Rangers, founded in 2012 and based at Ibrox Stadium, remain Celtic’s most scrutinised domestic rival. Their recent honours are the 2021/22 Scottish Cup and the 2020/21 Premiership, part of a modern record that stands at four Premiership titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups.
The 2025/26 campaign ended with Rangers third in the Premiership after all 38 rounds. Their squad was sizeable – 38 players with an average age of 24 – and valued at around £108m by Transfermarkt.
There was attacking weight in the side, even if the results did not always match it. Rangers averaged 2.1 goals at Ibrox and 1.9 away, with Youssef Chermiti on 15 goals, James Tavernier on 14 and Bojan Miovski on 13. They also struck first inside 20 minutes in seven of their 19 league matches.
Their closing league run told a less tidy story: wins at Falkirk, 5-2 and 6-3, sat around defeats to Hibernian, Celtic, Hearts and Motherwell. The 3-1 loss at Celtic Park was part of a sequence that left little room for cosmetic interpretation.
Rangers finished third, with a young, expensive squad and enough scoring power to trouble most sides. For Celtic supporters, their relevance remains obvious: a direct rival with resources, inconsistency, and no shortage of attention.
