Celtic FCCeltic FC began in an unusual way for a football club. On 6 November 1887, at a meeting in St Mary's Church Hall in Glasgow's Calton district, Brother Walfrid, an Irish Marist brother born Andrew Kerins, set the project in motion. His aim was not sporting glory but raising money for "penny dinners", meals for hungry children and unemployed people in the poor Irish community of the city's East End. The club played its first match on 28 May 1888 and beat Rangers 5–2. The famous green-and-white hoops were not there at the start. The first kit was a white shirt with a green collar, black shorts and green socks, and the hoops were adopted only in 1903, after which they became one of the best-known strips in world football.
The early decades brought quick success. Celtic won its first Scottish Cup in 1892, beating Queen's Park 5–1 in the final, and its first league title in 1892–93. In the same year the club moved to the site of Celtic Park in the Parkhead district, which supporters call "Paradise". Under manager Willie Maley, Celtic won six league titles in a row between 1905 and 1910. Today the ground holds just over 60,000 spectators and is the largest football stadium in Scotland.
The defining date in the club's history is 25 May 1967. In Lisbon, Celtic, managed by Jock Stein, beat Inter Milan 2–1 in the European Cup final and became the first British club to win the trophy. Inter took the lead from a penalty by Sandro Mazzola, and Celtic answered with goals from Tommy Gemmell and Stevie Chalmers. The side that became known as the Lisbon Lions was made up entirely of players born within 30 miles of Celtic Park. That season, 1966–67, also remains unique in European football: Celtic won all five competitions it entered, the league, the Scottish Cup, the League Cup, the Glasgow Cup and the European Cup.
The Stein era produced nine consecutive league titles in the years 1965–74. Celtic reached the European Cup final again in 1970, but this time lost 2–1 after extra time to Feyenoord in Milan. Together with its great rival, Rangers FC, the club forms the Old Firm, whose derbies are among the most emotionally charged in world football. After the 2025–26 season Celtic holds a record 56 Scottish league titles, including five in a row from 2021–22 to 2025–26. The fifth of those was decided on the last day of the season, in a 3–1 home win over Heart of Midlothian.
A more recent European memory comes from Seville. On 21 May 2003 Celtic played in the UEFA Cup final against the Porto of José Mourinho. Henrik Larsson scored twice, but Porto won 3–2 after extra time. Around 80,000 Celtic supporters travelled to the city, and their behaviour won Fair Play awards from both UEFA and FIFA. That is a fitting continuation of a tradition that began with a charity for hungry children: Celtic remains a club defined as much by its community and its supporters as by its trophies.
