, the club added 170 seats in the Sandy Jardine Rear Stand by removing hospitality boxes in the former Argyle House Restaurant, rebranded as the Blue Sky Lounge, and installing three additional rows of seats plus more disabled seating, raising the capacity to 50,987. In September 2024, Ibrox’s capacity grew to 51,700 with the addition of over 600 general access seats in a new Copland Rear cantilever and 30 disabled access seats in the Copland Front.

Ibrox’s stands

Bill Struth Main Stand (South)

• Constructed: 1991
• Capacity: 21,000

Broomloan Road Stand (West)

• Constructed: 1980
• Capacity: 7,900

Sandy Jardine Stand (North)

• Constructed: 1994
• Capacity: 17,500

Copland Road Stand (East):

• Constructed: 1979
• Capacity: 8,000

Notable matches at Ibrox

• Rangers 3-1 Hearts, 1899 – The inaugural match at the new Ibrox Park saw over 15,000 fans witness the occasion.
• Rangers 1-0 Celtic, 1939 – This Old Firm clash drew a British record crowd of 118,567, the highest attendance for any league match in Britain.
• Rangers 3-2 Dynamo Moscow, 1972 – Rangers secured a historic victory over Dynamo Moscow, advancing to the final of the European Cup Winners’ Cup, which they won against Bayern Munich.
• Rangers 2-2 Celtic, 1987 – Known as the “most glorious Old Firm draw,” Rangers fought back from 2-0 down against Celtic, with Ally McCoist and Ian Gough scoring.
• Rangers 2-0 Bayern Munich, 1970 – Gers stunned the German giants to make it to the European Cup Winners’ Cup Final.
• Rangers 4-3 Celtic, 1991 – A thrilling Old Firm encounter saw Rangers come from behind to win 4-3, with Mark Hateley’s hat-trick proving decisive.
• Rangers 2-0 Parma, 1999 – The hosts upset the Italian giants, with goals from Tony Vidmar and Claudio Reyna, to reach the Champions League group stage. The victory showcased Ibrox’s ability to host high-stakes European matches and sent shockwaves through European football.
• Rangers 3-2 Celtic, 1999 – Gers clinched the Scottish Premier League title with a dramatic 3-2 win over Celtic.
• Rangers 1-0 Manchester United, 2003 – Phil Neville’s own goal sealed a famous victory against one of Europe’s elite clubs in the UEFA Champions League.
• Rangers 2-1 Sporting CP, 2008 – The hosts secured a 2-1 win over Sporting CP, with goals from Jean-Claude Darcheville and Steven Whittaker, en route to the 2008 UEFA Cup final.

How to get to Ibrox

Ibrox Stadium is a short walk from Ibrox Subway station. From Glasgow city centre, the Subway’s Outer Circle takes 10–15 minutes to reach the station, while the Inner Circle takes slightly longer.

The Subway operates from 6:30 am to 11:40 pm Monday through Saturday, and from 10:00 am to 6:12 pm on Sundays. Trains run every four minutes during peak hours and every six to eight minutes during off-peak periods, with a full circuit lasting 24 minutes.

Frequent bus services connect Glasgow to Ibrox, with stops located within 300 yards of the stadium.

For drivers coming from Glasgow city centre westbound on the M8, exit at Junction 24 (Helen Street), Junction 25 (Clyde Tunnel toward Cardonald), or Junction 26 (Hillington). Eastbound M8 travellers should exit at Junction 26 (Hillington), Junction 24 (Helen Street), or at Kinning Park, then proceed to the M77, exiting at Junction 1 (Dumbreck Road) or turning left onto Seaward Street, followed by Paisley Road West.

Address: Rangers Football Club, Ibrox Stadium, 150 Edmiston Dr, Glasgow G51 2XD, United Kingdom.