Celtic v Rangers Scottish Cup final kick-off time confirmed by SFA as decision made on FA Cup clash

Date and kick-off time set for Old Firm showdown at Hampden

The Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Rangers will go ahead at the same time as the Manchester derby FA Cup final, the Scottish FA has confirmed.

As reported earlier this week, the governing body has decided against a repeat of the controversial move last year which saw the Hampden showpiece moved to a 5.30pm kick-off to avoid a clash with the Wembley final between Manchester City and Manchester United.

The decision to switch the Celtic v Inverness Caledonian Thistle encounter to a later start amid pressure from broadcasters led to widespread criticism. There was an outcry over the significant impact it had on fans travelling from the Highlands while the Scottish Parliament hit out over the dangerous precedent set.

The Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Rangers will go ahead at the same time as the Manchester derby FA Cup final. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

The SFA said the kick-off change was a factor in having the match reach "as wide an audience as possible" with chief executive Ian Maxwell claiming that sticking to a 3pm kick-off would have "greatly diminished the visibility of Scottish football’s showpiece occasion”.

However, the SFA has reverted to tradition this year with confirmation on Thursday morning that the Old Firm final will take place on Saturday, May 25 at 3pm, meaning it will go head-to-head with Manchester United v Manchester City in what is a repeat of last year’s FA Cup final.

Both finals will be broadcast live on the BBC. ITV will also show the FA Cup final with Premier Sports, recently rebranded from Viaplay, showing a subscription offering of the Scottish Cup final. The Hampden match will be the first Old Firm fixture broadcast on free-to-air television since 2016.