Old Firm

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Lore & Background

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', 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', highlighting the mutual commercial benefits of their meetings. 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. 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.

In Their Own Story

The rivalry has roots in more than just sport, infused with complex disputes centered on religion (Protestant and Catholic), Northern Ireland-related politics (Loyalist and Republican), national identity (British or Irish Scots), and social ideology (conservatism and socialism). Rangers' traditional support was largely from the Protestant community, and for decades the club had an unwritten rule against knowingly signing a Catholic player. This 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. Celtic's support was largely from those of Irish Roman Catholic backgrounds. One effect is that Celtic fans are more likely to wave the Irish tricolour while Rangers fans tend to wave the Union Jack. The political aspect developed significantly in 1912 when Belfast shipbuilders Harland and Wolff set up a new yard in Glasgow; hundreds of Ulster Protestant workers adopted Rangers as their new team. Other events like World War I and the Easter Rising contributed to the club being adopted as a symbol of British Unionism in the face of Irish Catholic rebellion personified by Celtic's success.

Reader's Guide

Between them the two clubs are among the most trophied in the world, having won a combined 111 Scottish League championships (Celtic with 56 and Rangers with 55), 77 Scottish Cups (Celtic with 43 and Rangers with 34), and 50 Scottish League Cups (Rangers with 28 and Celtic with 22). 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 club 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. 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 Celtic in the 1960s and 1970s and matched by Rangers in the 1980s and 1990s. As of 10 May 2026, Celtic and Rangers have played each other 452 times in major competitions; both clubs have won 172 matches each, with 108 ending in a draw.

Did You Know?

• The clubs have large fan bases around Glasgow and Scotland and have supporters clubs in many towns throughout Scotland 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.
• Celtic were founded in 1887 on the promise that the club would deliver much-needed money and resources to a poverty-stricken Irish Catholic population in East Glasgow.
• Rangers had been founded 15 years earlier in 1872 and had no particular religious leanings in their early decades.