So, 2026, and we’re still asking the same question – who truly wears the crown in Scottish football? I’ve spent far too many weekends either celebrating at Ibrox or drowning my sorrows at a pub near Parkhead, and honestly, the argument never gets old. With the latest Old Firm clash just finished, and the Glasgow giants constantly trading blows, I thought it was time to dust off the history books. After all, nothing says “I support the right team” like a spreadsheet full of derby wins and silverware counts. But let’s be real – is this even about football anymore, or is it a century-long soap opera with better goal highlights?

Let’s start with the numbers that really make a Gers fan puff out their chest. According to the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, Rangers have collected 126 league wins against Celtic compared to the Hoops’ 114, with 90 draws out of 330 meetings since 1891. So, in the Premiership (and its ancestor competitions), the Light Blues have historically had the edge. But then Celtic fans pipe up with the Scottish Cup – 26 wins to Rangers’ 18, from 54 encounters. Oh, and what about the League Cup? Since 1947, it’s been a knife-edge: Celtic won 25, Rangers 24, with only two stalemates across 51 games. Tallying all major competitions, Rangers boast a thin margin overall – but it’s thin like a wafer, and we all know wafers get demolished by hungry Hoops.

I remember watching reruns of Ally McCoist tormenting the green-and-white half of Glasgow, and the stats don’t lie – he remains the derby’s top scorer with 27 goals in 55 appearances. The Celtic faithful will fire back with Jimmy McGrory’s 22 strikes in 35 games, which is frankly a video-game ratio. But guess what? Even legendary goal scorers can’t stop the managerial merry-go-round. Brendan Rodgers still holds the best win percentage (77%) among managers who’ve overseen at least 10 Old Firm tussles, a record he set during his first spell. Steven Gerrard is second with 62%. These days, Rodgers is back in the hot seat, and the narrative has shifted – again.

But here’s the spicy bit: what about the trophy cabinets? Back in 2023, Rangers proudly displayed 117 major honours to Celtic’s 115, thanks largely to 55 league titles and 27 League Cups. Celtic had more Scottish Cups (41 to 35) and that shiny European Cup from 1967 – still the only Scottish club to be crowned champions of Europe. Rangers hit back with the 1972 Cup Winners’ Cup, a trophy that some might call vintage but others dismiss as an old trinket. At that point, Ibrox could shout “two more!” and mic-drop.

Fast-forward to 2026, and the tectonic plates have shifted. Celtic have been on a domestic rampage, winning the Premiership in 2022-23, 2023-24, and the 2024-25 campaign, closing the league titles gap to a mere whisker (if not surpassing it). Add a few extra Scottish Cups and possibly a domestic treble here and there, and the overall honours tally is no longer so smug for the blue side. Honestly, if I were a betting man, I’d say the Parkhead cabinet now boasts more silverware, or at least a dead heat. The real questions are: does a European Cup outweigh a dozen League Cups? Is 1972 a vintage year or just an ancient memory? And will Rangers ever again sustain a dynasty like the one Gerrard ignited?

The beauty of the Old Firm is that statistics are merely ammunition for the next pub brawl. For every head-to-head win margin Ranger fans cherish, there’s a Celtic supporter ready to mention the 7-1 humiliation in 1957 (League Cup, never forget). For every record McCoist set, there’s a modern icon like Kyogo or Morelos who adds a fresh chapter. The truth? Neither club truly rules Glasgow – they share the throne in an uncomfortable, perpetual arm-wrestle that defines the city’s soul. The only certainty is that when the next derby kicks off, the electricity will short-circuit every argument I just made. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.