Rangers FC
One of the oldest clubs in Scotland with a massive global fanbase and a record number of domestic trophies.
Rangers Football Club is a professional club in Glasgow, Scotland, founded in March 1872 by four teenage boys. The team competes in the Scottish Premiership and is often called Glasgow Rangers, though that is not its official name. It is the fourth-oldest football club in Scotland and plays at Ibrox Stadium, a Category B listed building opened in 1929. The club has won the Scottish League title 55 times, the Scottish Cup 34 times, and the Scottish League Cup a record 28 times. Rangers is one of the most successful clubs in the world by trophy count.
- Founded
- 1872
- Home Ground
- Ibrox Stadium
- League Titles
- 55 (Scottish League Championship)
- European Honours
- 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- Primary Rival
- Celtic
- Status
- Active Professional Club
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Rangers was formed in March 1872 when four founders—Moses McNeil, Peter McNeil, Peter Campbell, and William McBeath—met at West End Park (now Kelvingrove Park). David Hill is also considered a founder member. The club played its first match in May 1872 against the now-defunct Callander at Glasgow Green. Rangers was one of the eleven original members of the Scottish Football League, established in 1890–91. The club shares a historic rivalry with Celtic; together they are known as the Old Firm. This rivalry is linked to sectarianism, with Rangers historically associated with Protestantism and British unionism. From the First World War until the late 1980s, the club refused to employ Catholic players and staff.
In Their Own Story
In March 1872, four teenagers walked through West End Park discussing the idea of a football club. By May, they had played their first game. The club shared its first league title in 1890–91 with Dumbarton after a 2–2 play-off draw. In 1961, Rangers became the first British club to reach a UEFA tournament final, losing to Fiorentina. Ten years later, they won the European Cup Winners' Cup in Barcelona. The Ibrox disaster on 2 January 1971 claimed 66 lives due to a crush on a stairway exit. Financially, the original company was liquidated during the 2011–12 season, and the club restarted in the fourth tier before winning three promotions to return to the Premiership in 2016–17.
Reader's Guide
Rangers' home is Ibrox Stadium, designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1929. It is Scotland's third-largest football stadium. The club has over 600 supporters' clubs in 35 countries. Rangers 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 and 100,000 in Seville for the 2022 UEFA Europa League final. The team has always played in royal blue shirts.
Did You Know?
- The club holds the record for the largest travelling support in football history, with an estimated 200,000 fans attending the 2008 UEFA Cup final in Manchester.
- Rangers was the first British club to reach a UEFA tournament final when they contested the 1961 Cup Winners' Cup against Fiorentina.
- The 55th league title won in 2020–21 stopped rivals Celtic from breaking their own record of nine consecutive titles.
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