 | |
| Founded | 2013; 12 years ago (2013) |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of clubs | 10 |
| Level onpyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Scottish Premiership |
| Relegation to | Scottish League One |
| Domestic cup | Scottish Cup |
| League cup(s) | Scottish League Cup Scottish Challenge Cup |
| Current champions | Falkirk (1st title)[note 1] (2024–25) |
| Most championships | Dundee Dundee United Heart of Midlothian (2 titles)[note 1] |
| Broadcaster(s) | BBC Scotland BBC ALBA |
| Website | spfl |
| Current:2025–26 Scottish Championship | |
TheScottish Championship known as theWilliam Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the second tier of theScottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professionalfootball clubs inScotland. The Scottish Championship was established in July 2013, after the Scottish Professional Football League was formed by a merger of theScottish Premier League andScottish Football League.[2]
Teams receivethree points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, thengoal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crownedleague champion. If points are equal, the goal difference determines the winner. If this still does not result in a winner, the tied teams must take part in a playoff game at a neutral venue to determine the final placings.[3]
The champions are directly promoted to theScottish Premiership, swapping places with the bottom club of the Premiership.[3]The clubs finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th then enter the two-legged Premiership play-off. The 3rd-placed club plays the 4th-placed club, with the winner then playing the 2nd-placed club. The winner of that game then plays against the 11th-placed Premiership club. If the Championship play-off winner prevails, the club is promoted and the Premiership club is relegated; otherwise, the Premiership club remains in its league while the Championship club is not promoted.[3]
For promotion and relegation, the Championship play-off system closely mirrors its Premiership counterpart—the bottom-ranked club in the Championship is automatically relegated while the 9th-placed club undergoes a play-off with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed clubs fromLeague One.[3]
Listed below are all the teams competing in the2025–26 Scottish Championship season, with details of the first season they entered the second tier; the first season of their current spell in the second tier; and the last time they won the second tier.
| Team | Position in2024–25 | First season in second tier | First season of current spell in second tier | Last second tier title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airdrieonians | 9th, Scottish Championship | 2004–05 | 2023–24 | — |
| Arbroath | 1st, Scottish League One (promoted) | 1921–22 | 2025–26 | — |
| Ayr United | 3rd, Scottish Championship | 1910–11 | 2018–19 | 1965–66 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 7th, Scottish Championship | 1912–13 | 2023–24 | 2010–11 |
| Greenock Morton | 6th, Scottish Championship | 1893–94 | 2015–16 | 1986–87 |
| Partick Thistle | 4th, Scottish Championship | 1893–94 | 2021–22 | 2012–13 |
| Queen's Park | 8th, Scottish Championship | 1922–23 | 2022–23 | 1955–56 |
| Raith Rovers | 5th, Scottish Championship | 1902–03 | 2020–21 | 1994–95 |
| Ross County | 11th, Scottish Premiership (relegated) | 2000-01 | 2025–26 | 2018-19 |
| St Johnstone | 12th, Scottish Premiership (relegated) | 1911–12 | 2025–26 | 2008–09 |
| Airdrieonians | Arbroath | Ayr United | Dunfermline Athletic | Greenock Morton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior Stadium | Gayfield Park | Somerset Park | East End Park | Cappielow Park |
| Capacity:10,101 | Capacity:6,056 | Capacity:10,185 | Capacity:11,480 | Capacity:11,589 |
 |  |  |  |  |
| Partick Thistle | Queen's Park | Raith Rovers | Ross County | St Johnstone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firhill Stadium | Lesser Hampden | Stark's Park | Victoria Park | McDiarmid Park |
| Capacity:10,887 | Capacity:900 | Capacity:8,867 | Capacity:6,541 | Capacity:10,696 |
 | .jpg) |  |  |  |
| Rank | Player | Club(s)[note 3] | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Dobbie | Queen of the South (2016–2021) | 69 |
| 2 | Jason Cummings | Hibernian (2014–2017) Dundee (2020–2021) | 63 |
| 3 | Lawrence Shankland | St Mirren (2015–2017) Greenock Morton (2017) Ayr United (2018–2019) Dundee United (2019–2020) | 62 |
| 4 | Nicky Clark | Rangers (2014–2016) Dunfermline Athletic (2016–2018) Dundee United (2018–2020) | 54 |
| 5 | Derek Lyle | Queen of the South (2013–2018) | 51 |
Italics denotes players still playing professional football,
Bold denotes players still playing in the Scottish Championship.
