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.
Twelve teams contested the league: Aberdeen, Celtic, Dundee, Dundee United, Falkirk, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Livingston, Motherwell, Rangers and St Mirren.
On 16 May 2026, Celtic secured a fifth consecutive Premiership title and record-breaking 56th Scottish league title overall, following a 3–1 victory at home to Heart of Midlothian on the final matchday, denying Hearts their first championship since 1960 and the first non-Old Firm championship since 1985. 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 matchday, after 1965 (also involving Hearts) and 1991.
Teams The following teams changed division after the 2024–25 season.
Promoted from the Championship Falkirk Livingston
Relegated to the Championship Ross County St Johnstone
Stadia and locations
TeamStadiumCapacityPhotoAberdeenPittodrie Stadium19,274CelticCeltic Park60,411DundeeDens Park11,775Dundee UnitedTannadice Park14,223FalkirkFalkirk Stadium7,937Heart of MidlothianTynecastle Park19,852HibernianEaster Road20,421KilmarnockRugby Park15,003LivingstonAlmondvale Stadium9,713MotherwellFir Park13,677RangersIbrox Stadium51,700St MirrenSt Mirren Park8,000
Personnel and kits
TeamManagerCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsor (front)Shirt sponsor (back)Shirt sponsor (sleeve)Shorts sponsorAberdeen AdidasTexo GroupMaxAmaze, EIS Waste ServicesRAM TubularsTexo GroupCeltic AdidasDafabetNoneCeltic FC FoundationNoneDundee MacronCrown Engineering ServicesMKM Building Supplies, John Clark BMWGA VansDrainBlitzDundee United ErreàQuinn CasinoJF Kegs, Norman Jamieson LtdTrade-MartPaint-Tec Accident Repair CentreFalkirk O'NeillsCrunchy CarrotsManiqui Nightclub (Home)Horizon Reinforcing & Crane Hire (Away)Total TicketsWater & Pipeline Services HummelStellar OmadaFanHub, loveholidaysASC Edinburgh LtdNoneHibernian JomaBevvy.comWhisky Row, Dunedin ITSBKCapital Credit UnionKilmarnock HummelJames Frew LtdJames Frew Ltd, Blackwood Plant HireRedrock AutomationA&L MechanicalLivingston (interim) JomaLivi Self StorageSimply UK, Label 5The Centre LivingstonJohn Heaney ElectricalMotherwell MacronG4 ClaimsFire Suppression Scotland, KwiffDX Home ImprovementsTCLRangers UmbroUnibetSEKO Logistics, Pipeline Energy SolutionsBOXT BoilersAIM Building and MaintenanceSt Mirren Craig McLeish (interim) MacronConsiliumUltimate Home Solutions, Macklin MotorsGennaro Glass & GlazingKPP Chartered Accountants
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment Rangers Barry Ferguson End of interim spell 17 May 2025 Pre-season Russell Martin 5 June 2025 Heart of Midlothian Liam Fox 18 May 2025 Derek McInnes 19 May 2025 Dundee Tony Docherty Sacked 19 May 2025 Steven Pressley 2 June 2025 Kilmarnock Derek McInnes Joined Heart of Midlothian 19 May 2025 Stuart Kettlewell 26 May 2025 Motherwell Michael Wimmer Joined Jahn Regensburg 23 May 2025 Jens Berthel Askou 12 June 2025Rangers Russell Martin Sacked 5 October 2025 8th (interim) 16 October 2025 End of interim spell 20 October 2025 6th 20 October 2025Celtic Resigned 27 October 2025 2nd (interim) 27 October 2025 End of interim spell 4 December 2025 2nd 4 December 2025 Kilmarnock Sacked 15 December 2025 11th 6 January 2026 Aberdeen 4 January 2026 8th (interim) 4 January 2026 Celtic 5 January 2026 2nd 5 January 2026 Livingston Moved to Sporting Director 1 February 2026 12th 1 February 2026 Aberdeen End of interim spell 12 March 2026 9th 12 March 2026 St Mirren Joined Aberdeen 12 March 2026 10th Craig McLeish (interim) 12 March 2026 Livingston Resigned 7 May 2026 12th (interim) 7 May 2026
Format 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 matches, the league was split into two sections of six teams, with each team playing each other in that section once. The league attempted to balance the fixture list so that teams in the same section played each other twice at home and twice away, but sometimes this was impossible. A total of 228 matches were played, with 38 matches played by each team.
League table
Results Matches 1–33 In matches 1–22, all teams played each other twice, once at home and once away. In matches 23–33, all teams played each other once, either home or away.
Matches 34–38 After 33 matches, the league split 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 were determined by the position of the teams in the league table at the time of the split.
Top 6
Bottom 6
Season statistics Top scorers Rank Player Club Goals1 Tawanda MaswanhiseMotherwell172 Benjamin NygrenCeltic16 Lawrence ShanklandHeart of Midlothian4 Youssef ChermitiRangers155 Cláudio BragaHeart of Midlothian14 Daizen MaedaCeltic7 Kevin NisbetAberdeen9 Zac SapsfordDundee United9Ten players8 Source:
Hat-tricks
PlayerForAgainstScore DateRef. Barney StewartFalkirkHibernian4–1 (H)24 January 2026 Tyreece John-JulesKilmarnockSt Mirren4–3 (H)11 February 2026 Youssef ChermitiRangersHeart of Midlothian4–2 (H)15 February 2026Falkirk5–2 (A)16 May 2026
Clean sheets Rank Player Club Cleansheets1 Calum WardMotherwell172 Alexander SchwolowHeart of Midlothian153 Jack ButlandRangers12 Kasper SchmeichelCeltic5 Raphael SallingerHibernian11 Source:
Awards MonthManager of the MonthPlayer of the MonthManagerClubPlayerClub August Derek McInnesHeart of Midlothian Ivan Dolček Dundee United September Lawrence ShanklandHeart of Midlothian October Cláudio Braga November Martin O'Neill Celtic Tawanda MaswanhiseMotherwell December Jens Berthel Askou Motherwell Elliott Watt January Danny Röhl Rangers Tawanda Maswanhise February Jens Berthel Askou Motherwell Youssef Chermiti Rangers March Jim Goodwin Dundee United Barney Stewart Falkirk April Martin O'Neill Celtic Will Ferry Dundee United Annual awards Award Winner Club PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Year Cláudio Braga Heart of Midlothian PFA Scotland SPFL Young Player of the Year Mikey Moore Rangers PFA Scotland SPFL Manager of the Year Derek McInnes Heart of Midlothian PFA Scotland Goal of the Season Youssef Chermiti Rangers
PFA Scotland Team of the Year Goalkeeper Calum Ward(Motherwell) Defenders Paul McGinn(Motherwell) Craig Halkett(Heart of Midlothian) Emmanuel Fernandez(Rangers) Harry Milne(Heart of Midlothian) Midfielders Benjamin Nygren(Celtic) Elliot Watt(Motherwell) Elijah Just(Motherwell) Forwards Tawanda Maswanhise(Motherwell) Lawrence Shankland(Heart of Midlothian) Claudio Braga(Heart of Midlothian)
Premiership play-offs 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.
Qualified teams Team Rank St Mirren 1 Partick Thistle 2 Arbroath 3 Dunfermline Athletic 4
Quarter-final First leg
Second leg
Semi-final First leg
Second leg
Final First leg
Second leg
References
External links Official website