Celtic FC

Founded in 1887, Glasgow Celtic will celebrate its 140th anniversary in 2027, and it’s hard to overstate the impact the club has had on Scottish football during that time. 

Facts About Celtic

One of the interesting facts about Celtic FC and its history is that its 1967 European Cup win marked the first time that a British club took home the title. It’s a fan-favourite club throughout the UK and not just in Scotland, with notable former stars including Manchester United legend and former Republic of Ireland captain Roy Keane.

In fact, Keane even finished his playing career at Celtic after leaving Manchester United, switching from helping Cristiano Ronaldo to settle into English football to rubbing shoulders with Mo Camara, Shinsuke Nakamura and Dion Dublin.

Celtic Strengths and Weaknesses

A quick look at the latest Celtic news will give you a good idea as to their current team form and whether they’re in a peak or a trough, but there are some general trends that hold true throughout the years.

One of the team’s biggest advantages is its culture. No matter which players are wearing the shirts or which coaches and managers are steering the ship, Celtic has always been known for competing at the highest level, both domestically and throughout Europe. Winners attract winners, meaning that there’s a steady flow of great players coming through the door, and fans and money are quick to follow. 

As for the disadvantages, those generally revolve around the club’s inconsistency and the fact that the team sometimes underperforms in its most important matches. There’s also some tension between supporters and the club’s board of directors, but then that’s true at virtually every major team.

Celtic Matches

Squad and Playing Style

Celtic FC has had one of the strongest squads in Scotland for decades, in part thanks to their approach to bringing in promising young players to play alongside experienced internationals. It’s one of those clubs where people tend to stay loyal and to stick with them for years. 

Key players from the current squad include Callum McGregor (the team captain), goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, winger Daizen Maeda and Cameron Carter-Vickers locking things down in defence. Tactics have changed and will continue to do so, but the club is particularly known and feared for its possession-based approach to the beautiful game, as well as a 4-3-3 formation revolving around dominating the midfield. 

True, the departure of former manager Brendan Rodgers and the switch to manager Martin O’Neill has led to an inevitable shakeup, and we’re yet to see what O’Neill will achieve in the long run. With that said, why change what’s working?

Recent Results and Form

When you look at Celtic news and the results of recent games, we see an interesting mix of performances, ranging from the sublime to the downright dire. For the most part, though, the club has experienced strong recent form in both domestic and international matches, and they strike fear into the hearts of anyone who has to play them at Celtic Park. The team shows a particular level of confidence at home fixtures, in part because of the phenomenal level of support.

Their away games aren’t as stable, and they’ve included shock results like their 2-0 defeat to Dundee United in March of this year which left them facing an uphill struggle for the rest of the season. Luckily for Celtic fans, the team ended up winning the league with a couple of points to spare, with Martin O’Neill winning 19 of his 23 Scottish Premiership games with only two losses. 

Rangers vs Celtic

If you’ve never heard of the Old Firm derby, you’re in for a treat. That’s because it’s the term that people use to refer to any game between Celtic and Rangers, the two great teams in Scottish football. 

The Rangers vs Celticrivalry goes back decades, and it’s known for being one of the most intense in the whole of football. Tensions are always high and violence between fans isn’t uncommon, although no match preview would be complete without acknowledging the fact that you can also expect some of the best football you’re likely to see. 

Celtic is traditionally Catholic, while Rangers is historically associated with Protestantism. Given those religious differences and the fact that they’re both based in Glasgow, it’s no surprise that their rivalry is so intense. As for recent games, in their five most recent meetings in the 2025/26 season, two matches resulted in draws, while Celtic claimed two 3-1 victories and Rangers secured one 3-1 win.

Symbols of Celtic

Celtic has a long history, and so there’s a fairly wide range of Celtic symbols for fans to choose from. First and foremost, though, it’s iconic for its green and white colours, which make the club’s kit instantly recognisable all over the world. The club adopted its iconic green-and-white hooped kit in 1903, a design that reflects its Irish-Scottish heritage and Glasgow’s community of Irish immigrants.

That’s also why the club’s crest features a four-leaf clover at its centre, another symbolic nod to Irish-Scottish identity as well as a traditional symbol of good luck. The crest also lists the club’s founding year of 1888, reinforcing its long history and rich tradition. 

Put together, the combination of green and white hoops and the iconic four-leaf clover crest make for some of the most iconic symbolism in Scottish football. You’d be hard pressed to find a football fan that doesn’t recognise them at a glance.

Latest Club News

There’s so much football news coming out of Glasgow that you can run a search for Celtic news and end up losing the rest of your afternoon. After all, the club is going through a period of upheaval, with injuries to key players like Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kasper Schmeichel, Jota and Callum Osmand taking place alongside ongoing uncertainty around transfers and the club’s future management.

Alongside the squad news, fans are keeping their eyes peeled for updates on the club’s manager. Brendan Rodgers left in October 2025 to be replaced by Wilfried Nancy, who joined in December and then left in January after a disappointing tenure. Martin O’Neill returned to take the helm for the second time, initially on a temporary basis before officially signing a permanent contract in June 2026. 

Celtic FC Squad 2025/2026

Let’s take a quick look at the lineup for the Celtic FC team at the end of the 2025-2026 season. Here’s what the roster looks like.

Let’s not forget manager Martin O’Neill, who’s a former midfielder and who was an excellent player himself in his day. While he won’t be seen on the pitch, his influence can still be felt in the way the team plays.

Key Attacking Players

One of the interesting things about Celtic FC and the current squad is that most of their goals come from attacking midfielders, rather than traditional forwards. In the 2025 to 2026 season, attacking midfielder Benjamin Nygren had the highest tally (21 goals), followed by wingers Daizen Maeda (16 goals) and Yang Hyun-Jun (9 goals). 

Daizen Maeda is the real powerhouse behind Celtic’s attack, with his raw speed and off-the-ball movement posing a serious threat to rivals. He’s known for catching opponents unawares and finding space when it seems like there’s no space to be had.

Maeda also ranks in joint second place when it comes to assists, with five to his name across all competitions. Benjamin Nygren ties with him, but it’s left-back Kieran Tierney who comes out on top with eight assists and six goals throughout the season. Put together, Maeda, Nygren and Tierney aren’t traditional strikers, but they’re the biggest threat to opposing goalies.

Midfielders and Defenders

Celtic FC has a solid team throughout, and they’re known for blending some of the most experienced veterans in the league with top rising talent brought in either through their youth development programs or through strategic transfers that are designed to augment weaknesses. 

The current midfield structure revolves around Callum McGregor, who’s both the club captain and a central midfielder who directs the flow of games and links the defense with the forward line. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is known for being one of the more experienced members of the midfield, while other current midfielders include record signing Arne Engels and central midfielder Paulo Bernardo.

Meanwhile, the defence is dominated by Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales in the middle, with Alistair Johnston and Kieran Tierney usually playing on the sides. Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is no shrinking violet, either. If you’re watching a game from the stands, you’ll often hear him bellowing out orders to his teammates so that they close down opponents before they become a threat.

Celtic’s Fans and Culture

This is one of those clubs that has a long, rich history of tradition, like a cross between Arsenal and Derry City. Like Arsenal, the club has a huge range of supporters who are dispersed throughout the world, and while they have a particularly strong following in Scotland, there are plenty of Celtic supporters in Ireland, Europe and North America.

And there are a variety of reasons for this, ranging from their status as a strong underdog in international competitions to the unbelievable atmosphere at Celtic Park. You’ve not truly experienced a football match unless you’ve seen Celtic play at home, and if you happened to support the opposing team… well, let’s just say that it’s an intimidating place to be.

This year’s Scottish league win also shows that Celtic is nowhere near done yet. With O’Neill now confirmed as the club’s permanent manager, football fans are sure to be in for a treat next season. Keep your eyes on Glasgow. Anything could happen.