2025–26 Scottish Premiership
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2 August 2025 – 17 May 2026 |
| Champions | Celtic 12th Premiership title 56th Scottish title |
| Relegated | Livingston |
| Champions League | Celtic Heart of Midlothian |
| Europa League | Rangers |
| Conference League | Motherwell Hibernian |
| Matches | 228 |
| Goals | 634 (2.78 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Tawanda Maswanhise (17 goals) |
| Biggest home win | 4 goals (10 matches) |
| Biggest away win | St Mirren 0–5 Motherwell (21 February 2026) |
| Highest scoring | Falkirk 3–6 Rangers (12 April 2026) |
| Longest winning run | Celtic (7 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Rangers (16 games) |
| Longest winless run | Livingston (31 games) |
| Longest losing run | Kilmarnock (6 games) |
| Highest attendance | 59,079 Celtic v Heart of Midlothian (16 May 2026) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,564 Livingston v St Mirren (20 January 2026) |
| Total attendance | 4,082,619 |
| Average attendance | 17,906 |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 17 May 2026. | |
The 2025–26 Scottish Premiership (known as the William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons) was the 13th season of the Scottish Premiership, the highest division of Scottish football, and the 129th edition overall of the top national league competition, not including one cancelled due to World War II. The season began on 2 August 2025.[1]
On 16 May 2026, the final day of the Scottish Premiership season, Celtic successfully defended their title, securing their fifth Premiership title in a row, and a record-breaking 56th Scottish league title overall, following a 3–1 victory at home to Heart of Midlothian, denying Hearts their first championship since 1960 and the first non-Old Firm championship since 1985.[2][3] Excluding post-season playoffs in 1891 and 1905, it was only the third time the Scottish championship had been decided between the two contenders directly on the final day, after 1965 (also involving Hearts) and 1991.[4][5]
Twelve teams contested the league: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee, Dundee United, Falkirk, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Livingston, Motherwell, Rangers and St Mirren.
Teams
[edit]The following teams changed division after the 2024–25 season.
Promoted from the Championship
Relegated to the Championship
Stadia and locations
[edit]| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Pittodrie Stadium | 19,274[6] | |
| Celtic | Celtic Park | 60,411[7] | |
| Dundee | Dens Park | 11,775[8] | |
| Dundee United | Tannadice Park | 14,223[9] | |
| Falkirk | Falkirk Stadium | 7,937[10] | |
| Heart of Midlothian | Tynecastle Park | 19,852[11] | |
| Hibernian | Easter Road | 20,421[12] | |
| Kilmarnock | Rugby Park | 15,003[13][14] | |
| Livingston | Almondvale Stadium | 9,713[15] | |
| Motherwell | Fir Park | 13,677[16] | |
| Rangers | Ibrox Stadium | 51,700[17] | |
| St Mirren | St Mirren Park | 8,000[18] |
Personnel and kits
[edit]| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) | Shorts sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Adidas | Texo Group | MaxAmaze, EIS Waste Services | RAM Tubulars | Texo Group | ||
| Celtic | Adidas | Dafabet | None | Celtic FC Foundation | None | ||
| Dundee | Macron | Crown Engineering Services | MKM Building Supplies, John Clark BMW | GA Vans | DrainBlitz | ||
| Dundee United | Erreà | Quinn Casino | JF Kegs, Norman Jamieson Ltd | Trade-Mart | Paint-Tec Accident Repair Centre | ||
| Falkirk | O'Neills | Crunchy Carrots | Maniqui Nightclub (Home) Horizon Reinforcing & Crane Hire (Away) |
Total Tickets | Water & Pipeline Services | ||
| Heart of Midlothian | Hummel | Stellar Omada | FanHub, loveholidays | ASC Edinburgh Ltd | None | ||
| Hibernian | Joma | Bevvy.com | Whisky Row, Dunedin IT | SBK | Capital Credit Union | ||
| Kilmarnock | Hummel | James Frew Ltd | James Frew Ltd, Blackwood Plant Hire | Redrock Automation | A&L Mechanical | ||
| Livingston | Joma | Livi Self Storage | Simply UK, Label 5 | The Centre Livingston | John Heaney Electrical | ||
| Motherwell | Macron | G4 Claims | Fire Suppression Scotland, Kwiff | DX Home Improvements | TCL | ||
| Rangers | Umbro | Unibet | SEKO Logistics, Pipeline Energy Solutions | BOXT Boilers | AIM Building and Maintenance | ||
| St Mirren | Macron | Consilium | Ultimate Home Solutions, Macklin Motors | Gennaro Glass & Glazing | KPP Chartered Accountants |
Managerial changes
[edit]| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | End of interim spell | 17 May 2025[19] | Pre-season | 5 June 2025[20] | ||
| Heart of Midlothian | 18 May 2025[21] | 19 May 2025[22] | ||||
| Dundee | Sacked | 19 May 2025[23] | 2 June 2025[24] | |||
| Kilmarnock | Joined Heart of Midlothian | 19 May 2025[22] | 26 May 2025[25] | |||
| Motherwell | Joined Jahn Regensburg | 23 May 2025[26] | 12 June 2025[27] | |||
| Rangers | Sacked | 5 October 2025[28] | 8th | 16 October 2025[29] | ||
| End of interim spell | 20 October 2025[30] | 6th | 20 October 2025[30] | |||
| Celtic | Resigned | 27 October 2025[31] | 2nd | 27 October 2025[31] | ||
| End of interim spell | 4 December 2025[32] | 2nd | 4 December 2025[32] | |||
| Kilmarnock | Sacked | 15 December 2025[33] | 11th | 6 January 2026[34] | ||
| Aberdeen | 4 January 2026[35] | 8th | 4 January 2026[35] | |||
| Celtic | 5 January 2026[36] | 2nd | 5 January 2026[37] | |||
| Livingston | Moved to Sporting Director | 1 February 2026[38] | 12th | 1 February 2026[38] | ||
| Aberdeen | End of interim spell | 12 March 2026[39] | 9th | 12 March 2026[39] | ||
| St Mirren | Joined Aberdeen | 12 March 2026[40] | 10th | 12 March 2026[40] | ||
| Livingston | Resigned | 7 May 2026 | 12th | 7 May 2026 |
Format
[edit]In the initial phase of the season, the 12 teams played a round-robin tournament whereby each team faced each one of the other teams three times. After 33 games, the league was split into two sections of six teams, with each team playing each other in that section once. The league attempts to balance the fixture list so that teams in the same section play each other twice at home and twice away, but sometimes this is impossible. A total of 228 matches were played, with 38 matches played by each team.
League table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 38 | 26 | 4 | 8 | 73 | 41 | +32 | 82 | Qualification for the Champions League play-off round |
| 2 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 67 | 34 | +33 | 80 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Rangers | 38 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 76 | 43 | +33 | 72 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round[b] |
| 4 | Motherwell | 38 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 59 | 36 | +23 | 61 | Qualification for the Conference League second qualifying round[b] |
| 5 | Hibernian | 38 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 58 | 44 | +14 | 57 | |
| 6 | Falkirk | 38 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 50 | 62 | −12 | 49 | |
| 7 | Dundee United | 38 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 49 | 60 | −11 | 45 | |
| 8 | Dundee | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 42 | 61 | −19 | 42 | |
| 9 | Aberdeen | 38 | 11 | 7 | 20 | 40 | 55 | −15 | 40 | |
| 10 | Kilmarnock | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 50 | 68 | −18 | 40 | |
| 11 | St Mirren (O) | 38 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 55 | −25 | 34 | Qualification for the Premiership play-off final |
| 12 | Livingston (R) | 38 | 2 | 15 | 21 | 40 | 75 | −35 | 21 | Relegation to Championship |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only if deciding champion, UEFA competition qualification, second stage group allocation, or relegation).[43]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ↑ Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league was split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).
- 1 2 Since the 2025–26 Scottish Cup winners, Celtic, qualified for the Champions League via league position, the spot reserved for the cup winners (Europa League third qualifying round) was passed to the third-placed team, and the spots for the Conference League second qualifying round were moved down one league position.
Results
[edit]Matches 1–33
[edit]In Matches 1–22, all teams play each other twice, once at home and once away. In Matches 23–33, all teams play each other once, either home or away.
Matches 34–38
[edit]After 33 matches, the league splits into two sections of six teams, i.e. the top six and the bottom six, with the teams playing every other team in their section once (either at home or away). The exact matches are determined by the position of the teams in the league table at the time of the split.
Top 6
[edit]Bottom 6
[edit]Season statistics
[edit]- As of 17 May 2026
Top scorers
[edit]| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motherwell | 17 | |
| 2 | Celtic | 16 | |
| Heart of Midlothian | |||
| 4 | Rangers | 15 | |
| 5 | Celtic | 14 | |
| Heart of Midlothian |
Source:[46]
Hat-tricks
[edit]| Player | For | Against | Score | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falkirk | Hibernian | 4–1 (H) | 24 January 2026 | [47] | |
| Kilmarnock | St Mirren | 4–3 (H) | 11 February 2026 | [48] | |
| Rangers | Heart of Midlothian | 4–2 (H) | 15 February 2026 | [49] | |
| Falkirk | 2–5 (A) | 16 May 2026 | [50] |
Clean sheets
[edit]| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motherwell | 17 | |
| 2 | Heart of Midlothian | 15 | |
| 3 | Celtic | 12 | |
| Rangers | |||
| 5 | Hibernian | 11 |
Source:[51]
Awards
[edit]| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
| August | Heart of Midlothian | Dundee United | ||
| September | Heart of Midlothian | |||
| October | ||||
| November | Celtic | Motherwell | ||
| December | Motherwell | |||
| January | Rangers | |||
| February | Motherwell | Rangers | ||
| March | Dundee United | Falkirk | ||
| April | Celtic | Dundee United | ||
Premiership play-offs
[edit]The quarter-final was contested by the teams placed third and fourth in the 2025–26 Scottish Championship, Arbroath and Dunfermline Athletic. Dunfermline advanced to the semi-final to face the team placed second in the Championship, Partick Thistle. The final was contested by the semi-final winner, Partick Thistle, and the team placed eleventh in the Premiership, St Mirren, with St Mirren securing a place in the 2026–27 Scottish Premiership.[52]
Qualified teams
[edit]| Team | Rank |
|---|---|
| St Mirren | 1 |
| Partick Thistle | 2 |
| Arbroath | 3 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 4 |
| Quarter-final | Semi-final | Final | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | St Mirren | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Partick Thistle | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Partick Thistle | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 3 | Arbroath | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Dunfermline Athletic | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 4 | Dunfermline Athletic | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
Quarter-final
[edit]First leg
[edit]| 5 May 2026 | Dunfermline Athletic | 1–0 | Arbroath | Dunfermline |
| 19:45 |
|
[53] | Stadium: East End Park Attendance: 5,079 Referee: Ryan Lee |
Second leg
[edit]| 8 May 2026 | Arbroath | 0–0 (0–1 agg.) | Dunfermline Athletic | Arbroath |
| 19:30 | [54] | Stadium: Gayfield Park Attendance: 3,689 Referee: David Dickinson |
Semi-final
[edit]First leg
[edit]| 12 May 2026 | Dunfermline Athletic | 1–1 | Partick Thistle | Dunfermline |
| 19:45 |
|
[55] |
|
Stadium: East End Park Attendance: 6,873 Referee: Duncan Nicolson |
Second leg
[edit]| 15 May 2026 | Partick Thistle | 2–1 (3–2 agg.) | Dunfermline Athletic | Glasgow |
| 19:45 | [56] |
|
Stadium: Firhill Stadium Attendance: 8,044 Referee: Calum Scott |
Final
[edit]First leg
[edit]| 21 May 2026 | Partick Thistle | 1–1 | St Mirren | Glasgow |
| 20:00 |
|
[57] |
|
Stadium: Firhill Stadium Attendance: 8,323 Referee: Ryan Lee |
Second leg
[edit]| 25 May 2026 | St Mirren | 1–0 (2–1 agg.) | Partick Thistle | Paisley |
| 20:00 |
|
[58] | Stadium: St Mirren Park Attendance: 7,472 Referee: Nick Walsh |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Key dates for 2025/26". SPFL. 13 January 2025. Archived from the original on 6 May 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ↑ "Heartbreak for Hearts as Celtic take title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- ↑ "Resilient Celtic time run perfectly to win race after eight-month chase". BBC Sport. 16 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
- ↑ The 4 rare final-day winner-takes-all Scottish premiership title deciders, Laura Pollock, The National via Yahoo! Sport, 15 May 2026
- ↑ Scottish football braces itself for an almighty climax with Celtic v Hearts, Mark Atkinson, The Scotsman, 15 May 2026
- ↑ "Aberdeen Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Celtic Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Dundee Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Dundee United Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Falkirk Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Heart of Midlothian Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- ↑ "Hibernian Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Kilmarnock Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Rugby Park". killiefc.com. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ↑ "Livingston Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Motherwell Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ↑ "Rangers Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ "St Mirren Football Club". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
- ↑ "Barry Ferguson: Rangers confirm interim boss to leave Ibrox job". BBC Sport. 18 May 2025. Archived from the original on 19 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ "Rangers: Russell Martin 'won't make promises' - but new head coach must win early". BBC Sport. 5 June 2025. Archived from the original on 5 June 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ "Hearts: Fox to leave as McInnes appointment looms". BBC Sport. 17 May 2025. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- 1 2 "Hearts: Derek McInnes appointed head coach on four-year deal". BBC Sport. 19 May 2025. Archived from the original on 20 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ "Dundee part company with manager Docherty". BBC Sport. 19 May 2025. Archived from the original on 20 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ "Dundee: Steven Pressley named head coach after Brentford exit". BBC Sport. 2 June 2025. Archived from the original on 2 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ↑ "Stuart Kettlewell: Kilmarnock confirm appointment of former Motherwell boss". BBC Sport. 26 May 2025. Archived from the original on 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ "Michael Wimmer: Motherwell manager leaves Fir Park for German third-tier club after 12 games". BBC Sport. 23 May 2025. Archived from the original on 24 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ↑ "Jens Berthel Askou is new Motherwell manager". BBC Sport. 12 June 2025. Archived from the original on 12 June 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ↑ "Rangers sack Martin after 17 games". BBC Sport. 5 October 2025. Archived from the original on 5 October 2025. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ↑ "Rangers' Smith to take charge for Dundee United visit". BBC Sport. 16 October 2025.
- 1 2 "Rangers end manager search by appointing Rohl". BBC Sport. 20 October 2025.
- 1 2 "Rodgers resigns as Celtic manager with O'Neill returning". BBC Sport. 27 October 2025. Archived from the original on 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- 1 2 "Celtic: Wilfried Nancy appointed as new manager". BBC Sport. 3 December 2025.
- ↑ "Kettlewell sacked as Kilmarnock say 'change required'". BBC Sport. 15 December 2025.
- ↑ "Neil McCann: Kilmarnock appoint former Dundee boss as new manager, with Billy Dodds as assistant". BBC Sport. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- 1 2 "Club Statement Jimmy Thelin". Aberdeen Football Club. 4 January 2026. Archived from the original on 4 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ↑ "Wilfried Nancy leaves Celtic". Celtic Football Club. 5 January 2026. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- ↑ "Martin O'Neill named Celtic manager until end of the season". Celtic Football Club. 5 January 2026. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
- 1 2 "Club Update". Livingston Football Club. 1 February 2026.
- 1 2 "Dons Appoint Robinson as Head Coach". Aberdeen Football Club. 12 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Stephen Robinson departs for Aberdeen". St Mirren Football Club. 12 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
- ↑ "Scottish Premiership Table". BBC. Archived from the original on 27 January 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Premiership League Table". Scottish Professional Football League. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "The Rules of the Scottish Professional Football League (Rule Number C35-C37)" (PDF). SPFL. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
- ↑ "Summary - Premiership". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Summary - Premiership". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "BBC Top Scorers". BBC. 24 August 2024. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ↑ "Falkirk 4–1 Hibernian". BBC Sport. 24 January 2026. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ↑ "Kilmarnock 4–3 St Mirren". BBC Sport. 11 February 2026. Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
- ↑ "Rangers 4–2 Heart of Midlothian". BBC Sport. 15 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ "Falkirk 2–5 Rangers". BBC Sport. 16 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- ↑ "Premiership Clean Sheets Table". Footy Stats. 6 August 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ↑ "All SPFL play-offs streamed live for first time". SPFL. 3 May 2026. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
- ↑ "Dunfermline Athletic v Arbroath". BBC Sport. 5 May 2026. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ "Arbroath v Dunfermline Athletic". BBC Sport. 8 May 2026. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Dunfermline Athletic v Partick Thistle". BBC Sport. 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ↑ "Partick Thistle v Dunfermline Athletic". BBC Sport. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "Partick Thistle v St Mirren". BBC Sport. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 21 May 2026.
- ↑ "St Mirren v Partick Thistle". BBC Sport. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.

