West Ham United held to 0-0 draw by Rangers in pre-season friendly

West Ham United and Rangers played a goalless pre‑season friendly at Ibrox on 26 July 2026. Manager Nuno Espírito Santo fielded what he described as his strongest available side, missing several injured midfielders and the World Cup‑experienced full‑backs Aaron Wan‑Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf. The match ended 0‑0, with both teams creating limited chances.

Former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie criticised the Hammers’ display as “lazy”, predicting a long and hard league season and noting the club’s lack of new signings. Rangers manager Derek McInnes highlighted the team’s progress under his tenure, mentioning a shoulder injury to Thelo Aasgaard and a visa issue that kept new signing Vanja Dragojević on the bench.

Analysts pointed out that West Ham’s defence appeared solid while the attack lacked pace and creativity, whereas Rangers showed improved defensive compactness but still need to sharpen their attacking threat ahead of the Scottish Premiership kickoff.