Old Firm Derby: Celtic vs Rangers

Last Updated: April 2026

Contents

The Old Firm Derby: Celtic vs Rangers – Religion, Politics and Glasgow’s Great Divide

Few football fixtures carry the weight of the Old Firm Derby. When Celtic and Rangers meet at Parkhead or Ibrox, what’s at stake goes far beyond three points. This is a rivalry forged not in football, but in faith, immigration, and the turbulent politics of 19th-century Glasgow.

Celtic were founded in 1887 by Brother Walfrid, a Marist priest, to raise money for Glasgow’s destitute Irish Catholic immigrant community. Rangers, formed fifteen years earlier in 1872 by four teenagers on the banks of the Clyde, had evolved into the club of Glasgow’s Protestant working class. By the 1890s, the battle lines were drawn – and they have never fully dissolved.

What makes the Old Firm unique among world football rivalries is that it has never been purely about football. Sectarian division, the legacy of Irish immigration, the shadow of the Northern Ireland Troubles, and the politics of Scottish identity have all shaped every meeting. Players have been targeted for their religion. Managers defined by which side of the divide they managed. Even former Celtic striker Mo Johnston’s 1989 move from French club Nantes to Rangers – ding the club’s long-standing unwritten policy against signing high-profile Catholic players – caused a national scandal.

The football itself has matched the drama. Celtic’s Lisbon Lions became the first British side to win the European Cup in 1967. Rangers lifted the Cup Winners’ Cup five years later. Nine-in-a-row title runs – Celtic’s under Jock Stein, Rangers’ under Graeme Souness then Walter Smith – that defined entire eras of Scottish football. Then, in 2020-21, Rangers ended Celtic’s attempt at a record-breaking tenth consecutive title, Steven Gerrard’s side clinching the Premiership to stop the streak at nine. A liquidation, a reformation, and a return from the lower divisions. The Old Firm has survived everything.

Key Facts

Quick context before you watch:

First Match: 28 May 1888 — Celtic won 5–2 (a friendly; Celtic’s very first fixture as a club)
First Competitive Match: 27 October 1888 — Glasgow Cup; Rangers lost 6–1 Why “Old Firm”? A satirical 1904 cartoon in The Scottish Referee depicted a man with a sandwich board reading “Patronise The Old Firm: Rangers, Celtic Ltd” -acknowledging how commercially lucrative their meetings had become
Nine-in-a-Row: Celtic 1966–74 under Jock Stein; Rangers 1989–97 under Souness then Smith; Celtic stopped at nine by Gerrard’s Rangers in 2020-21
Rangers Liquidation: Rangers FC’s holding company was liquidated in 2012; the new club entered the Scottish Third Division and returned to the Premiership in 2016
Titles: Between them, the clubs have won over 100 Scottish league titles

Watch the Old Firm Derby Documentary

Rangers vs Celtic – Complete History of the Rivalry

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

The Football: European Nights and Nine-in-a-Row

The 1967 European Cup final in Lisbon is where Celtic transcended club football. Jock Stein’s team – every player born within 30 miles of Celtic Park – became the first British side to win the European Cup, defeating Inter Milan 2–1 with an attacking display that silenced a system built entirely on defensive suffocation. It remains Celtic’s defining moment.

Rangers’ answer came five years later in Barcelona. The 1972 Cup Winners’ Cup is Rangers’ only European trophy – and, to date, the only European trophy won by any Scottish club. They defeated Dynamo Moscow 3–2 in a match played amid a pitch invasion by Scottish supporters that resulted in a UEFA ban. Both clubs have proven that Scottish football’s reach extends far beyond Scotland.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why is the Celtic vs Rangers derby called the Old Firm Derby?

The most widely accepted origin is a satirical cartoon in The Scottish Referee sports magazine published before the 1904 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Rangers. It depicted a man with a sandwich board reading “Patronise The Old Firm: Rangers, Celtic Ltd” – a pointed comment on how commercially powerful their meetings had become. A second theory holds that an early match report described the two clubs playing “like two old, firm friends.” The name has been in use for over a century, though many Celtic supporters now prefer “Glasgow Derby” following Rangers’ 2012 liquidation.

Why do Celtic and Rangers hate each other?

The Celtic-Rangers rivalry is rooted in religious and political division that predates football entirely. Celtic were founded to serve Glasgow’s Irish Catholic immigrant community; Rangers evolved into the club of the Protestant working class. The divide deepened through the early 20th century as sectarian tensions from Northern Ireland intensified in the city. The clubs represent opposing sides of Scotland’s deepest cultural fault line – Catholic/Protestant, Irish-Scots/native Scots, Republican/Unionist – which is why every meeting carries a weight no purely footballing rivalry can match.

When was the first ever Old Firm Derby?

The first meeting between Celtic and Rangers was a friendly on 28 May 1888 – Celtic’s very first fixture as a football club. Celtic won 5–2. The first competitive match came in the Glasgow Cup on 27 October 1888, which Rangers lost 6–1 to Celtic. Rangers had to wait nearly five years – until February 1893 – for their first competitive victory over Celtic.

What happened to Rangers FC in 2012?

Rangers FC’s holding company – The Rangers Football Club plc – was liquidated in 2012 following a financial collapse driven by unpaid tax debts, known as the “Big Tax Case.” The club’s assets were purchased by a new company (Sevco Scotland Ltd., later renamed The Rangers Football Club Ltd.) for £5.5m. The new entity entered the Scottish Third Division – the fourth tier – and worked its way back up to the Scottish Premiership by 2016. Many Celtic supporters argue the current Rangers is a different club; Rangers and most of the media regard all history as continuous and continue to use “Old Firm.”

Is the Old Firm Derby the biggest derby in the world?

It is widely regarded as one of the most intense. Former Celtic striker Henrik Larsson – who also experienced El Clásico at Barcelona – has called it the best atmosphere he ever experienced as a footballer. Former Rangers winger Brian Laudrup, who played in Serie A, described it as “terrifying.” On Old Firm weekends, violent incidents in Glasgow increase ninefold over normal levels, which reflects how completely the rivalry extends beyond football into everyday city life.

Who has scored the most goals in Old Firm Derby history?

Ally McCoist holds the all-time record for Old Firm goals, scoring 27 times in 55 appearances for Rangers – three more than any other player. Celtic’s leading scorer in the fixture is Jimmy McGrory, with 22 goals in 35 matches. The record for most Old Firm appearances belongs to Rangers’ Alec Smith, who played in 87 matches across a 21-year career at the club between 1894 and 1915.

Did Celtic really become the first British club to win the European Cup?

Yes. On 25 May 1967 in Lisbon, Portugal, Celtic defeated Inter Milan 2–1 to win the European Cup – becoming the first British side to win the competition. Every player in Jock Stein’s squad was born within 30 miles of Celtic Park. They beat a renowned defensive Inter side with an attacking performance widely regarded as one of the great upsets in European football history.

Why do some Celtic fans say the Old Firm Derby no longer exists?

Following Rangers’ 2012 liquidation and the subsequent formation of a new company to run the club, many Celtic supporters argue that the pre-2012 Rangers FC ceased to exist as a legal entity. For them, the Old Firm – as a rivalry between two specific clubs sharing a continuous history – ended in 2012. They call the fixture the “Glasgow Derby” and refer to the current club as “Sevco” (the name of the post-2012 holding company). Rangers officially continue to use “Old Firm” for the fixture.

What was the Mo Johnston signing and why did it shock Scottish football?

In July 1989, Rangers manager Graeme Souness signed former Celtic striker Mo Johnston from French club Nantes – making him the first high-profile Catholic player Rangers had signed in decades. The move was doubly shocking: Johnston had weeks earlier been presented at a press conference announcing he would rejoin Celtic from Nantes. His switch to Ibrox instead provoked fury on both sides. Celtic supporters saw it as betrayal; some Rangers fans objected to signing a Catholic. Johnston eventually won them over with crucial goals, including a late winner in an Old Firm derby in November 1989.

How did Rangers stop Celtic from winning ten titles in a row in 2021?

When Steven Gerrard took charge of Rangers in 2018, Celtic were on nine consecutive Scottish Premiership titles. A tenth would have been unprecedented in Scottish football – surpassing both Celtic’s own nine-in-a-row under Jock Stein (1966–74) and Rangers’ matching run under Souness and Smith (1989–97). Gerrard rebuilt the squad over three seasons. In 2020-21 Rangers won the title unbeaten, ending Celtic’s attempt at ten in a row. It remains Gerrard’s defining achievement in management.

What is the biggest ever Old Firm Derby scoreline?

The largest winning margin in Old Firm history is Celtic’s 7–1 victory over Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final on 19 October 1957 at Hampden Park – still the record scoreline between the clubs. In the league, the record winning margin for Rangers is 6–2 (achieved on multiple occasions); for Celtic it is 7–1. In recent Scottish Premiership football, high-scoring Old Firm matches have become rarer as both clubs prioritise defensive organisation.

Have Celtic and Rangers ever played in European competition against each other?

No. Because both clubs compete in the Scottish league system, they can only meet each other in European competition if drawn in the same group or knockout round, which requires both to have qualified. As of April 2026, Celtic and Rangers have never been drawn against each other in UEFA competition.

What is the Rangers nine-in-a-row and how did it compare to Celtic’s?

Celtic won nine consecutive Scottish league titles between 1966 and 1974 under Jock Stein – a record at the time. Rangers matched the feat between 1989 and 1997, with Graeme Souness beginning the run (three titles, 1989–91) and Walter Smith completing it (six titles, 1991–97). Both nine-in-a-row runs stand as the benchmark of sustained domestic dominance in Scottish football. Celtic came within one of making it ten consecutive titles in 2020-21 before Rangers, under Steven Gerrard, won the title that year to stop them.

What are the nicknames for Celtic and Rangers fans?

Celtic supporters are known as the “Bhoys” (a phonetic spelling reflecting the Irish roots of the club’s founding) and “the Hoops” (after the green and white hooped kit). Rangers supporters are known as “the Gers,” “the Teddy Bears” (from the rhyming slang), and “the Blues.” Rangers also use the slogan “WATP” – We Are The People – a phrase with its roots in the club’s Protestant identity, though its exact origin and precise meaning remain debated.

Is there an Old Firm Derby in women’s football?

Yes. Celtic F.C. Women and Rangers W.F.C. have contested Old Firm (or Glasgow Derby) fixtures since Rangers W.F.C. was formed in 2008. The women’s fixture has grown in profile alongside the expansion of women’s football in Scotland, and matches between the clubs generate significant additional media interest due to their association with the men’s clubs.

What does the Old Firm Derby documentary on The Football Documentary Channel cover?

The TFDC documentary explores the origins of the rivalry – from the Irish Catholic immigration to Glasgow that gave rise to Celtic, through Rangers’ Protestant identity, the European triumphs of the 1960s and 70s, the nine-in-a-row battles, the Rangers liquidation of 2012, and what the fixture means to Glasgow today. It is free to watch on YouTube at youtube.com/@footballdocumentaries. For the complete written history covering all of these topics and more, visit the companion deep dive linked below.