Light Blue Identity

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Rangers have won the Scottish League title 55 times, the Scottish Cup 34 times, the Scottish League Cup a record 28 times and the domestic treble on seven occasions. Rangers won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1972 after being losing finalists twice, in 1961 (the first British club to reach a UEFA tournament final) and 1967. The club has lost a further two European finals, the UEFA Cup final in 2008 and the UEFA Europa League final in 2022. By number of trophies won, Rangers are one of the most successful clubs in the world. Rangers has a long-standing rivalry with Celtic, the two Glasgow clubs being collectively known as the Old Firm, considered one of the world's biggest football derbies. The rivalry is linked to sectarianism in Glasgow, with Rangers and its fanbase being associated with Protestantism and British unionism. Rangers had a policy from the First World War until the late 1980s of refusing to employ Catholic players and staff. With more than 600 Rangers supporters' clubs in 35 countries worldwide, Rangers has one of the largest fanbases in world football. The club holds the record for the largest travelling support in football history, when an estimated 200,000 Rangers fans arrived in the city of Manchester for the 2008 UEFA Cup final. An estimated 100,000 fans arrived in Seville for the 2022 UEFA Europa League final. One of the eleven original members of the Scottish Football League, Rangers remained in the top division continuously until a financial crisis during the 2011–12 season saw the club enter administration and the original company liquidated with the assets moved to a new company structure. The club was accepted as an associate member of the Scottish Football League and placed in the fourth tier of the Scottish football league system in time for the start of the following season. Rangers then won three promotions in four years, returning to the Premiership for the start of the 2016–17 season; in their climb through the Scottish lower divisions, Rangers became the only club in Scotland to have won every domestic trophy. In 2020–21 Rangers won their first Scottish championship in ten years, a then world record fifty-fifth league win which also stopped rivals Celtic's quest to break the domestic record of nine titles in a row.

In Their Own Story

On 2 January 1939, a British league attendance record was set as 118,567 fans packed into Ibrox to watch Rangers beat Celtic. The stands were likely awash in the royal blue shirts that have defined the team since 1872. Decades later, on 2 January 1971, the same stadium witnessed a tragedy where 66 lives were lost due to crushing on a stairway exit following an Old Firm match. Yet, the identity of the club endured. In 1972, wearing their royal blue kits, Rangers secured a 3–2 victory over Dynamo Moscow in Barcelona to win the European Cup Winners' Cup, lifting the trophy in a small room amidst pitch invasions by fans. It was also worn when Rangers won their first Scottish championship in ten years during the 2020–21 season, stopping Celtic's run of nine titles. The royal blue remains the unbroken thread connecting four founders walking through West End Park in 1872 to the 200,000 fans who traveled to Manchester for the 2008 UEFA Cup final.

Reader's Guide

Rangers were formed by four founders – brothers Moses McNeil and Peter McNeil, Peter Campbell and William McBeath – who met at West End Park (now known as Kelvingrove Park) in March 1872. Rangers' first match, in May that year, was a goalless friendly draw with Callander on Glasgow Green. David Hill was also a founder member. In 1873, the club held its first annual meeting and staff were elected. By 1876, Rangers had its first international player, with Moses McNeil representing Scotland in a match against Wales. In 1877, Rangers reached the Scottish Cup final; after drawing the first game, Rangers refused to turn up for the replay and the cup was awarded to Vale of Leven. Rangers won the Glasgow Charity Cup the following year against Vale of Leven 2–1, their first major cup. The first-ever match against Celtic took place in 1888, the year after the East End club's establishment. Rangers lost 5–2 in a friendly to an opposition composed largely of guest players from Hibernian. The 1890–91 season saw the inception of the Scottish Football League, and Rangers, by then playing at the first Ibrox Stadium, were one of ten original members. The club's first-ever league match, on 16 August 1890, resulted in a 5–2 victory over Heart of Midlothian. After finishing joint-top with Dumbarton, a play-off held at Cathkin Park finished 2–2 and the title was shared for the only time in its history. Rangers' first-ever Scottish Cup win came in 1894 after a 3–1 final victory over rivals Celtic. By the start of the 20th century, Rangers had won two league titles and three Scottish Cups. During William Wilton's time as match secretary and then team manager, Rangers won ten league titles. Taking over as manager after William Wilton's death in 1920, Bill Struth was Rangers' most successful manager, guiding the club to 14 league titles before the onset of the Second World War. On 2 January 1939, a British league attendance record was broken as 118,567 fans turned out to watch Rangers beat Celtic in the traditional New Year's Day Old Firm match. Leading the club for 34 years until 1954, Struth won more trophies than any manager in Scottish Football history, amassing 18 league championships, 10 Scottish Cups, two League Cups, seven war-time championships, 19 Glasgow Cups, 17 Glasgow Merchant Charity Cups and other war-time honours. During the wartime regional league setup (in which t

Did You Know?

• Rangers won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1972, defeating Dynamo Moscow 3–2 at the Nou Camp.
• The club's primary crest features the letters R.F.C. within a shield; it does not feature a lion rampant holding a baton as its central design element.
• Rangers have won the Scottish League title 55 times, a then world record as of 2020–21.
• The club holds the record for the largest travelling support in football history, with an estimated 200,000 fans arriving in Manchester for the 2008 UEFA Cup final.