Founded in March 1872 by four teenage boys walking through Kelvingrove Park, Rangers Football Club has grown into one of the most decorated clubs in the history of world football. This is their story.
Rangers Football Club was founded in March 1872 by four enterprising young men — brothers Moses McNeil and Peter McNeil, Peter Campbell, and William McBeath — who met at West End Park, now known as Kelvingrove Park, in Glasgow. David Hill was also a founding member. The club's first match took place in May 1872, a goalless friendly draw with Callander on Glasgow Green.
Rangers held their first annual meeting and elected staff in 1873. By 1876, Moses McNeil became the first Rangers player to represent Scotland internationally, playing against Wales. Tom Vallance became the club's first captain in 1876. In 1877, Rangers reached the Scottish Cup final, drawing the first game, but controversially 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 — their first major trophy — defeating Vale of Leven 2–1. In 1888, the first-ever match against Celtic took place, with Rangers losing 5–2 in a friendly to an opposition largely made up of guest players from Hibernian.
The 1890–91 season saw the inception of the Scottish Football League, with Rangers among the founding ten members. After finishing joint top with Dumbarton, a 2–2 play-off meant the title was shared — the only time in history that has happened. Rangers won their first Scottish Cup in 1894 with a 3–1 final victory over rivals Celtic.
Under William Wilton as match secretary and later team manager, Rangers won ten league titles. By the start of the 20th century the club had cemented themselves as one of Scotland's most powerful forces. Wilton's tenure was tragically cut short in 1920 when he drowned in a boating accident at Gourock.
Taking over after William Wilton's death, Bill Struth became the most successful manager in the club's — and Scottish football's — history. Over an extraordinary 34-year tenure he amassed 18 league championships, 10 Scottish Cups, 2 League Cups, 7 wartime championships, 19 Glasgow Cups, 17 Glasgow Merchant Charity Cups and other wartime honours.
On 2 January 1939, a British league attendance record was broken when 118,567 fans watched Rangers beat Celtic in the traditional New Year's Day Old Firm match at Ibrox. During the wartime Southern League, Rangers won all seven seasons and recorded their biggest ever Old Firm win — 8–1. Struth also led Rangers to nine consecutive championships from 1938–39 to 1946–47 — the first club in Britain to achieve the feat.
Scot Symon continued the success of the Struth era, winning six league championships, five Scottish Cups and four League Cups. He became the second Rangers manager to deliver a domestic treble, in the 1963–64 season — the era of "Slim" Jim Baxter, one of the greatest players ever to wear the blue jersey.
Rangers also suffered their biggest ever Old Firm defeat in this period, losing 7–1 to Celtic. However, on the European stage Rangers were making history — reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1960 before going on to become the first British club to reach a European final in 1961.
On 2 January 1971, the Ibrox disaster claimed 66 lives in a crush on stairway 13 at the end of an Old Firm match. It was one of the darkest days in Scottish football history. A benefit match saw a joint Rangers and Celtic team face a Scotland XI at Hampden, watched by 81,405 fans.
Rangers emerged from that tragedy to achieve their greatest ever moment on the European stage. On 24 May 1972 in Barcelona, a Colin Stein goal and a Willie Johnston double secured a 3–2 victory over Dynamo Moscow at the Nou Camp to lift the European Cup Winners' Cup. Captain John Greig received the trophy in a small room following pitch invasions.
Rangers were banned from Europe for two years for the behaviour of their fans, later reduced on appeal to one year. The following season they competed in the first ever European Super Cup against Ajax, losing 6–3 on aggregate.
Emerging from the shadows of Jock Stein's Celtic side, Rangers regained domestic ascendancy under manager Jock Wallace. In his centenary season, Wallace led Rangers to the Scottish Cup at Hampden in front of 122,714 supporters. In 1974–75, he led Rangers to their first league championship in 11 years.
Wallace then achieved back-to-back domestic trebles — in 1975–76 and 1977–78 — cementing his place in Rangers history. John Greig took over as manager in 1978 for five years but was unable to win the league. Wallace returned in 1983 but couldn't replicate his earlier success and was replaced by Graeme Souness in 1986.
In 1986, Graeme Souness was appointed as the only player-manager in Rangers' history. His arrival transformed the club completely, bringing in high-profile English internationals including Terry Butcher, Chris Woods, Mark Walters and Ray Wilkins — changing the culture and ambition of the club overnight.
Souness won three league titles in his five years, launching a period of sustained domestic dominance. In 1989, Rangers made history by signing Mo Johnston — the first high-profile Catholic signing in the club's modern history. Souness left for Liverpool in 1991, replaced by Walter Smith.
Every year from 1988–89 to 1996–97, Rangers won the league title — nine consecutive championships, equalling Celtic's record. The first three under Souness, the latter six under Walter Smith. This era included the famous last-day win over Aberdeen in 1991, the treble-winning 1992–93 season, and one of the club's greatest Champions League campaigns.
The 1992–93 season was particularly remarkable — Rangers won the domestic treble while also going on an extended run in the inaugural UEFA Champions League, at one stage one goal away from reaching the final. The ninth consecutive title was secured at Tannadice on 7 May 1997 with a single-goal win over Dundee United.
In 1998, Dutchman Dick Advocaat became Rangers' first foreign manager, investing heavily in the squad with immediate results. He led the club to their sixth domestic treble, with the title won in style — 3–0 at Celtic Park on 2 May 1999. A second league title followed by a record 21-point margin, along with a Scottish Cup final 4–0 win over Aberdeen.
Alex McLeish succeeded Advocaat in December 2001 and in his first full campaign 2002–03 delivered a dramatic domestic treble — the championship won on goal difference with a 6–1 final-day win over Dunfermline, securing Rangers' 50th league title — the first club in the world to achieve that milestone. The title in 2004–05 was won on the famous Helicopter Sunday as Celtic conceded late goals to Motherwell.
After a disastrous spell under Paul Le Guen, Walter Smith resigned from the Scotland national team job to return to Ibrox in January 2007. His second spell was remarkable. In 2007–08, Rangers reached the UEFA Cup final in Manchester, defeating Panathinaikos, Werder Bremen, Sporting Lisbon and Fiorentina along the way before losing 2–0 to Zenit Saint Petersburg.
An estimated 200,000 Rangers supporters travelled to Manchester — the largest travelling support in football history. Smith then led the club to three consecutive league titles and won the League Cup in each of his final two seasons, including a dramatic win over St Mirren with nine men.
In February 2012, Rangers entered administration following non-payment of £9 million in PAYE and VAT to HMRC. The original company was subsequently liquidated and the club's assets moved to a new company structure. Rangers were placed in the fourth tier of Scottish football for the 2012–13 season.
Their first match back in the Third Division drew 49,118 fans — a world record attendance for a fourth-tier football match. Rangers won three promotions in four years, returning to the Premiership in 2016–17. During this climb they became the only club in Scotland to have won every domestic trophy.
Former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard was appointed manager in May 2018. After building steadily, Rangers had their defining season in 2020–21 — winning the Scottish Premiership undefeated, accumulating a club record 102 points and securing their 55th league title — a world record for any football club.
The title also stopped rivals Celtic's bid to break the domestic record by winning ten titles in a row. Rangers secured the championship on 7 March 2021 — their first in ten years. Gerrard departed for Aston Villa midway through the following season.
Former Rangers midfielder Giovanni van Bronckhorst replaced Gerrard in November 2021 and led the club to a remarkable UEFA Europa League final in Seville in 2022, defeating Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and RB Leipzig along the way before losing on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt. An estimated 100,000 Rangers fans travelled to Seville — the largest ever foreign travelling support.
Rangers also won the Scottish Cup in 2022 — beating Hearts in the final — and won the League Cup in 2023–24 under Philippe Clement. In June 2025, a consortium headed by US businessman Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers, purchased 51% of shares completing a major takeover.
