Rangers F.C

Rangers’ Ibrox Expansion Plans: Full Timeline Amid £2bn Man Utd Stadium Hype

Published

2 hours ago

March 11, 2025

Rangers fans have long debated the future of Ibrox, and with Manchester United’s confirmation of a £2bn, 100,000-seater stadium, questions are once again being asked about potential expansion and upgrades to the Light Blues’ historic home.

While Old Trafford’s replacement is set to become the largest stadium in the UK, Ibrox has been undergoing incremental improvements, with various proposals for expansion over the years.

But how close is a major capacity increase to becoming reality? With the impending 49ers Enterprises takeover, could there be fresh momentum for a larger 60,000 or even 70,000-seater Ibrox? Here’s a detailed breakdown of everything that has been planned, discussed, and delayed regarding Ibrox’s expansion over the past two years.

📅 May 2023 – Rangers Announce Disabled Facilities Upgrade Plan

Rangers unveiled a three-phase plan to modernize the disabled seating and accessibility at Ibrox. This was a significant step forward, as the club committed to increasing the stadium’s overall capacity by 920 seats, bringing it to over 51,500 once completed.

Phase 1 – Upgraded disabled seating in the Broomloan Stand (completed).
Phase 2 – Similar work in the Copland Road Stand (delayed but eventually completed).
Phase 3 – Scheduled improvements to the Sandy Jardine Stand (originally set for summer 2025).

However, serious delays arose during Phase 2 in summer 2024 due to supply chain issues with steel shipments. This forced Rangers to temporarily relocate home games to Hampden Park at the start of the 2024/25 season.

As things stand, Phase 3 is unlikely to go ahead as planned in 2025, with reports suggesting the club lacks the necessary funding and resources to complete the upgrades on schedule.

📅 June 2023 – CEO James Bisgrove Outlines Three Expansion Options

Then-Rangers CEO James Bisgrove laid out three potential strategies to increase Ibrox’s seating capacity, ranging from small-scale changes to radical redevelopment.

1️⃣ Add 2,600 seats in the corners near the TV screens for a projected £6m cost.
2️⃣ Remove the TV screens, opening up space for 8,000 additional seats—but this would require a £20m investment.
3️⃣ Lower the pitch to increase capacity by 4,500 seats, but at an estimated cost of £25m. Crucially, this option would force Rangers to temporarily vacate Ibrox, which was seen as a major drawback.

These options sparked debate among supporters, but no formal commitment was made to pursue any of them.

📅 November 2023 – Rangers Explore a 70,000-Seater Ibrox

A new report in The Herald revealed that Rangers chiefs were discussing the possibility of increasing Ibrox’s capacity to 70,000 seats. This would be a massive expansion, but the report noted that these discussions were still at a very early stage and far from becoming an actionable project.

📅 May 2024 – Henry Winter Claims Rangers Target 60,000 Seats by 2030

Respected football journalist Henry Winter provided fresh insight into Rangers’ stadium ambitions, stating that the club was actively targeting funds to increase Ibrox’s capacity to 60,000 seats by 2030.

This would make sense from a business perspective, as Rangers currently have:

46,000 season ticket holders.
A waiting list of over 20,000 fans eager for season books.

Such demand suggests that an expanded Ibrox would be financially viable, but the logistical challenges remain significant.

📅 What Now? Is Ibrox Expansion Still on the Table?

Since the Copland Road Stand delays, there has been a notable silence regarding Rangers’ stadium expansion ambitions.

James Bisgrove has now left the club, leaving doubts over whether his three expansion proposals are still under consideration.
Former interim chairman John Gilligan admitted that any major redevelopment would mean playing away from Ibrox for a period—something fans will not want to repeat after the Hampden move in 2024.
Gilligan also confirmed that the 2025/26 season will start at Ibrox, meaning the Sandy Jardine Stand renovations have almost certainly been postponed.

The big question now is whether the 49ers Enterprises takeover could reignite expansion plans.

🚨 Could the 49ers’ Takeover Finally Deliver a Bigger Ibrox?

The American investment group 49ers Enterprises is in the final stages of acquiring a majority stake in Rangers, with the takeover expected to be completed in the coming months.

With new ownership comes the possibility of fresh investment into stadium infrastructure. Given that US-based ownership groups tend to prioritize stadium revenue growth, it wouldn’t be surprising if they revisit the idea of a 60,000-seater Ibrox—or perhaps even the 70,000-seater proposal floated in late 2023.

However, such a project would be hugely expensive, likely costing hundreds of millions of pounds. It would require a detailed financial strategy and, crucially, a decision on whether Rangers would need to relocate during the construction process.

🔮 The Future of Ibrox: What to Expect

As things stand, major expansion is unlikely in the short term, but the long-term potential is there—especially under new ownership.

If the 49ers Enterprises prioritize stadium development, we could finally see a concrete roadmap for Ibrox’s transformation. Until then, fans will be left wondering whether the club will continue with incremental improvements or commit to a full-scale redevelopment.

One thing is certain: With fan demand soaring, Rangers will eventually need a bigger home—it’s just a matter of when.