Updated introduction: SPFL festive broadcast changes confirmed
As of 17 September 2026, the picture for Rangers’ festive fixture list is now settled. The SPFL has confirmed its live television selections for the New Year period, and those selections have reshaped two of the biggest dates on the club’s calendar.
The headline move sees the second Old Firm league derby shift away from its original Saturday slot to a Sunday lunchtime kick-off. Supporters planning travel, tickets or viewing arrangements should work from the confirmed dates and times set out below rather than the fixtures as first announced.
Sky Sports selects Ibrox Old Firm derby for festive weekend
Sky Sports has chosen the Ibrox derby to headline its festive broadcast schedule, and that selection is the direct reason for the fixture change. The match was originally pencilled in for Saturday, January 2, but it has now been moved to Sunday, January 3, with kick-off confirmed for 12:00 noon.
The derby forms part of a wider festive weekend of Scottish football on Sky Sports. The broadcaster has also picked the Dundee derby to be shown live on the Saturday, January 2, giving viewers a full weekend of derby football before Rangers and Celtic close it out on the Sunday.
This rescheduled fixture will be the third meeting between the two clubs this season, adding further weight to a match that already carries all the usual intensity of an Ibrox derby. For a club with Rangers’ history in these fixtures, a third instalment inside a single campaign is a significant addition to an already crowded calendar.
Rangers festive schedule details: Kilmarnock and cup fixtures
The Old Firm derby is not the only festive fixture affected by broadcast scheduling. Rangers also host Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Boxing Day, with kick-off confirmed for 5:45 pm, giving supporters a clear evening fixture to build their holiday plans around.
Taken together, the run of fixtures gives Rangers an unusually demanding festive period. Derek McInnes’ side face two meetings with Celtic inside a single week: a Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox, followed seven days later by a league fixture at Parkhead.
That sequence, combined with the Boxing Day visit of Kilmarnock, means Rangers will play some of their highest-profile matches of the season inside a compressed window either side of the New Year. Squad rotation and recovery time between fixtures will matter as much as team selection once this run of games arrives.
Why were Rangers and Celtic games postponed and rescheduled?
Rangers and Celtic’s festive derby was postponed and rescheduled because Sky Sports selected it for live broadcast, not because of weather, pitch problems or any issue at Ibrox. The SPFL confirmed the change as part of its official festive television announcement.
Broadcast selection routinely moves top-flight fixtures away from their original date and time once a game is chosen for live coverage, and this derby is no exception. The switch from a Saturday afternoon to a Sunday lunchtime kick-off reflects Sky’s programming needs for the weekend rather than any operational concern raised by either club.
It is worth stressing this point clearly, because postponements in Scottish football are sometimes linked to weather or ground conditions at this time of year. That is not the case here. Every change to this fixture, and to the wider festive schedule, stems from the SPFL’s official broadcast agreements.
What happens next for Derek McInnes’ Rangers side
With the dates now confirmed, attention turns to preparation. Derek McInnes’ Rangers squad will need to manage a congested run of fixtures that includes two Old Firm meetings, a Boxing Day test against Kilmarnock and cup football in between.
Coverage of squad preparation this season has highlighted the emphasis McInnes has placed on squad management and unity through busy spells, and this festive schedule will test that approach in earnest.
Full details of the original announcement, including the initial fixture dates before the SPFL’s broadcast changes were confirmed, are available in our original fixture reschedule report. Supporters are advised to check ticketing and travel plans against the confirmed dates above, given how significantly the schedule has shifted since the fixtures were first published.
Nothing beyond these confirmed dates has been announced by the SPFL at this stage. Any further changes to kick-off times or broadcast selections for later fixtures will be added once officially confirmed.
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