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Rangers Kick Off 49ers-Led Era with Star-Studded Ibrox Friendlies and Elite St George’s Park Camp Ahead of Champions League Push
Rangers are gearing up for a transformative pre-season under the watchful eyes of their soon-to-be American backers, with fresh preparations set to launch a bold new era at Ibrox.
The squad is scheduled to return to training on June 23 at the Auchenhowie complex, just in time to welcome new leadership expected from the incoming investment group led by U.S. billionaire Andrew Cavenagh and his associates from the San Francisco 49ers. Their proposed takeover of the Glasgow giants is expected to finalize in the coming weeks, setting the stage for a pivotal summer.
Pre-season action will kick off on July 6, when Rangers host Belgian heavyweights Club Brugge at Ibrox in a 2pm showdown—a symbolic fixture given the club’s recent managerial shakeup, with former Brugge and now-dismissed Rangers boss Philippe Clement still fresh in fans’ memories.
The next day, the squad will travel to England for an intensive training camp at St George’s Park, the state-of-the-art home of England’s national team, situated in Burton-upon-Trent. The £100 million facility—favored by international managers for major tournament preparations—was chosen over a foreign location to minimize travel fatigue ahead of their crucial European qualifiers.
With Rangers needing to navigate three qualifying rounds to reach the Champions League proper, every detail of pre-season has been finely tuned to enhance focus and fitness. A second high-profile friendly against Middlesbrough is scheduled for July 26, again at Ibrox, as a final tune-up before the Scottish Premiership kicks off on the weekend of August 2/3.
The identity of the club’s new permanent manager remains unconfirmed, with several high-profile names still in contention, including Davide Ancelotti, Steven Gerrard, and Russell Martin. Whoever takes the reins will have little time to settle, as the Champions League qualifying campaign begins as early as July 22/23.
Rangers’ fixture list for the upcoming domestic campaign will be released on June 20, and further pre-season matches are expected to be announced in the coming weeks as the 49ers-led revolution takes shape on and off the pitch.
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