 | |
| Organising bodies | SPFL |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013; 13 years ago (2013) |
| Country | Scotland |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of clubs | 12 |
| Level onpyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Scottish Championship |
| Domestic cup | Scottish Cup |
| League cup | Scottish League Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Conference League |
| Current champions | Celtic (11th title)[note 1] (2024–25) |
| Most championships | Celtic (11 titles)[note 1] |
| Broadcaster(s) | Sky Sports Premier Sports BBC Alba BBC Scotland List of international broadcasters |
| Website | spfl |
| Current:2025–26 Scottish Premiership | |
TheScottish Premiership, also known as theWilliam Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons,[1] is a professionalassociation football league inScotland and the highest level of theScottish football league system. The top division of theScottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the Scottish Premiership was established in July 2013, after the SPFL was formed by a merger of theScottish Premier League andScottish Football League.[2] There are 12 teams in this division, with each team playing 38 matches per season. Seventeen clubs have played in the Scottish Premiership since its creation in the2013–14 season.Celtic are the current league champions, having won the2024–25 Scottish Premiership.
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 the points, goal difference, goals scored, and head-to-head results between teams are equal, a play-off game held at a neutral venue shall be played to determine the final placings. The play-off will only occur when the position of the teams affects the outcome of the title, European qualification, relegation, or second stage group allocation and shall not occur otherwise.[3]
The top flight of Scottish football has contained 12 clubs since the2000–01 season, the longest period without change in the history of theScottish football league system.[4] During this period the Scottish Premier League, and now the Scottish Premiership, has operated a "split" format, that is, split in two phases as is explained below. This is used to prevent the need for a 44-game schedule, based on playing each other four times. That format was used in theScottish Premier Division in the mid-1980s and early 1990s, but it is now too high a number of games in a league season.
A season, which runs from August until May, is divided into two phases. During the first phase, each club plays three games against every other team, either once at home and twice away or vice versa. After this first phase of matches, by which time all clubs have played 33 games, the league splits into two halves – a "top six" section and a "bottom six" section. Each club plays a further five matches, one against each of the other five teams in their own section. Points achieved during the first phase of 33 matches are carried forward to the second phase, but the teams compete only within their own sections during the second phase. After the first phase is completed, clubs cannot move out of their own half in the league, even if they achieve more or fewer points than a higher or lower ranked team, respectively.
At the beginning of each season, the SPFL 'predicts' the likely positions of each club in order to produce a fixture schedule that ensures the best possible chance of all clubs playing each other twice at home and twice away. This is known as the league 'seeding' and is based on clubs' performance in the previous season.[5] If the clubs do not finish in the half where they are predicted to finish, then anomalies can be created in the fixture list. Clubs sometimes play another three times at home and once away (or vice versa),[5][6] or a club can end up playing 20 home (or away) games in a season.[7]
The bottom placed Premiership club at the end of the season is relegated and swaps places with the winner of theScottish Championship,[3] provided that the winner satisfies Premiership entry criteria. With the creation of the SPFL,promotion and relegation play-offs involving the top flight were introduced for the first time in seventeen years.[4][8] The Premiership club in eleventh place plays the Championship play-off winners over two legs, with the winner earning the right to play in the Scottish Premiership the following season.[9] This enables two clubs to be relegated from the Premiership each season, with two being promoted. Prior to the creation of the Scottish Premiership, only a single club could be relegated each season - with only the second tier champions being promoted. TheScottish Football League had used play-offs amongst its three divisions since 2007.[10]
| Rank | Association | Coefficient |
|---|---|---|
 16 |  Switzerland | 31.700 |
| 17 |  Cyprus | 29.787 |
 18 |  Scotland | 29.050 |
| 19 |  Sweden | 28.872 |
| 20 |  Israel | 27.500 |
UEFA grants European places to theScottish Football Association, determined by Scotland's position in theUEFA country coefficient rankings. The Scottish Football Association in turn allocates a number of these European places to final Scottish Premiership positions. At the end of the 2020–21 season, Scotland was ranked 11th in Europe—granting them two teams in theUEFA Champions League, one team in theUEFA Europa League, and two teams in theUEFA Europa Conference League.
At the end of the2022–23 season, the Scottish Premiership winners (Celtic FC) gained qualification to the UEFA Champions League group stage, whilst the second placed team (Rangers FC) entered at the third qualifying round. The third placed team (Aberdeen FC) entered the Europa League in the playoff round, while the fourth place (Heart Of Midlothian FC) got UEFA Europa Conference League 3rd Qualifying Round and fifth place (Hibernian FC) got UEFA Europa Conference League 2nd Qualifying Round.
Scotland's place in the Europa League is awarded to the winners of theScottish Cup. Should the winners of that competition have already qualified for European competition, then the fifth placed team also enters the Europa Conference League second qualifying round, while third placed team (unless they are cup winners themselves) are promoted from Europa Conference League to the Europa League third qualifying round.
The 2017 'Global Sports Salaries Survey' report found a large variation between the wages offered by teams in the Scottish Premiership, with champions Celtic paying an average annual salary of £735,040, per player, whilst traditional rivals Rangers could only pay £329,600 and league runners-up Aberdeen offered £136,382.[11] The lowest salary offered by any of the twelve member clubs was Hamilton's £41,488—one seventeenth that of Celtic, whose wages were close to the sum of the other eleven clubs combined.[11]
The report stated that this disparity was the third-greatest from the 18 leagues surveyed, and that the Scottish Premiership offered the third-lowest salaries of those leagues; by contrast, Celtic's opponents in the Champions League that year paid average wages of £6.5m (Paris Saint-Germain) and £5.2m (Bayern Munich), seven times higher than the Scottish club.[11]
The 12 clubs listed below will compete in the Scottish Premiership during the2025–26 season.
| Club | Location | Position in2024–25 | First season in top division | No. of seasons in top division | First season of current spell in top division | No. of seasons of current spell | National titles | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Aberdeen | 5th, Scottish Premiership | 1905–06 | 114 | 1905–06 | 114 | 4 | 1984–85 |
| Celtic | Glasgow(Parkhead) | 1st, Scottish Premiership (champions) | 1890–91 | 129 | 1890–91 | 129 | 55 | 2024–25 |
| Dundee | Dundee | 10th, Scottish Premiership | 1893–94 | 101 | 2023–24 | 3 | 1 | 1961–62 |
| Dundee United | Dundee | 4th, Scottish Premiership | 1925–26 | 64 | 2024–25 | 2 | 1 | 1982–83 |
| Falkirk | Falkirk | 1st, Scottish Championship (promoted) | 1905-06 | 67 | 2025–26 | 1 | — | — |
| Heart of Midlothian | Edinburgh(Gorgie) | 7th, Scottish Premiership | 1890–91 | 123 | 2021–22 | 5 | 4 | 1959–60 |
| Hibernian | Edinburgh(Leith) | 3rd, Scottish Premiership | 1895–96 | 119 | 2017–18 | 9 | 4 | 1951–52 |
| Kilmarnock | Kilmarnock | 9th, Scottish Premiership | 1899–1900 | 96 | 2022–23 | 4 | 1 | 1964–65 |
| Livingston | Livingston | 2nd Scottish Championship (promoted) | 2001-02 | 12 | 2025–26 | 1 | — | — |
| Motherwell | Motherwell | 8th, Scottish Premiership | 1903–04 | 110 | 1985–86 | 41 | 1 | 1931–32 |
| Rangers | Glasgow(Ibrox) | 2nd, Scottish Premiership | 1890–91 | 125 | 2016–17 | 10 | 55 | 2020–21 |
| St Mirren | Paisley | 6th, Scottish Premiership | 1890–91 | 115 | 2018–19 | 8 | — | — |
| Aberdeen | Celtic | Dundee | Dundee United | Falkirk | Heart of Midlothian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittodrie Stadium | Celtic Park | Dens Park | Tannadice Park | Falkirk Stadium | Tynecastle Park |
| Capacity:20,866 | Capacity:60,411 | Capacity:11,775 | Capacity:14,223 | Capacity:7,937 | Capacity:19,852 |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Hibernian | Kilmarnock | Livingston | Motherwell | Rangers | St Mirren |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easter Road | Rugby Park | Almondvale Stadium | Fir Park | Ibrox Stadium | St Mirren Park |
| Capacity:20,421 | Capacity:15,003 | Capacity:9,713 | Capacity:13,677 | Capacity:51,700 | Capacity:7,937 |
 |  |  |  |  | .jpg) |
UEFA 5-year Club Ranking after 2024/25 season:[12]
Rangers (71.250)
Celtic (38.000)Heart of Midlothian (11.500)Aberdeen (9.500)Kilmarnock (2.500)St Mirren (2.000)Hibernian (4.500)Dundee United (2.000)Motherwell (3.500)St Johnstone (2.500)| Manager | Nationality | Club | Appointed | Time as manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Martindale | Scotland | Livingston | 26 November 2020 | 5 years, 79 days |
| Stephen Robinson |  Northern Ireland | St Mirren | 22 February 2022 | 3 years, 356 days |
| John McGlynn | Scotland | Falkirk | 4 May 2022 | 3 years, 285 days |
| Jim Goodwin |  Ireland | Dundee United | 1 March 2023 | 2 years, 349 days |
| David Gray | Scotland | Hibernian | 14 May 2024 | 1 year, 275 days |
| Derek McInnes | Scotland | Heart of Midlothian | 19 May 2025 | 270 days |
| Steven Pressley | Scotland | Dundee | 2 June 2025 | 256 days |
| Jens Berthel Askou |  Denmark | Motherwell | 12 June 2025 | 246 days |
| Danny Röhl |  Germany | Rangers | 20 October 2025 | 116 days |
| Vacant | N/A | Aberdeen | 4 January 2026 | 40 days |
| Martin O'Neill | Northern Ireland | Celtic | 5 January 2026 | 39 days |
| Neil McCann | Scotland | Kilmarnock | 6 January 2026 | 38 days |
| Season | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Tartan Boot | Players' Player of the Year | Writers' Player of the Year | SPFL Premiership Player of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Celtic | Motherwell | Aberdeen | Kris Commons,27 (Celtic) | Kris Commons (Celtic) | Kris Commons (Celtic) | Not awarded |
| 2014–15 | Celtic | Aberdeen | Inverness CT | Adam Rooney,20 (Aberdeen) | Stefan Johansen (Celtic) | Craig Gordon (Celtic) | Not awarded |
| 2015–16 | Celtic | Aberdeen | Heart of Midlothian | Leigh Griffiths,31 (Celtic) | Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) | Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) | Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) |
| 2016–17 | Celtic | Aberdeen | Rangers | Liam Boyce,23 (Ross County) | Scott Sinclair (Celtic) | Scott Sinclair (Celtic) | Scott Brown (Celtic) |
| 2017–18 | Celtic | Aberdeen | Rangers | Kris Boyd,18 (Kilmarnock) | Scott Brown (Celtic) | Scott Brown (Celtic) | Scott Brown (Celtic) |
| 2018–19 | Celtic | Rangers | Kilmarnock | Alfredo Morelos,18 (Rangers) | James Forrest (Celtic) | James Forrest (Celtic) | James Forrest (Celtic) |
| 2019–20[a] | Celtic | Rangers | Motherwell | Odsonne Édouard,22 (Celtic) | Not awarded | Odsonne Édouard (Celtic) | Not awarded |
| 2020–21 | Rangers | Celtic | Hibernian | Odsonne Édouard,18 (Celtic) | James Tavernier (Rangers) | Steven Davis (Rangers) | Allan McGregor (Rangers) |
| 2021–22 | Celtic | Rangers | Heart of Midlothian | Regan Charles-Cook13 (Ross County) Giorgos Giakoumakis13 (Celtic) | Callum McGregor (Celtic) | Craig Gordon (Heart of Midlothian) | Craig Gordon (Heart of Midlothian) |
| 2022–23 | Celtic | Rangers | Aberdeen | Kyogo Furuhashi27 (Celtic) | Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) | Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) | Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) |
| 2023–24 | Celtic | Rangers | Heart of Midlothian | Lawrence Shankland24 (Heart of Midlothian) | Lawrence Shankland (Heart of Midlothian) | Lawrence Shankland (Heart of Midlothian) | Lawrence Shankland (Heart of Midlothian) |
| 2024–25 | Celtic | Rangers | Hibernian | Cyriel Dessers18 (Rangers) | Daizen Maeda (Celtic) | Daizen Maeda (Celtic) | Daizen Maeda (Celtic) |
As of 2025, Scotland's top-flight league championship has been won 55 times each byRangers andCeltic. Nine other clubs have won the remaining 19 championships, with three clubs tied for third place with 4 apiece. The last time the championship was won by a club other than Rangers or Celtic was in1984–85, by Aberdeen.
| Rank | Player | Goals | Apps | Ratio | First | Last | Club(s) (goals/apps) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leigh Griffiths | 92 | 188 | 0.49 | 2014 | 2022 | Celtic (90/173),Dundee (2/15) | [note 4] |
| 2 |  James Tavernier | 91 | 336 | 0.27 | 2016 | 2026 | Rangers | |
| 3 |  Alfredo Morelos | 78 | 178 | 0.44 | 2017 | 2023 | Rangers | |
| 4 | Lawrence Shankland | 75 | 177 | 0.42 | 2013 | 2026 | Aberdeen (0/17),Dundee United (8/33),Heart of Midlothian (67/127) | |
| 5 |  Odsonne Édouard | 66 | 116 | 0.57 | 2017 | 2021 | Celtic | |
| Adam Rooney | 66 | 151 | 0.44 | 2014 | 2018 | Aberdeen | [note 4] | |
| 7 |  Kyōgo Furuhashi | 63 | 116 | 0.54 | 2021 | 2025 | Celtic | |
 Martin Boyle | 63 | 247 | 0.26 | 2014 | 2026 | Dundee (0/18),Hibernian (63/229) | [note 4] | |
| 9 | Liam Boyce | 62 | 166 | 0.37 | 2014 | 2025 | Ross County (48/99),Heart of Midlothian (14/67) | |
| 10 | James Forrest | 60 | 287 | 0.21 | 2013 | 2026 | Celtic | [note 4] |
The SPFL's domestic TV broadcast deal currently ranks 16th in Europe among European leagues.
| Country/region | Broadcaster | Language | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
 United Kingdom | Sky Sports | English | Up to 60 live Premiership matches per season from 2024 to 2029 and the play-off final. Saturday-night goal highlights onSky Sports News.[22][23] |
| Premier Sports | 20 live Premiership pre-split matches per season from 2024 to 2029 and 2 live bottom six post-split matches from 2025 to 2029.[24][25] This is in addition to live Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup. | ||
| BBC Sport Scotland | Saturday-night Scottish Premiership Highlights of matches from that day. Extended Sunday-night Scottish Premiership highlights with full weekend review, 30 live Friday-night Scottish Championship matches,[26] the Scottish Premiership Play-Off quarter-final and semi-final, and every Scotland Men's National Team match matches live, until the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Friday night magazine programmeA View from the Terrace. Online and social media highlights also. | ||
| STV | Goal clips during the sport section of theirSTV News at Six programme. | ||
| BBC Alba | Gaelic | 38 delayed matches on Saturday evenings, 10 live League one matches and live Championship and League One playoff matches. | |
| Worldwide | YouTube | English (N/A) | 6-10 minute highlights of all Premiership matches as well as Championship, League One and League Two goals available without commentary/narration via theSPFL YouTube channel. |
| Country/region | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 Albania | Tring Sport |
| Australia | beIN Sports |
 New Zealand | |
 Armenia | Setanta Sports |
 Azerbaijan | |
 Belarus | |
 Estonia | |
 Georgia | |
 Kazakhstan | |
 Kyrgyzstan | |
 Latvia | |
 Lithuania | |
 Moldova | |
 Tajikistan | |
 Uzbekistan | |
 Ukraine | |
 Austria | Sportdigital |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | Arena Sport |
 Croatia | |
 Montenegro | |
 North Macedonia | |
 Serbia | |
 Slovenia | |
 Brazil | Canal GOAT |
| Caribbean | ESPN |
 China | Zhibo.tv |
 Czech Republic | Premier Sport |
 Slovakia | |
| Denmark | Viaplay |
 Finland | |
 Iceland | |
 Norway | |
| Sweden | |
| Germany | Sportdigital |
 Greece | Cosmote Sport |
 Hungary | Arena4 |
 Indonesia | SPOTV |
 Macau | |
 Philippines | |
 Singapore | |
| Ireland | Sky Sports |
| Israel | Sport 5 |
 Italy | Como TV |
| Latin America | ESPN |
 Liechtenstein | Sport1 |
 MENA | Sharjah Sports |
 Netherlands | Ziggo Sport |
 Poland | Polsat Sport |
 Portugal | Sport TV |
 Romania | Digi Sport |
 Russia | Match TV |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | ESPN |
| Switzerland | Sportdigital |
 Taiwan | ELTA |
 Thailand | True Sports |
 Turkey | TRT SPOR, S Sport |
 United States | CBS Sports Network /Paramount+[27] |
 Puerto Rico |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| National teams | |
| League system | |
| Cup competitions | |
| Junior football | |
| Amateur football | |
| Welfare football | |
