Celtic have expressed their disappointment after confirmation that their Scottish Premiership title defence will begin on a Monday evening rather than at the weekend.
The Scottish champions say they made “repeated representations” to the SPFL and Police Scotland in a bid to secure a weekend fixture for their opener.
Both bodies told Celtic there was “no choice” but to schedule the game against Dundee for 3 August at 19:30 BST.
Glasgow 2026 cycling events at the Sir Chris Hoy Arena, which sits next to Celtic Park, are scheduled across the weekend of 1 and 2 August.
Calvin Harris will also stage two large concerts at Hampden on those same days, creating a logistical challenge for police and authorities across the city.
Celtic negotiated an earlier kick-off time to help supporters travelling from Ireland, though the club remains unhappy with the overall situation.
“We feel strongly a weekend timing should have been facilitated in the interests of both teams, both sets of supporters and the status of the fixture,” Celtic said in a statement.
The 2026-27 Scottish Premiership season gets underway on Friday 31 July, with Dundee United hosting Rangers at 20:00 to kick off all six televised opening weekend matches.
Last season’s runners-up Hearts travel to Aberdeen on the Saturday at 17:30, with Falkirk and St Mirren meeting earlier that day at 15:00.
Sunday features two fixtures, as newly-promoted St Johnstone welcome Kilmarnock in Perth at 14:00 before Hibernian host Motherwell at 16:30.
The first Old Firm derby of the campaign is pencilled in for Sunday 20 September at Celtic Park, with a noon kick-off scheduled.
A Dundee derby at Dens Park is set for the third round of fixtures, while Edinburgh rivals Hibs and Hearts clash at Easter Road on Wednesday 2 September.
New Rangers manager Derek McInnes faces a notable return to Tynecastle on Wednesday 28 October following his departure from Hearts.
There is once again no winter break built into the schedule, with fixture round 33 arriving on 10 April.
The season will conclude across the weekend of 15 and 16 May after five rounds of post-split fixtures, bringing to a close what promises to be another fiercely contested campaign.
