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Rangers are the most successful team in Scottish Premiership history
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The Old Firm rivals have combined for 106 league titles since 1890
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Read below for a complete Scottish Premiership winners’ list and more
The history of the Scottish topflight rivals any league in the world.
Its attendance figures are phenomenal for a country of Scotland’s size, and there are some particularly intense rivalries which attract attention far beyond Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen.
The Old Firm Derby is one of the biggest football prediction occasions of the year, rivalling the Clasico, the Holy War derby and the Eternal Rivalry for the fiercest contests in the sport.
Scotland has been home to European cup winners. It was a starting point for Alex Ferguson, and many great players have plied their trade at Scotland’s biggest clubs from Henrik Larsson to Kenny Dalglish and Paul Gascoigne.
With the Scottish Premiership first being played in the 1890s, it is one of the oldest football leagues in the world. We’re going to take a look at the most successful Scottish clubs and run through a Scottish Premiership winners list.
Scottish Teams in Europe
Scottish Premiership teams first took on European competition in 1955. Over that period, Scottish clubs have lifted four continental trophies, the most recent of which came in 1983.
Despite being a fixture in various competitions for over half a century, Scottish teams have never met each other in European tournaments.
Rangers were the last Scottish team to reach a European final, ultimately losing 2-0 to Zenit St Petersburg in the 2008 UEFA Cup.
This was only the third time a Scottish side had reached the UEFA Cup final, with Dundee United falling to IFK Göteborg in 1987 and Celtic losing to Jose Mourinho’s Porto in 2003.
Celtic are the only Scottish side to have reached the European Cup final. They beat Inter in 1967, with one of the top SPFL scorers in Stevie Chalmers scoring the winner.
The Hoops returned to the biggest match in European club football three years later but suffered defeat to Feyenoord in extra time.
Rangers and Aberdeen won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972 and 1983 respectively, while Aberdeen also added the European Super Cup in the same year.
The latest UEFA coefficient rankings placed the Scottish Premiership 13th in 2021, representing their highest mark since 2008. That’s despite no Scottish team reaching the knockout rounds of the Champions League since 2013.
Most Scottish Premiership Titles
Anyone with even a passing interest in placing football bets knows that Rangers and Celtic are the two most successful Scottish teams of all-time.
Their dominance over the league since its founding in the 1890s is astonishing, with only nine other teams winning a combined total of 19 titles.
Celtic vs Rangers is a rivalry with over a century of history, and while Rangers hold the edge in total titles, Celtic have closed the gap considerably in recent years.
Each have enjoyed respective periods of dominance, with Celtic winning nine consecutive titles in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Rangers enjoyed a similar spell in the interwar years, collecting 10 of 12 titles.
The Old Firm foes have formed a duopoly over the Scottish Premiership crown since Aberdeen won their fourth title back in 1985.
This was a period of relative parity, with Dundee United and Aberdeen winning four of six between 1979 and 1985.
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Rangers – 55
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Celtic – 51
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Aberdeen – 4
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Hearts – 4
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Hibernian – 4
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Dumbarton – 2
Scottish Premiership Winners
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1890-91 – Dumbarton & Rangers
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1891-92 – Dumbarton
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1892-93 – Celtic
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1893-94 – Celtic
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1894-95 – Hearts
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1895-96 – Celtic
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1896-97 – Hearts
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1897-98 – Celtic
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1898-99 – Rangers
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1899-1900 – Rangers
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1990-01 – Rangers
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1901-02 – Rangers
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1902-03 – Hibernian
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1903-04 – Third Lanark
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1904-05 – Celtic
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1905-06 – Celtic
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1906-07 – Celtic
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1907-08 – Celtic
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1908-09 – Celtic
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1909-10 – Celtic
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1910-11 – Rangers
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1911-12 – Rangers
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1912-13 – Rangers
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1913-14 – Celtic
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1914-15 – Celtic
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1915-16 – Celtic
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1916-17 – Celtic
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1917-18 – Rangers
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1918-19 – Celtic
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1919-20 – Rangers
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1920-21 – Rangers
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1921-22 – Celtic
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1922-23 – Rangers
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1923-24 – Rangers
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1924-25 – Rangers
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1925-26 – Celtic
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1926-27 – Rangers
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1927-28 – Rangers
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1928-29 – Rangers
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1929-30 – Rangers
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1930-31 – Rangers
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1931-32 – Motherwell
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1932-33 – Rangers
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1933-34 – Rangers
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1934-35 – Rangers
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1935-36 – Celtic
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1936-37 – Rangers
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1937-38 – Celtic
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1938-39 – Rangers
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1939-46 – League suspended for Second World War
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1946-47 – Rangers
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1947-48 – Hibernian
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1948-49 – Rangers
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1949-50 – Rangers
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1950-51 – Hibernian
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1951-52 – Hibernian
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1952-53 – Rangers
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1953-54 – Celtic
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1954-55 – Aberdeen
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1955-56 – Rangers
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1956-57 – Rangers
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1957-58 – Hearts
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1958-59 – Rangers
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1959-60 – Hearts
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1960-61 – Rangers
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1961-62 – Dundee
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1962-63 – Rangers
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1963-64 – Rangers
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1964-65 – Kilmarnock
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1965-66 – Celtic
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1966-67 – Celtic
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1967-68 – Celtic
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1968-69 – Celtic
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1969-70 – Celtic
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1970-71 – Celtic
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1971-72 – Celtic
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1972-73 – Celtic
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1973-74 – Celtic
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1974-75 – Rangers
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1975-76 – Rangers
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1976-77 – Celtic
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1977-78 – Rangers
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1978-79 – Celtic
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1979-80 – Aberdeen
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1980-81 – Celtic
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1981-82 – Celtic
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1982-83 – Dundee United
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1983-84 – Aberdeen
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1984-85 – Aberdeen
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1985-86 – Celtic
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1986-87 – Rangers
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1987-88 – Celtic
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1988-89 – Rangers
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1989-90 – Rangers
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1990-91 – Rangers
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1991-92 – Rangers
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1992-93 – Rangers
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1993-94 – Rangers
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1994-95 – Rangers
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1995-96 – Rangers
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1996-97 – Rangers
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1997-98 – Celtic
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1998-99 – Rangers
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1999-2000 – Rangers
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2000-01 – Celtic
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2001-02 – Celtic
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2002-03 – Rangers
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2003-04 – Celtic
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2004-05 – Rangers
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2005-06 – Celtic
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2006-07 – Celtic
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2007-08 – Celtic
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2008-09 – Rangers
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2009-10 – Rangers
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2010-11 – Rangers
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2011-12 – Celtic
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2012-13 – Celtic
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2013-14 – Celtic
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2014-15 – Celtic
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2015-16 – Celtic
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2016-17 – Celtic
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2017-18 – Celtic
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2018-19 – Celtic
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2019-20 – Celtic
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2020-21 – Rangers
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 22nd March 2022
