Old Firm

The Old Firm is a collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply embedded in Scottish culture. It has reflected and contributed to political, social and religious division and sectarianism in Scotland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As a result, matches between them have had an enduring appeal around the world.<ref name="FIFA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Between them the two clubs are among the most trophied in the world, having won a combined 110 Scottish League championships (55 each team),<ref name=champions>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 76 Scottish Cups (Celtic with 42 and Rangers with 34),<ref name=scottishcup>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and 50 Scottish League Cups (Rangers with 28 and Celtic with 22).<ref name=leaguecup>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Interruptions to their ascendancy have occurred rarely, mainly in the two decades after the Second World War from 1946 to 1965 when five other clubs won the league, and in the first half of the 1980s with the challenge of the New Firm of Aberdeen and Dundee United. Since the 1985–86 season, one half of the Old Firm has won the Scottish League every season, and in all but one of seventeen seasons between 1995–96 and 2011–12, both clubs finished in the top two places.

In the early 2010s, Rangers endured financial difficulties, and its holding company was liquidated in 2012. Subsequently, the team had to apply for entry to the bottom (fourth) tier of the Scottish league. As a result of the liquidation, many Celtic supporters maintain that the current Rangers is distinct from the pre-2012 club, and the rivalry no longer exists under the Old Firm identity. Instead, they (and often Celtic themselves) use the more generic term Glasgow derby to refer to the rivalry.<ref name=demise/><ref name=define/><ref name="SMH22"/><ref>Why is Celtic vs Rangers called the Old Firm derby? Template:Webarchive, Goal.com, 27 January 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022</ref> While Rangers climbed back through the divisions, Celtic were champions in each of the next nine campaigns; Rangers won the title in 2020–21 to prevent a tenth for Celtic, which would have beaten a record set by them in the 1960s/70s and matched by Rangers in the 1980s/90s.

Celtic and Rangers have played each other 446 times in major competitions; Rangers have won 171 matches, Celtic 170, and 105 ended in a draw.

The clubs have large fan bases around Glasgow and Scotland and have supporters clubs in many towns throughout Scotland and Northern Ireland and in cities around the world. In 2005 the presence of Rangers and Celtic was estimated to be worth £120 million to the Scottish economy each year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:TOC limit

Origin of 'Old Firm'

The origin of the term is unclear but may derive from the two clubs' initial match in which the commentators referred to the teams as "like two old, firm friends",<ref>Murray, William J. (1984) The Old Firm: sectarianism, sport, and society in Scotland; Edinburgh: J. Donald Publishers; Atlantic Highlands, N.J. Template:ISBN</ref> or alternatively may stem from a satirical cartoon published in 'The Scottish Referee' sports newspaper prior to the 1904 Scottish Cup final between the sides, depicting an elderly man with a sandwich board reading "Patronise The Old Firm: Rangers, Celtic Ltd",<ref>The Scottish Final. Template:Webarchive The Scottish Referee, 15 April 1904. Scan via London Hearts Supporters Club</ref> highlighting the mutual commercial benefits of their meetings.<ref name=classic>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=joined>Template:Cite news</ref> The name may also be a reference to these two teams being among the original eleven members of the Scottish Football League formed in 1890 <ref>Walker, Graham and Alan Bairner. (2005) Popular Culture in Scotland and Ireland, 1800–2000: Sport, Politics, and Religion. Ireland and Scotland: Culture and Society, 1700–2000: Four Courts Press; Dublin. Template:ISBN</ref> (although others from that group, such as Heart of Midlothian and St Mirren, also continue to play at the highest level to this day).

At the turn of the 21st century, the two clubs jointly registered the 'Old Firm' term at the Intellectual Property Office; it was confirmed this was still being renewed as a trademark in 2021.<ref>Celtic renewed 'Old Firm' trademark with Rangers days before 'we're not half of anything' tweet Template:Webarchive, Glasgow Times, 10 March 2021</ref>

Rivalry and sectarianism

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"When I was growing up, I went to a Catholic school, and there wasn't one Rangers fan in the entire school," said Neil McGarvey, 43, who is involved in the operation of Kerrydale Street, a popular Celtic fan Web site. "It's much more mixed now – my boy goes to a Catholic school, and there are maybe 5 percent Rangers fans now."{{#if:|{{#if:|}}

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The competition between the two clubs had roots in more than just a simple sporting rivalry.<ref name="FIFA"/> It has as much to do with Northern Ireland as Scotland and this can be seen in the flags, cultural symbols, and emblems of both clubs.<ref name="Alottodo">Template:Cite news</ref> It was infused with a series of complex disputes, sometimes centred on religion (Protestant and Catholic), Northern Ireland-related politics (Loyalist and Republican), national identity (British or Irish Scots), and social ideology (conservatism and socialism).<ref>Richard Wilson, "Inside the Divide" (Edinburgh: Canongate Books, 2012), p. 87: "What is being asserted is two identities: Rangers and Celtic. There are other boundaries: Protestant and Catholic / Unionist and Republican / Conservative and Socialist...."</ref>

Another primary contributor to the intensity of the rivalry in the west of Scotland was that Rangers supporters are historically native Scots and Ulster Scots,<ref name=define/> and Celtic supporters are historically Irish-Scots. Although the confrontation between the two sets of supporters was often labelled as 'Sectarianism', 'Native-Immigrant tension' was an equally accurate catalyst for hostility between the two teams' supports in Scotland. Rangers' traditional support was largely from the Protestant community, and for decades the club had an unwritten rule whereby they would not knowingly sign a player of the Catholic faith.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The policy was decried by Graeme Souness when he became manager, and he brought ex-Celtic forward Mo Johnston to the club in a very public move away from the practice, which no longer continues.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=mojo>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=mojo2>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=AFPdivide/> Celtic's support was largely from those of Irish Roman Catholic backgrounds and while the club practiced no exclusion of Protestants and signed many of them to play for the team, there was a pro-Catholic mindset among some of the employees.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> One effect is that Scottish flags are rarer than might be expected amongst both sets of supporters; Celtic fans are more likely to wave the Irish tricolour while Rangers fans tend to wave the Union Jack.<ref name=disunited/>

Celtic were founded in 1887<ref name=identity>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> on the promise that the club would deliver much-needed money and resources to a poverty-stricken Irish Catholic population in East Glasgow (although records indicated little of this income reached those causes)<ref name=define/> and quickly drew large crowds at their matches, becoming a symbol for that section of the local population which were marginalised in other areas of society<ref name=AFPdivide/> and had previously shown little interest in the emerging sport.<ref name=define/><ref name=fallout/> Rangers had been founded 15 years earlier in 1872 and had no particular religious leanings in their early decades, indeed they were described by the press as friends of Celtic in match reports at the turn of the 20th century.<ref name=explained/><ref name=fallout/> In that era Rangers had won three successive championships and expanded their stadium at great expense, only for one of the new wooden stands to collapse during a Scotland v England fixture in April 1902, killing 25 and injuring hundreds of others.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=temple>Template:Cite book</ref> The disaster forced the club to rebuild Ibrox for a second time and financed this by selling off their best players, with Celtic, in particular, taking advantage of the weakness to win six successive titles between 1905 and 1910 before Rangers returned to their previous strength.<ref name=fallout>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=temple/> The sporting side of the rivalry was now established, with their meetings providing considerable financial benefit as seen in the Scottish Cup finals of 1904 (which appears to be the origin of the 'Old Firm' term)<ref name=classic/><ref name=explained/> and 1909 when they drew twice and a further replay was ordered, with supporters of both teams deciding to riot on the assumption the results were being fixed to make more money – amid multiple injuries and considerable damage to Hampden Park, the trophy was withheld.<ref name=joined/><ref name=mcarra/><ref name=explained/><ref name = "two tribes">Template:Cite news</ref>

The political aspect of the feud also developed in that period, with perhaps the most significant development occurring in 1912 when Belfast shipbuilders Harland and Wolff (a company which already had anti-Catholic hiring practices)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> set up a new yard in Glasgow due to instability in Ireland. Hundreds of Ulster Protestant workers, many of Scottish descent, also made the move, and they adopted Rangers – the closest large club to the Govan yard – as their new team.<ref name=AFPdivide>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=explained>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=eternal>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Other events such as World War I and the Easter Rising contributed to the club being adopted as a symbol of the Scottish establishment and of British Unionism in the face of Irish Catholic rebellion personified by the success of Celtic<ref name=inside/><ref name=AFPdivide/><ref name=explained/> and from that time on, many across Scotland and Northern Ireland (and the diaspora of those communities in England, North America and elsewhere) became supporters of Rangers or Celtic over and above their local teams according to their own political and religious leanings, including polarised attitudes towards 'The Troubles'.<ref name=eternal/><ref name=identity/>

Nevertheless, this dividing line seems to be blurred in 21st century Glasgow: religious adherence, in general, is falling,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=eternal/> marriages between Protestants and Catholics have never been higher and the old certainties – the Rangers supporter voting Conservative and the Celtic supporter voting Labour — are no longer in evidence.<ref name=inside>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=disunited>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2005 both Celtic and Rangers joined a project to tackle bigotry and sectarianism in sport,<ref name="BBC 26Aug2006">Template:Cite news</ref> but there was little change in the behaviour and subsequent prosecution of the fans.

The majority of Rangers and Celtic supporters do not get involved in sectarianism, but serious incidents do occur with a tendency for the actions of a minority to dominate the headlines.<ref name="BBC 26Aug2006"/><ref name="Alottodo"/> The Old Firm rivalry fuelled many assaults on derby days, and some deaths in the past have been directly related to the aftermath of Old Firm matches.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> An activist group that monitors sectarian activity in Glasgow has reported that on Old Firm weekends, violent attacks increase ninefold over normal levels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> An increase in domestic abuse can also be attributed to Old Firm fixtures.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

A freedom of information request found that Strathclyde Police incurred costs of £2.4 million for the seven derbies played during the 2010–11 season, with the clubs only contributing £0.3 million towards that.<ref name = "police cost">Template:Cite news</ref> Other high-profile games involving Rangers and Celtic incurred much lower costs.<ref name = "police cost"/> The reason for the disparity in costs and the contribution made is that Strathclyde Police had to increase its activity elsewhere in Glasgow and beyond, while the clubs were only responsible for costs incurred in the vicinity of their stadium.<ref name = "police cost"/> In a period between April 2016 and December 2017, when nine matches were contested (three each at the club's stadiums and three at Hampden), more than £550,000 was spent by Celtic, Rangers, the SFA and the SPFL on policing inside the stadium alone. Rangers paid more than Celtic despite having a smaller capacity and a plan for the away support at Ibrox which required less of a 'human barricade' of officers to separate the rival supporters than was necessary at Celtic Park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2015, former Rangers player Brian Laudrup said that the Old Firm topped all of the rivalries he had played in,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which included the Milan derby and the Fiorentina-Juventus meetings<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in Italy; ex-Celtic striker Henrik Larsson, who experienced El Clásico in Spain and De Klassieker in the Netherlands, has made similar comments.<ref name="FIFA"/> Jim Bett, who had already played in Iceland prior to joining Rangers in the 1980s and thereafter moved to Belgium, stated that he declined an opportunity to return to the Ibrox club due to the sectarianism associated with life as a footballer in the west of Scotland, in contrast to his positive experiences living abroad.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Disorder within stadiums

Hundreds of opposing fans fought an on-pitch battle in the aftermath of Celtic's 1–0 victory in the 1980 Scottish Cup final at Hampden, fuelled by alcohol and armed with the cans and bottles.<ref name = "blame"/><ref name=explained/><ref>Riot! Template:Webarchive, Sunday Mail, 11 May 1980, via The Celtic Wiki</ref> Despite previous instances of similar behaviour – less widespread and more speedily quelled, but still resulting in dozens of arrests – at the end of the 1965 Scottish League Cup final,<ref>Penalties give Celtic cup; lap of honour cut short Template:Webarchive, The Times, 25 October 1965, via The Celtic Wiki</ref> 1969 Scottish Cup final<ref>50 arrests at Hampden Template:Webarchive, Evening Times, 26 April 1969, via The Celtic Wiki</ref> and 1977 Scottish Cup final<ref>Bottles fly in Cup Final; 139 fans are arrested Template:Webarchive, Scottish Sunday Express, 8 May 1977, via The Celtic Wiki</ref> between the same teams at the same venue, a senior police officer on duty at the time estimated the number of his colleagues inside the stadium in 1980 was barely into double figures, with almost all the estimated 400 police outside Hampden dealing with expected disorder issues, and perimeter fencing assumed sufficient to keep the fans off the pitch.<ref name = "blame"/> This remains one of the worst invasions onto a football pitch ever reported, and was instrumental in alcohol being banned from all football grounds in Scotland, a situation which was still in place 40 years on.<ref name=mcarra>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name = "blame">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=pelted>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=moments>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In January 1994, Rangers chairman David Murray announced that Celtic fans had been banned from Ibrox due to repeated instances of vandalism to the stadium which Celtic refused to take financial responsibility for.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Only one fixture, which ended 1–1, was played before the ban was rescinded<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=donnelly/> (the Scottish Football League passed a resolution preventing clubs from taking that action in future).<ref name = "worse for wear">Template:Cite news</ref>

There was serious fan disorder during an Old Firm match played on a Sunday evening in May 1999 at Celtic Park, with the usual tensions heightened by the fact that Rangers could clinch the league title with victory (and it became clear that they would do so from the early stages of the match). Several objects were thrown by Celtic fans, one of which struck referee Hugh Dallas forcing the game to be stopped while he received medical treatment.<ref name = "dallas"/><ref name=disunited/><ref name=moments/> With many of those in attendance having spent a full weekend drinking alcohol prior to the event, at least four Celtic fans invaded the field of play to confront Dallas during the game,<ref name = "dallas">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and more missiles were thrown at players on the pitch after the game.<ref name = "dallas"/> Since the events of that day, Old Firm league matches have normally been played in the early afternoon and the possibility of an Old Firm title decider has been deliberately avoided.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Some supporters of both clubs, when interviewed, have conceded that they do not particularly enjoy the intense atmosphere of Old Firm matches.<ref name=eternal/><ref name=inside/>

Incidents involving players

Over the hundreds of matches played between the rivals, players and staff have been involved in many incidents beyond the usual bad tackles and red cards commonly associated with derby matches around the world; in the modern age of video footage, such incidents are more frequently observed, reviewed and scrutinised. In 1987, four players were charged by the police with breach of the peace for their conduct during a match at Ibrox and had to appear at court,<ref name=moments/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> with two (Chris Woods and Terry Butcher) convicted and fined.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While warming up on the touchline at Celtic Park in January 1998, Rangers' Paul Gascoigne was caught on television reacting to verbal abuse from the stands by briefly miming the playing of a flute (representing "The Sash" and the typical repertoire of songs on an Orange walk, considered an offensive gesture by Celtic's many supporters of an Irish Catholic background).<ref name=moments/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=antics>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Gascoigne, who had pleaded his ignorance of the situation after he made the same gesture in a friendly just after joining Rangers in 1995<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and had been sent off on his last visit to Celtic six weeks earlier,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was fined for the provocative act<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and left the club later that year. He has stated that he later received threats via telephone calls from persons purporting to be members of the IRA over his behaviour.<ref name=antics/>

In 2000, after being sent off during an Old Firm match, Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson was involved in a violent brawl with Celtic fans at a hotel later in the same evening;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> a year later, Ferguson (by now club captain) was sitting in the stand when he appeared to throw ice packs towards the Celtic dugout after Rangers conceded a late goal, however the referee missed the incident and no action was taken.<ref name=action>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In that same match, a Celtic supporter was photographed making an 'aeroplane' gesture towards American Rangers player Claudio Reyna a few weeks after the September 11 attacks.<ref name=action/> A 2004 match at Ibrox which "descended into even more mayhem and madness than usual" led to a police enquiry over the conduct of the players and staff.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In February 2006, Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc was cautioned by the police for gestures he made to Rangers supporters during a match at Ibrox; six months later, it was clarified that this was for "Conduct which appears to incite disorder" rather than simply making the sign of the cross as he entered his area, as some had thought.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also blessed himself in the fixture in December of that year, annoying Rangers fans who saw it as a provocative act, although the police stated that no offence had been committed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Boruc, who became known as the 'Holy Goalie' for his overt displays of his Catholic faith, escaped personal punishment in 2008 for displaying a t-shirt with the slogan "God bless the Pope" and an image of fellow Pole Pope John Paul II after an Old Firm win at Parkhead in April 2008, although Celtic faced scrutiny from FIFA as it was an unauthorised garment under their regulations on slogans.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was fined £500 and warned for (non-religious) gestures made towards Rangers fans in a defeat at the same venue in September of the same year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Prior to an international match between Northern Ireland and Poland in 2009, graffiti of a threatening nature mentioning Boruc appeared on walls in a Rangers-supporting area of Belfast.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In March 2011, an angry exchange took place on the touchline at Celtic Park between Celtic manager Neil Lennon and Rangers assistant coach Ally McCoist, requiring police officers to separate them, at the end of a match in which three players had also been dismissed; again captured on live television footage, the incident resulted in both men being banned from the dugout for misconduct.<ref name=moments/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A 'crisis meeting' was convened involving the clubs, the Scottish Government and Strathclyde Police some days later regarding the trend of violence among supporters away from the pitch increasing on Old Firm matchdays and concerns that incidents during the matches was a factor.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The incident occurred during the tense environment of a season where seven Old Firm matches took place (including a League Cup final and a fight for the title eventually won by Rangers by one point).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Visitor allocation, crushing incident

File:Janefield Street - geograph.org.uk - 496860.jpg

The tunnel behind the North Stand at Celtic Park, through which supporters were directed from either end of the stadium in the 2018 incident

During the 2018 close season, Rangers announced that they would be cutting the ticket allocation for Celtic fans at Ibrox from around 7,000 (the entire Broomloan Stand) to 800, situated in a corner where smaller travelling supports were usually accommodated, following a fan survey backing the proposal as well as an upturn in season ticket sales. In response, Celtic indicated they would do likewise, bringing to an end a long tradition of both clubs offering a generous proportion of their stadium to their rivals.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The development was criticised by former players as diluting the famous atmosphere of the fixtures,<ref name=donnelly>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> although others praised the extra income the change would likely generate.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the first fixture at Celtic Park under the new arrangements, a combination of a larger home support, the need to retain segregation for the smaller away support and general unfamiliarity with the new arrangements led to an incident of crushing in the enclosed walkway behind the North Stand before kick off as supporters were directed to use the route to reach both of the end stands; several people scaled a high perimeter wall and fence to escape, and medical attention was required for five fans. Those involved expressed their anger afterwards regarding the arrangements and policing, with Celtic issuing an official apology.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Towards the end of the 2022–23 season, a dispute between the clubs over ticketing and supporter safety issues led to there being no away fans at all for the last two league fixtures, which was also the case throughout 2023–24<ref>Celtic formally refuse Ibrox ticket allocation for next Old Firm derby, Andy Coyle, STV News, 17 August 2023</ref> and, despite an agreement being reached in March 2024 to end the stalemate and allow a 5% (~2,500) visiting allocation at each stadium,<ref>Old Firm derby: Rangers and Celtic agree away ticket allocations from next season, BBC Sport, 29 March 2024</ref> continued into 2024–25 (the prolongation was blamed by Celtic on the unpredictability of renovations at Ibrox which caused some matches to be played at Hampden and others with reduced capacity, although it was highly likely the work would have been finished by the relevant date of 2 January 2025).<ref>‘Nothing to do with Celtic’: Rodgers puts blame on Rangers for away fans shutout, The Guardian, 16 August 2024</ref>

Legislation

From 1 March 2012, the police were given more powers to act against Sectarian acts at football matches through the new Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012. The law was designed specifically to target the Old Firm rivalry by reducing the religious hatred between the two opposing sides.<ref name=eternal/> The Act created two new offences, one covering behaviour in and around football matches and the other related to posts sent by either electronic or postal methods. People convicted under the act could face up to five years imprisonment, a much higher sentence than was previously in place. It was hoped it would make it much easier to prosecute this misbehaviour, which had proved difficult in the past.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In March 2013 a protest by a number of Celtic fans took place to protest against the new laws and the subsequent match bans that a number of fans had received for breaking the Act. The protesters, known as the "Green Brigade", had marched without police authority and the event was therefore cracked down on by local authorities resulting in thirteen arrests. The protestors claim that the police instigated the trouble that occurred at this march.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following the march, media coverage reported that the fans were growing further apart from the police than ever before. They claimed that the trust the fans hold with the police to work in cooperation with them is falling dramatically. The march that took place resulted in a number of complaints from both Celtic and Rangers fan groups that they were harassed by the police.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Labour MSP James Kelly introduced the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Repeal) (Scotland) Bill in June 2017. Kelly had described the 2012 legislation as having "completely failed to tackle sectarianism" and as "illiberal" which "unfairly targets football fans", and was "condemned by legal experts, human rights organisations and equality groups".<ref name=eternal/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Professor Sir Tom Devine previously spoke of the Football Act as "the most illiberal and counterproductive act passed by our young Parliament to date" and a "stain on the reputation of the Scottish legal system for fair dealing".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Much was made of when a Sheriff described the law as "mince".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After passing through the parliamentary process in early 2018,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=msprepeal>Template:Cite news</ref> on 19 April the bill received royal assent, repealing the 2012 Act.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Joint sponsorship

Glasgow-based brewers Tennent's were the primary commercial sponsor of both teams for several years;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> any local business that only sponsored one would likely lose half its customers.<ref name="borden20120809">Template:Cite news</ref> Previously, glazing company CR Smith (who later had a deal with Celtic alone),<ref name=share>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=double>Template:Cite news</ref> communications firm NTL<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and English brewers Carling<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> had also sponsored both clubs.

Events post-2012

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In 2012, Rangers suffered a financial collapse leading to the liquidation of the club.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The sporting assets were acquired by a new company<ref name = "smith">Template:Cite news</ref> which allowed them to re-apply to join the Scottish football league system in the lowest division.<ref name="SFA website">Template:Cite news</ref> As a result, for the first time in 120 years, no fixtures were played between Rangers and Celtic.

The status of the Old Firm was also challenged,<ref name=define>Template:Cite news</ref> following the logic that since Rangers were liquidated during the events of 2012, the rivalry also expired and any matches played since that point would be between Celtic and a 'new Rangers', albeit playing at the same stadium, in the same colours, with the same supporters and some of the same players as before.<ref name = "smith"/><ref name=demise>Template:Cite news</ref> Adherents of this view often derogatorily refer to the club as 'Sevco' (the original name of the post-2012 holding company),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Rangers supporters as 'zombies' or 'the undead'.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This difference of opinion became a new factor in the rivalry.<ref name=demise/>

Some Celtic supporters were particularly vociferous in their assertions, to the extent of a group paying for a full-page newspaper advertisement in January 2015 announcing that their club would soon play its first fixture against the new Rangers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

It is regarded as a continuation of the same club by the SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster;<ref name=doncaster2>Template:Cite news</ref> external governing bodies such as UEFA, the European Club Association and FIFA have never formally stated their position on Rangers but have issued general remarks about the continuation of a club's history when controlled by a new company.<ref name=dismiss>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=stveca>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=etfifa>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2013, numerous complaints were made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over official marketing communications from Rangers which stated they were "Scotland's most successful club", with this claim being disputed as the complainants declared the club had only been in existence for one year. Having considered the evidence including advice from UEFA, the ASA did not uphold the complaints.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In July 2012, a large banner was displayed at Celtic Park during a game showing a cartoon zombie representing Rangers rising from the grave before being shot by a sniper, drawing criticism due to the gunman resembling a paramilitary from the Northern Ireland conflict, although Celtic escaped formal punishment over the matter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Celtic fan groups have continued to display banners claiming Rangers are 'dead'.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Celtic and their followers also became involved in other legal proceedings relating to Rangers,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=res12>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> including the outcome of the long-running EBT investigation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Results on the field

It took Rangers four years to climb through the lower divisions and re-take their place in the Scottish Premiership for the 2016–17 season; in the interim only two cup semi-finals were played between the clubs<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=2016sc>Template:Cite news</ref> and Celtic won all four league titles by significant margins (never less than 15 points).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The rivalry resumed in earnest by way of six matches during 2016–17, with Celtic eliminating Rangers from both cups at the semi-final stage on the way to lifting the trophies and emerging victorious in three of the matches in the league championship, which they also won without losing a game to secure their sixth successive title and a domestic treble.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 2017–18 season was much the same: Celtic won three of the Old Firm league fixtures<ref name=50april18/> plus a Scottish Cup semi-final meeting<ref name=SCsemi18/> and lifted all three domestic trophies;<ref name=sc1718>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rangers finished third, behind Aberdeen.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Celtic won a third successive treble in 2018–19, although Rangers did finally record victories over them in the league with a 1–0 and 2–0 wins in the two fixtures at Ibrox. Rangers were runners-up in the league, their highest position since 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In December 2019, Rangers beat Celtic 2–1 at Celtic Park, their first away win since October 2010;<ref name=dec19>Template:Cite news</ref> that 2019–20 season was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, with Celtic declared champions having held a commanding lead when matches stopped in March 2020.<ref name=ends20>Template:Cite news</ref>

Initial signs that the 2020–21 Scottish Premiership (played almost entirely in empty stadiums due to the pandemic) would be closely fought proved inaccurate as Rangers produced consistent and defensively-strong performances, in contrast to Celtic who dropped goals and points regularly as the season progressed (although they did set a new record with a 'quadruple treble', winning twelve domestic trophies in succession).<ref name=cup20>Celtic win fourth straight Scottish Cup as Hazard's shootout saves break Hearts Template:Webarchive, Ewan Murray, The Guardian, 20 December 2020</ref> Rangers won both Old Firm fixtures and were confirmed as champions – the 55th title in their history and the first since 2011 – by early March 2021 even before the often-pivotal third fixture against Celtic was played, ending the Hoops' chances of a record-breaking tenth successive championship.<ref>Rangers: The seven games that won Steven Gerrard's side the title Template:Webarchive, BBC Sport, 7 March 2021</ref><ref>Rangers: From the Banter Years to the glory season under Steven Gerrard – a decade like no other Template:Webarchive, BBC Sport, 9 March 2021</ref> A proposed (financially lucrative) first match between the clubs outside Scotland, at the Sydney Super Cup in Australia in late 2022, did not materialise when Rangers withdrew following a negative response from much of the fanbase of both clubs.<ref>Sir Kenny Dalglish: Old Firm Australian friendly message was a wee bit messy and disjointed, The Sunday Post, 6 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022</ref><ref name="SMH22">Rangers could face legal action after Sydney Super Cup snub Template:Webarchive, Vince Rugari, Sydney Morning Herald, 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022</ref>

Honours

Celtic<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Competition	Rangers<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Domestic
55	Scottish first-tier League Championships	55
42	Scottish Cup	34
22	Scottish League Cup	28
119	Aggregate	117
International
1	European Cup/UEFA Champions League	—
—	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	1
1	Aggregate	1
120	Total aggregate	118

All-time head-to-head record

File:Oldfirmclash.JPG

An Old Firm clash in 2008

Template:Updated<ref name="soccerabaseh2h">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="rsssfh2h">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Competition	First match	Played	Celtic	Rangers	Draw
Scottish League	1891	339Template:Efn	118	129	92
Scottish Cup	1890	55Template:Efn	27	18	10Template:Efn
League Cup	1947	52	25	24	3Template:Efn
Totals		446	170	171	105

Defunct minor competitions

There are a number of matches between the two clubs that are not recognised in the official records,<ref name=rsssf_results/> such as their first competitive meeting in the 1888–89 Glasgow Cup, in which Celtic defeated Rangers 6–1.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=rsssf_results>Rangers FC vs Celtic FC since 1888 Template:Webarchive [to end of 1999], Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation</ref>	Years	Played	Rangers	Celtic	Draw
Glasgow CupTemplate:Efn	Template:Nowrap	79	36	23	20
Glasgow Merchants Charity CupTemplate:Efn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	1892–1961	46	23	16	7Template:Efn
Glasgow League / Inter City LeagueTemplate:Efn	1895–1906	19	5	10	4
Glasgow International Exhibition Cup	1901	1	1	0	0
British League Cup	1902	1	0	1	0
Benefit Tournament<ref name=pridepassion>Celtic: Pride and Passion Template:Webarchive (Chapter 3 | Game for Another), Jim Craig, Pat Woods (Random House, 2013), Template:ISBN</ref>	1902	1	0	1	0
Midweek League	1912	1	1	0	0
Lord Provost's Cup<ref>Glasgow Lord Provost's Rent Relief Cup, Scottish Football Historical Archive</ref>	1921	1	1	0	0
Drybrough Cup	1971–1980	2	1	0	1Template:Efn

Wartime competitions

In World War I, the Scottish Cup was suspended. Among the unofficial competitions which were held for fundraising purposes was the Navy and Army War Fund Shield, during which Rangers defeated Celtic in December 1914.<ref name="War Fund Shield">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

During World War II, the Scottish Football League and Scottish Cup were suspended and in their place unofficial regional league competitions were set up (these were dominated by Rangers).<ref name=rsssf_results/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> One of these games was a New Year's Day derby in 1943 which Rangers won 8–1.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Competition<ref name=rsssf_results/><ref name=FSH2HR/><ref name=FSH2HC/><ref name="War Fund Shield"/>	Years	Played	Rangers	Celtic	Draw
War Fund Shield	1914	1	1	0	0
Emergency Western League	1939–1940	2	1	0	1
Southern League	1940–1946	12	7	3	2
Southern League Cup	1940–1946	4	4	0	0
Summer Cup	1940–1946	2	2	0	0
Victory Cup	1946	2	1	0	1

Comparative league placings

The dominance of the clubs can be demonstrated by their relative league positions historically. The clubs have finished in the top two positions in the top division of the Scottish league 54 times, including on 22 occasions since 1996. Both sides have finished outside the top two places only five times, three of those before 1914, and both have finished outside the top three places only once, in 1965, when Rangers finished 5th and Celtic 8th. Conversely, between 1947 and 1965, on no occasion were both the top two league positions taken by the two teams, owing mostly to an extended period in the relative doldrums for Celtic, despite a title win in 1954, their only such title in a 28 year period. Celtic, however, ended that period emphatically with a run of nine successive titles, during which Rangers were runners-up on six occasions.

1890–1914

P.	91	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14
1	1		1	1		1		1	1	1	1	1			1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2		2	2		2	2		2		2	2	2			2							2	2	2
3	3				3		3		3				3	3			3	3		3
4				4			4							4		4			4
5		5											5								5

1914–1939

P.	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39
1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1		1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2		2		2	2	2	2	2						2	2		2	2			2	2			2
3	3		3						3	3			3					3		3			3	3
4											4					4			4
5
6												6

1946–1975

P.	47	48	49	50	51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	60	61	62	63	64	65	66	67	68	69	70	71	72	73	74	75
1	1		1	1			1	1		1	1		1		1		1	1		1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2		2			2	2			2			2				2				2	2	2	2	2			2
3									3					3		3		3								3		3	3
4								4				4			4		4								4
5				5						5	5								5
6			6										6
7	7				7
8							8												8
9						9								9
10
11
12		12

1975–1998

P.	76	77	78	79	80	81	82	83	84	85	86	87	88	89	90	91	92	93	94	95	96	97	98
1	1	1	1	1		1	1				1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2	2	2		2	2			2	2	2		2									2	2	2
3						3	3						3	3		3	3	3
4								4	4	4									4	4
5			5		5						5				5

1998–2025

P.	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2		2	2	2	2	2	2							2	2	2	2	2	2	2
3								3											3	3
D2																	3	1
D3																1
D4															1

• Summary: Celtic with 62 higher finishes, Rangers with 66 higher finishes (as of the end of the 2024–25 season).

Biggest wins

* Four or more goals difference between the teams. Only includes the league and two major cups; other big winning margins were recorded in minor competitions such as the Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup.<ref name=rsssf_results/><ref>Celtic v Glasgow Rangers 5-0 Template:Webarchive, via Play Up Liverpool</ref><ref>Glasgow Rangers v Celtic 5-1 Template:Webarchive, via Play Up Liverpool</ref>

Celtic

6-goal margin

• Celtic 7–1 Rangers on 19 October 1957, Scottish League Cup

5-goal margin

• Celtic 5–0 Rangers on 21 March 1925, Scottish Cup
• Celtic 5–0 Rangers on 29 April 2018, Scottish Premiership<ref name=50april18>Template:Cite news</ref>

4-goal margin

• Celtic 6–2 Rangers on 14 December 1895, Scottish Division One
• Rangers 0–4 Celtic on 27 September 1898 Scottish Division One
• Celtic 4–0 Rangers on 10 March 1900, Scottish Cup
• Celtic 4–0 Rangers on 1 January 1914, Scottish Division One
• Celtic 6–2 Rangers on 10 September 1938, Scottish Division One
• Celtic 5–1 Rangers on 3 January 1966, Scottish Division One
• Celtic 4–0 Rangers on 26 April 1969, Scottish Cup
• Celtic 5–1 Rangers on 21 November 1998, Scottish Premier League
• Celtic 6–2 Rangers on 27 August 2000, Scottish Premier League
• Celtic 5–1 Rangers on 10 September 2016, Scottish Premiership
• Rangers 1–5 Celtic on 29 April 2017, Scottish Premiership
• Celtic 4–0 Rangers on 15 April 2018, Scottish Cup<ref name=SCsemi18>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Celtic 4–0 Rangers on 3 September 2022, Scottish Premiership

Rangers

5-goal margin

• Rangers 5–0 Celtic on 2 September 1893, Scottish League
• Rangers 5–0 Celtic on 1 January 1894, Scottish Division One

4-goal margin

• Celtic 0–4 Rangers on 24 September 1898, Scottish Division One
• Rangers 4–0 Celtic on 14 April 1928, Scottish Cup
• Celtic 0–4 Rangers on 2 January 1948, Scottish League Division A
• Rangers 4–0 Celtic on 24 September 1949, Scottish League Division A
• Celtic 0–4 Rangers on 31 August 1955, Scottish League Cup
• Celtic 1–5 Rangers on 10 September 1960, Scottish Division One
• Rangers 4–0 Celtic on 1 January 1963, Scottish Division One
• Rangers 5–1 Celtic on 27 August 1988, Scottish Premier Division
• Rangers 4–0 Celtic on 26 March 2000, Scottish Premier League
• Rangers 5–1 Celtic on 26 November 2000, Scottish Premier League

Players

Played for both teams

The ferocity of the rivalry has made it rare for a player to represent both teams during his career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Players who played for both sides of the Old Firm included Alec Bennett,<ref name=bennett>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Scott Duncan, Robert Campbell, and George Livingstone, who all played before the intensity of the rivalry had started prior to 1912, as well as later players: Alfie Conn,<ref name=conn>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Maurice Johnston,<ref name=mojo/><ref name=mojo2/> Kenny Miller,<ref name=miller1>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=miller2>Template:Cite news</ref> Steven Pressley<ref name="Celtic win race to sign Pressley">Template:Cite news</ref> and Mark Brown (none of whom moved directly between the two clubs).

Pre-World War I

• Tom Dunbar (Celtic 1888–1891, Rangers 1891–1892, Celtic 1892–1898)<ref name="pfb">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• John Cunningham (Celtic 1889–1892, Rangers ?–?)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Allan Martin (Rangers 1891–1892, Celtic 1895–1896)<ref name="pfb" />
• Alex King (Rangers 1895, Celtic 1896–1900)
• George Livingstone (Celtic 1901–1902, Rangers 1906–1909)<ref name="pfb" />
• Alec Bennett (Celtic 1903–1908, Rangers 1908–1918)<ref name="pfb" /><ref name=bennett/>
• Tom Sinclair (Rangers 1904–1906, Celtic 1906–1907)<ref name="pfb" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Robert Campbell (Celtic 1905–1906, Rangers 1906–1914)<ref name="pfb" />
• Hugh Shaw (Rangers 1905–1906, Celtic 1906–1907)<ref name="pfb" />
• Willie Kivlichan (Rangers 1905–1907, Celtic 1907–1911)<ref name="pfb" />
• David Taylor (Rangers 1906–1911, Celtic 1918–1919 wartime guest)<ref name="pfb" />
• Davie McLean (Celtic 1907–1909, Rangers 1918–1919)<ref name="pfb" />
• Scott Duncan (Rangers 1913–1918, Celtic 1918–1919 wartime guest)<ref name="pfb" />
• James Young (Celtic 1917–1918, Rangers 1917–1918)<ref name="pfb" />

Post-World War I

• Tully Craig (Celtic 1919–1922, Rangers 1923–1935)<ref name="pfb" />
• Alfie Conn (Rangers 1968–1974, Celtic 1977–1979)<ref name="pfb" /><ref name=conn/>
• Mo Johnston (Celtic 1984–1987, Rangers 1989–1991)<ref name="pfb" /><ref name=mojo/><ref name=mojo2/>
• Kenny Miller (Rangers 2000–2001, Celtic 2006–2007, Rangers 2008–2011, Rangers 2014–2018)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=miller1/><ref name=miller2/>

• Steven Pressley (Rangers 1990–1994, Celtic 2006–2008)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Celtic win race to sign Pressley"/>

• Mark Brown (Rangers 1997–2001, Celtic 2007–2010)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Opposite clubs during youth and senior careers

• John Dowie (youth career Rangers, senior career Celtic)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Gordon Marshall (youth career Rangers, senior career Celtic)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Craig Beattie (youth career with both Rangers and Celtic, senior career Celtic)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Sean Fitzharris (youth career with both Rangers and Celtic, senior career Celtic)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Greig Spence (youth career Rangers, senior career Celtic)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Joe Thomson (youth career with both Rangers and Celtic, senior career Celtic)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Dylan McGeouch (youth career with both Celtic and Rangers, senior career Celtic)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

• Gregg Wylde (youth career with both Celtic and Rangers, senior career Rangers)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Barry Robson (youth career Rangers, senior career Celtic)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Michael O'Halloran (youth career Celtic, senior career Rangers)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Liam Burt (youth and senior career with both Celtic and Rangers)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Lewis Morgan (youth career Rangers, senior career Celtic)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Greg Taylor (youth career Rangers, senior career Celtic)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Families

Several sets of brothers have played in the Old Firm match, although not necessarily together:

• Michael Dunbar and Tom Dunbar (Celtic)
• John McPhail and Billy McPhail (Celtic)
• Frank Brogan and Jim Brogan (Celtic)
• Derek Ferguson and Barry Ferguson (Rangers)
• Gordon Marshall and Scott Marshall (Celtic)

Those who were teammates in the fixture include:

• Willie Maley and Tom Maley (Celtic)<ref>6-1 Vs Rangers, Glasgow Cup (27/10/1888) Template:Webarchive, Rangers FitbaStats</ref>
• John McPherson and David McPherson (Rangers)<ref>2-2 Vs Celtic, Scottish League (24/09/1892) Template:Webarchive, Rangers FitbaStats</ref>
• Andrew McCreadie and Hugh McCreadie (Rangers)<ref>5-0 Vs Celtic, Scottish League (02/09/1893) Template:Webarchive, Rangers FitbaStats</ref>
• Jimmy McStay and Willie McStay (Celtic)<ref>0-4 Vs Rangers in Scottish Cup (14/04/1928) Template:Webarchive, Celtic FitbaStats</ref>
• Frank O'Donnell and Hugh O'Donnell (Celtic)<ref>0-0 Vs Rangers in Scottish League (02/01/1933) Template:Webarchive, Celtic FitbaStats</ref>
• Willie McStay and Paul McStay (Celtic, great-nephews of the earlier brothers)<ref>4-4 Vs Rangers in Scottish League (22/03/1986) Template:Webarchive, Celtic FitbaStats</ref>
• Frank de Boer and Ronald de Boer (Rangers, twins)<ref>0-1 Vs Celtic, Scottish Cup (07/03/2004) Template:Webarchive, Rangers FitbaStats</ref>

In the 1890s, Tom Dunbar spent a season with Rangers between two spells for Celtic, but he and his brother Mick (see above) never played against each other in the fixture. In the 1980s, the McAdam brothers played on opposite sides, and directly against one another, on several occasions: defender Tom for Celtic and forward Colin for Rangers.<ref>Sibling Rivalry – The McAdams: Spanning The Great Glasgow Divide Template:Webarchive, Beyond the Last Man, 11 November 2019</ref>

Father-and-son pairs who have been selected include:

• Sandy Clark and Nicky Clark (Rangers)
• Mike Conroy Sr. and Mike Conroy Jr. (Celtic)<ref>Death of former Celt, Mike Conroy snr Template:Webarchive, Celtic FC, 12 July 2017</ref>
• John Divers Sr. and John Divers Jr. (Celtic)
• Patsy Gallacher and Willie Gallacher (Celtic)
• Jimmy McMenemy and John McMenemy (Celtic)
• Jackie McNamara Sr. and Jackie McNamara Jr. (Celtic)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Jimmy Parlane and Derek Parlane (Rangers)<ref name=skinny>Interview: Derek Parlane, from skinny Rangers boy to Maine man at Man City Template:Webarchive, The Scotsman, 18 May 2019</ref>
• Nicol Smith and Jimmy Smith (Rangers)

Jimmy Simpson was a Rangers captain in the 1930s, while his son Ronnie Simpson was Celtic's European Cup-winning goalkeeper in 1967.

Individual records

Most appearances

As of end of the 2023–24 season. Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2

• All competitions<ref name=celticall>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=rangersall>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Rank	Player	Club	Games	Years
1	Alec Smith	Rangers	87	1894–1913
2	John Greig	Rangers	74	1962–1978
3	Paul McStay	Celtic	70	1982–1997
4	Billy McNeill	Celtic	65	1958–1975
	Dougie Gray	Rangers	65	1925–1945
6	Sandy Jardine	Rangers	64	1967–1982
7	Roy Aitken	Celtic	62	1976–1990
8	Packie Bonner Template:Flagicon	Celtic	60	1979–1995
	John McPherson	Rangers	60	1890–1902
10	Danny McGrain	Celtic	58	1970–1987
11	Alec McNair	Celtic	56	1905–1924

• League games only<ref name=celticleague>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=rangersleague>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Rank	Player	Club	Games	Years
1	Paul McStay	Celtic	54	1982–1997
2	Roy Aitken	Celtic	51	1976–1990
3	Packie Bonner Template:Flagicon	Celtic	50	1980–1995
4	Sandy Jardine	Rangers	44	1967–1982
	Danny McGrain	Celtic	44	1970–1987
6	Ally McCoist	Rangers	43	1983–1998
7	Davie Cooper	Rangers	40	1977–1989
8	Tommy Burns	Celtic	39	1976–1989
	Peter Grant	Celtic	39	1984–1997
10	John Greig	Rangers	38	1962–1978
11	Derek Johnstone	Rangers	37	1971–1985

Highest goalscorers

As of end of the 2023–24 season. Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2

• All competitions<ref name=celticall/><ref name=rangersall/>

Rank	Player	Club	Goals	Games	Ratio
1	Ally McCoist	Rangers	27	55	0.49
2	R.C. Hamilton	Rangers	24	46	0.52
3	Jimmy McGrory	Celtic	22	35	0.63
4	Sandy McMahon	Celtic	22	43	0.51
5	Jimmy Quinn	Celtic	18	37	0.49
6	John McPherson	Rangers	17	60	0.29
7	Alex Venters	Rangers	16	26	0.61
8	Jimmy Duncanson	Rangers	16	30	0.53
9	Henrik Larsson Template:Flagicon	Celtic	15	30	0.50
10	Bobby Lennox	Celtic	15	51	0.29
11	Willie Reid	Rangers	14	21	0.67
12	Alec Smith	Rangers	14	87	0.16

• League games only<ref name=celticleague/><ref name=rangersleague/>

Rank	Player	Club	Goals	Games	Ratio
1	Ally McCoist	Rangers	17	43	0.39
2	Sandy McMahon	Celtic	15	22	0.68
3	Henrik Larsson Template:Flagicon	Celtic	11	23	0.48
4	Jimmy McGrory	Celtic	10	19	0.53
5	Kenny Miller	BothTemplate:Efn	10	19	0.53
6	John Campbell	Celtic	9	19	0.47
7	Jimmy Quinn	Celtic	9	21	0.43
8	Derek Johnstone	Rangers	9	37	0.24
9	Derek Parlane	Rangers	8	17	0.47
10	Charlie Nicholas	Celtic	8	18	0.44
11	Mark Hateley Template:Flagicon	Rangers	8	19	0.42
12	Tom McAdam	Celtic	8	30	0.27

Managerial statistics

As of 4 May 2025. Minimum 10 Old Firm games as manager.

Name	Team	Years	Overall record<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation			CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	League record<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation			CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
			Games	Wins	Win %	Games	Wins	Win %
Template:Flagicon Brendan Rodgers	Celtic	2016–2019, 2023–present	23	15	65%	18	11	61%
Template:Flagicon Steven Gerrard	Rangers	2018–2021	13	8	62%	11	7	64%
Template:Flagicon Martin O'Neill	Celtic	2000–2005	27	16	59%	20	13	65%
Bill Struth	Rangers	1920–1954Template:EfnTemplate:Efn	116	66	57%	54	29	54%
Template:Flagicon Ange Postecoglou	Celtic	2021–2023	11	6	55%	8	4	50%
Graeme Souness	Rangers	1986–1991	27	14	52%	20	10	50%
Walter Smith	Rangers	1991–1998, 2006–2011	56	28	50%	46	22	48%
Jock Stein	Celtic	1965–1978	58	29	50%	28	12	43%
Scot Symon	Rangers	1954–1967	61	29	48%	27	17	63%
Billy McNeill	Celtic	1978–1983, 1987–1991	46	22	48%	36	16	44%
Template:Flagicon Neil Lennon	Celtic	2010–2014, 2019–2021	19	9	47%	15	7	47%
Gordon Strachan	Celtic	2005–2009	18	8	44%	16	6	37%
David White	Rangers	1968–1969	10	4	40%	4	3	75%
Jock Wallace	Rangers	1972–1978, 1984–1986	38	15	39%	28	9	32%
Template:Flagicon Dick Advocaat	Rangers	1998–2001	16	6	37%	14	5	36%
Alex McLeish	Rangers	2002–2006	25	8	32%	18	4	22%
William Wilton	Rangers	1899–1920	96	30	31%	42	11	26%
Davie Hay	Celtic	1983–1987	21	6	29%	16	6	37%
Willie Maley	Celtic	1897–1940Template:Efn	146	43	29%	84	22	26%
John Greig	Rangers	1978–1983	27	7	26%	21	4	19%
Jimmy McGrory	Celtic	1945–1965	80	18	22%	38	6	16%
Tommy Burns	Celtic	1994–1997	15	3	20%	12	2	17%
Jimmy McStay	Celtic	1940–1945Template:EfnTemplate:Efn	21	4	19%	0	0	0%
Template:Flagicon Liam Brady	Celtic	1991–1993	11	2	18%	9	2	22%
Willie Waddell	Rangers	1970–1972	12	1	8%	5	0	0%

Attendances

The stadium attendance records for Rangers' Ibrox (118,567, January 1939)<ref name=alltime>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="proud">Template:Cite news</ref> and Celtic's Celtic Park (officially 83,500 but estimated at 92,000 with around 10,000 more locked out, January 1938)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> were both set at Old Firm matches; however while the Ibrox figure is the Rangers club record (and the record for any domestic league match in the United Kingdom),<ref name=alltime/> Celtic's biggest 'home' attendance was the 1969–70 European Cup semi-final with Leeds United, moved to the larger Hampden Park due to the anticipated interest: the crowd of 136,505 is a record for any match in European international club competitions.<ref name="SFA history">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=alltime/>

Hampden, Scotland's national stadium and home of Queen's Park, is situated roughly an equal distance from Ibrox and Celtic Park in Glasgow. Due to the frequency of the two teams appearing in semi-finals and finals held there (often facing one another), its West and East stands are always allocated to the same club and are informally known as the Rangers end and Celtic end respectively.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That stadium, once the largest in the world,<ref name = "SFA history"/><ref name=alltime/> attracted the largest Old Firm attendance of all time with 132,870 at the 1969 Scottish Cup final<ref name=alltime/> (it is not the record for the competition, with 147,365 having attended the 1937 final which also featured Celtic, versus Aberdeen).<ref name=alltime/><ref name = "SFA history"/> The record Scottish League Cup final attendance (107,609; October 1965) was an Old Firm affair,<ref name=alltime/> although the tournament record was set in 1947 when Rangers overcame Hibernian in a semi-final before 123,830.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The 1971 Ibrox disaster – in which 66 Rangers supporters died in a crush on an exterior stairway – occurred at the end of an Old Firm match,<ref name="proud"/> although the identity of the opposition was not a factor in the incident other than having drawn a large crowd of at least 75,000 to the event.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Since redevelopments completed in the 1990s, all three venues are all-seater with much smaller capacities of between 50,000 and 60,000, meaning the above records may never be beaten – the attendance of 72,069 at 'old style' Hampden for the Old Firm 1989 Scottish Cup final<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> has become a landmark figure as no match in Scotland has come close to matching it since.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Average attendances

When compared to other clubs in Scotland, the Old Firm maintain considerably higher attendances;<ref name=efsavesco>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Scottish football regularly posted Europe's best figures for per-capita match attendance in the 2020s, but roughly one third of this total was Rangers supporters, one third was Celtic supporters and the other third was divided between 40 clubs.<ref>SPFL once again tops Europe's Match Attendance Table Template:Webarchive, Scottish Professional Football League, 13 February 2023</ref> Celtic's recorded crowds tend to be higher than Rangers as their stadium holds approximately 9,000 more seats. Both clubs (among others) have been accused of inflating their attendance figures by counting all season ticket holders in the crowd when many have not actually attended the match in question, with the accurate figures reported to the police for crowd control being lower.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The average attendances of both Old Firm clubs are regularly within the top twenty across Europe.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A study of stadium attendance figures from 2013 to 2018 by the CIES Football Observatory ranked Celtic at 16th in the world during that period and Rangers at 18th, even though Rangers had been playing at lower levels for three of those five seasons. Celtic's proportion of the distribution of spectators in Scotland was 36.5%, the highest of any club in the leagues examined, with Rangers' 27.4% placing them 8th overall for national audience share.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Season	Celtic	Rangers	Next largest
1996–97<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	47,691	48,122	Aberdeen	12,726
1997–98<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	48,833	49,357	Hearts	15,343
1998–99<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	59,233	49,094	Hearts	14,232
1999–2000<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	54,440	48,116	Hearts	14,246
2000–01<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	59,369	47,532	Hearts	12,771
2001–02<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	58,511	47,879	Aberdeen	14,035
2002–03<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	57,471	48,814	Hearts	12,057
2003–04<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	57,657	48,992	Hearts	11,947
2004–05<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	57,906	48,676	Aberdeen	13,576
2005–06<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	58,149	49,245	Hearts	16,767
2006–07<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	57,928	49,955	Hearts	16,937
2007–08<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	57,072	48,946	Hearts	16,288
2008–09<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	57,671	49,534	Hearts	14,398
2009–10<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	45,582	47,301	Hearts	14,745
2010–11<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	48,978	45,305	Hearts	14,228
2011–12<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	50,904	46,362	Hearts	13,381
2012–13<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	46,917	45,744Template:Efn	Hearts	13,163
2013–14<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	47,079	42,657Template:Efn	Hearts	14,123
2014–15<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	44,585	32,798Template:Efn	Hearts	15,985Template:Efn
2015–16<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	44,850	45,325Template:Efn	Hearts	16,423
2016–17<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	54,726	49,156	Hearts	16,315
2017–18<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	57,523	49,174	Hearts	18,429
2018–19<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	57,778	49,564	Hibernian	17,741
2019–20<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	57,944	49,238	Hearts	16,751
2020–21	No figures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland
2021–22<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	57,833	49,263	Hearts	17,386
2022–23<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	58,743	49,116	Hearts	18,501

Dominance of Scottish football

The intensity of the rivalry is fuelled by the clubs' historical duopoly in Scottish football, with most meetings between them being pivotal in deciding the destiny of a championship or cup and anything but a title-winning season seen as a major disappointment, particularly as it would usually mean 'the enemy' has won the trophy.

League

File:Old Firm pic.PNG

Side-by-side comparison of Celtic's and Rangers' final league positions from 1891 to 2017

Template:Pie chart Template:See also Statistics show that Rangers and Celtic have been by far the most successful clubs involved in the Scottish Football League since its formation in 1890. The pair were the only participants in every edition of the competition until 2012, when Rangers were removed from the top tier for economic reasons; they returned for the 2016–17 season. Other clubs are unable to offer even an occasional challenge over a season due to the vast disparities in fanbases and financial power,<ref>Third among equals, When Saturday Comes, December 2002 (archive version, 2012)</ref><ref>Rangers and Celtic's dominance can be ended insists Barnsley owner Conway as he targets buying Scottish club Template:Webarchive, Euan Robertson, 28 September 2021</ref><ref name=survey17>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> a gap which has widened since the 1990s with the majority of prize money on offer via TV deals and progress in European competitions flowing back to the Old Firm, who then re-invest and pull further ahead in a repeating cycle. In the early 2020s, despite their economic troubles over the previous decade, Rangers were able to re-establish themselves at close to the same level as Celtic and far ahead of the other clubs, who can only realistically aim to finish in the higher league positions to qualify for European competitions or win a knockout cup – which would usually involve beating at least one of the Glasgow giants.<ref>Can we ever imagine a Scotland without the Old Firm? Template:Webarchive, Gerry Hassan, Bella Caledonia, 6 April 2022</ref> It has long been argued that this situation with its largely predictable and repetitive nature diminishes Scottish football as a commercial product and hampers the quality of players produced for the clubs and ultimately the Scotland national football team.<ref name="crisis12">The real crisis in Scottish football Template:Webarchive, Andrew McFadyen, Channel 4, 13 May 2012</ref><ref>Old Firm intrigue can’t mask deeply troubling broader picture in Scotland Template:Webarchive, Ewan Murray, the Guardian, 2 September 2022</ref><ref>Scottish Football: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Template:Webarchive, Mike Small, Bella Caledonia, 5 June 2023</ref>

Of the 128 championships played, 110 (86%) have been won by one of the Old Firm teams, with both Celtic and Rangers winning it 55 times, and 19 between ten other clubs (including a shared title between Rangers and Dumbarton). Although there have been brief periods when silverware went elsewhere, there have also been long spells of domination by each Old Firm club; the nine in a row championship record was first set by Celtic between 1966 and 1974, equalled by Rangers between 1989 and 1997, and again by Celtic between 2012 and 2020.<ref name=ends20/>

On just five occasions since 1891 have neither of the Glasgow giants been the league winner nor the runner-up. This includes 1964–65, the only season in which both Rangers and Celtic failed to finish in the top three places.<ref name="very heaven">'Very Heaven' Template:Webarchive (page 9); David Ross, 2007; Lulu.com; Template:ISBN</ref> The Old Firm have finished 1st and 2nd 55 times overall. Between the resurgence of Celtic in the mid-1990s and the liquidation of Rangers in 2012, '1–2' finishes were recorded in all but one of 17 SPL-era seasons, the exception being Hearts in 2005–06.<ref name="Rix06">Rix has Hearts pumped for tilt at league leaders Template:Webarchive, Patrick Glenn, The Guardian, 1 January 2006</ref>

The longest sequence without an Old Firm title is three years between 1983 and 1985,<ref>When was the last time Celtic or Rangers didn’t win the Scottish Premiership? Template:Webarchive Ryan Kelly, Goal.com, 12 October 2018</ref><ref name="GWlast23">Rangers v Celtic: who was the last non Old Firm team to win Scottish title? How many titles have they won? Template:Webarchive, Toby Bryant, Glasgow World, 1 September 2023</ref> while the longest unbroken run of championships between the two clubs began immediately afterwards and is ongoing: 38 seasons and counting since 1986 (overtaking a previous sequence of 27 years between 1905 and 1931).

As of end of the 2024–25 season. Runners-up in parentheses.

Outcome<ref name="RSSSFchampions">Scotland - List of Champions Template:Webarchive, James M. Ross and Karel Stokkermans, RSSSF, 25 July 2023</ref>	Celtic	Rangers	Combined	%
One club 1st, other 2nd	30 (25)	25 (30)	55	43%
One club 1st, other not top 2	25	30	55	43%
Title won by Old Firm club	55	55	110	86%
One club 2nd, other not top 2	N/A (7)	N/A (6)	13	10.1%
Neither club in top 2	N/A	N/A	5	3.9%
Title won by another club	N/A	N/A	18*	14%
Totals	55 (32)	55 (36)	128	100%

• For the purpose of the calculation, the shared 1891 title is attributed to Rangers only here to prevent it being counted twice.

Scottish Cup

Although the initial Scottish Cup was played in 1874, 15 years before Celtic were formed, they have still won the competition more than any other club – 42 times, plus 19 runners-up – with Rangers on 34 (19 runners-up). Next in the winners list (other than Queen's Park whose wins were confined to the 19th century) are Aberdeen and Hearts with eight wins spread across 120 years. There have been 15 Old Firm finals, although never two in consecutive years, while there have been just 40 finals involving neither Rangers or Celtic, 17 of which were in the 19th century. After the 1928 final, there was no Old Firm meeting again for 28 editions until 1963, although an additional seven years had elapsed due to World War II when the cup was not contested.

The longest run of Old Firm wins is 11, between 1971 and 1981, while the longest sequence of other winners since Celtic's formation is 5, between 1955 and 1959. The longest run of Old Firm wins is 11 between 1971 and 1981.

Rangers' sudden removal from the upper echelons of the Scottish game in 2012 led to a more diverse list of finalists in both cups; the expected Celtic monopoly of all competitions did not occur in the knockout formats and there were several maiden trophy wins for clubs such as St Johnstone, Inverness CT and Ross County. However, after Hibernian broke a 114-year 'curse' in 2016, Celtic won the next four editions in succession, the longest winning sequence in the competition's long history.

As of end of the 2024–25 edition. Runners-up in parentheses.

Outcome<ref name="RSSSFscotcup">Scotland - List of Cup Finals Template:Webarchive, James M. Ross and Karel Stokkermans, RSSSF, 25 July 2023</ref>	Celtic	Rangers	Combined	%
Old Firm final	8 (7)	7 (8)	15	10.8%
One winner, other not involved	34	27	61	43.9%
Cup won by an Old Firm club	42	34	76	54.7%
One runner-up, other not involved	N/A (12)	N/A (11)	23	16.5%
Neither club involved	N/A	N/A	40	28.8%
Cup won by another club	N/A	N/A	63	45.3%
Totals	42 (19)	34 (19)	139	100%

Old Firm Scottish Cup finals

• Rangers wins: 1893–94, 1927–28, 1962–63, 1965–66, 1972–73, 1998–99, 2001–02
• Celtic wins: 1898–99, 1903–04, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1988–89, 2023–24
• Cup withheld: 1908–09<ref name=classic/><ref name=joined/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

League Cup

The Scottish League Cup has been contested 79 times since 1946–47. Rangers have been the most successful team in the competition with 28 wins in 38 finals, with Celtic second with 22 wins in 37 finals. 14 other clubs share 29 wins between them. 17 of its finals have been Old Firm occasions,<ref name=BBCLC>Template:Cite news</ref> while 21 featured neither of them.

The longest run of Old Firm wins is 8 between 1964 and 1971, while the longest run of other winners is 7 between 1950 and 1956.

As of end of the 2024–25 edition which concluded in December 2024. Runners-up in parentheses.

Outcome<ref name="RSSSFlgecup">Scotland - List of League Cup Finals Template:Webarchive, James M. Ross and Karel Stokkermans, RSSSF, 25 July 2023</ref>	Celtic	Rangers	Combined	%
Old Firm final	8 (9)	9 (8)	17	21.52%
One winner, other not involved	14	19	33	41.77%
Cup won by an Old Firm club	22	28	50	63.29%
One runner-up, other not involved	N/A (6)	N/A (2)	8	10.13%
Neither club involved	N/A	N/A	21	26.58%
Cup won by another club	N/A	N/A	29	36.71%
Totals	22 (15)	28 (10)	79	100%

Old Firm League Cup finals

• Rangers wins: 1964–65, 1970–71, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1990–91, 2002–03, 2010–11<ref name=BBCLC/>
• Celtic wins: 1957–58, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1982–83, 2008–09,<ref name=BBCLC/> 2019–20,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> 2022–23,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 2024–25

Women's football

The Rangers–Celtic rivalry in women's football has existed only in the 21st century, with Rangers W.F.C. having formed in 2008, one year after the Celtic F.C. Women. Fixtures between the teams generate additional media interest due to their association with the parent clubs, and are referred to as Old Firm matches as a result.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=womensep18/> On 13 April 2016, Celtic women's team played their first competitive match at Celtic Park, marking the occasion with a 5–1 victory over Rangers.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the 2019 season, sisters Kodie and Brogan Hay played on opposite sides in the fixture.<ref name=kodiedream>Living the dream Template:Webarchive, Celtic FC, 18 April 2019</ref><ref>We Have A Point To Prove Template:Webarchive, Rangers FC, 26 October 2019</ref>

The dynamic of women's football in Scotland differs to the men's, with a third team in the city – Glasgow City F.C. – dominating the semi-professional Scottish Women's Premier League, winning 14 consecutive titles between 2008 and 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=womensep18>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In that period Rangers only finished above Celtic once (2014), while Celtic lifted a single trophy, the SWPL Cup in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2019, both Celtic and Rangers stated they would be increasing their investment in women's football and offering professional contracts to players.<ref name=vignalappt19>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=effect2020>Celtic women's team go professional with immediate effect Template:Webarchive, BBC Sport, 7 January 2020</ref><ref name=turn2020>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was Rangers who made the breakthrough and won the SWPL title in 2021–22,<ref>Rangers end 14 years of Glasgow City dominance with historic SWPL title win Template:Webarchive, Rangers News, 8 May 2022</ref> whilst Celtic defeated Glasgow City to claim both the Scottish Women's Cup and SWPL Cup.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="BBC21">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Depleted Celtic beat Glasgow City 3-2 to win Women's Scottish Cup, Andrew Southwick, BBC Sport, 29 May 2022</ref> The following season began with Rangers claiming their first SWPL Cup<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and ended with crowds of over 10,000 at both Celtic Park and Ibrox watching the final league fixtures – in which Glasgow City fended off their increasingly well-funded rivals and regained the championship in dramatic circumstances<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> – quickly followed by another healthy attendance at Hampden in the first Old Firm cup final in the women's game (as well as the first to be held at the national stadium), with Celtic retaining the trophy.<ref>Celtic retain Scottish Women’s Cup at Hampden with victory over Rangers, The Guardian, 28 May 2023</ref>

See also

• Sport in Glasgow
• Culture in Glasgow
• Ethnicity and association football
• Association football culture
• List of sports rivalries
• List of association football rivalries
• Sectarianism in Glasgow
• Sport in Scotland
• Timeline of Glasgow history
• Politics and sports

Further reading

• Template:Cite journal
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External links

• Head-to-head results Soccerbase
• Into the Fire, documentary from 1986 by STV
• Pride and Prejudice, 1999 BBC Northern Ireland documentary
• Glasgow Colors, 2007 RTBF documentary
• A tale of one city: Glasgow – These Football Times (2014)