Rangers vs West Ham pre‑season friendly

Rangers hosted recently relegated West Ham United at Ibrox on 26 July 2026, a pre‑season friendly that had been announced alongside Rangers' seven summer signings, including midfielder Vanja Dragojević, with streaming options offered by both clubs.

The line‑ups were later confirmed, showing West Ham travelling to Glasgow for a final warm‑up before its Championship campaign. Expected starters included James Ward‑Prowse for West Ham and Lawrence Shankland and Dragojević for Rangers, and both managers stressed the fixture’s role in fine‑tuning tactics and gauging fitness.

The match proceeded as planned and concluded in a 0‑0 draw. West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo fielded his strongest available side despite missing several injured midfielders and full‑backs Aaron Wan‑Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf. Rangers manager Derek McInnes highlighted defensive progress while noting a shoulder injury to Thelo Aasgaard and a visa issue that kept new signing Vanja Dragojević on the bench. Former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie criticised the Hammers’ display as “lazy”, forecasting a challenging league season. Analysts observed West Ham’s solid defence contrasted with a lack of attacking pace, whereas Rangers showed improved defensive compactness but still needed sharper attacking threat ahead of the Scottish Premiership kickoff.