The Scottish Premiership

The Scottish Premiership is the highest level of professional league football in Scotland. It features many of the country’s best-known clubs, historic stadiums and fiercest rivalries.

Currently known as the William Hill Premiership for sponsorship purposes, the division sits at the top of the Scottish Professional Football League, commonly known as the SPFL.

Twelve clubs compete for the Scottish championship, European qualification and survival in the top flight.

History of the Scottish Premiership

Organised league football in Scotland began in 1890 with the formation of the Scottish Football League.

The modern Scottish Premier League was created in 1998 when the leading clubs separated from the Scottish Football League. It remained Scotland’s top division until 2013.

In June 2013, the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League merged to form the Scottish Professional Football League. The top division was renamed the Scottish Premiership.

Although the competition’s name and organisation have changed, Scottish top-flight championship records extend back to the first league season in 1890–91.

Celtic and Rangers have dominated much of that history, although clubs including Aberdeen, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Dundee United and Kilmarnock have also made important contributions to Scotland’s top division.

How the Scottish Premiership Works

The Scottish Premiership contains 12 clubs, with each team normally playing 38 league matches during the season.

The competition is divided into two stages.

During the first stage, every club plays the other 11 teams three times. This gives each team 33 matches.

After those matches have been completed, the table is divided into two groups:

The top six
The bottom six

Each club then plays one further match against the other five teams in its section, producing a final total of 38 matches.

All points and goals from the first 33 matches are carried forward. Once the split has taken place, a club in the bottom six cannot finish above a club in the top six, even if it finishes with more points.

The split allows the clubs competing for the championship and European qualification to play one another during the closing weeks. At the same time, the teams threatened by relegation face their direct rivals.

Points and League Positions

Clubs receive three points for a victory, one point for a draw and no points for a defeat.

The club finishing with the most points is crowned Scottish champion.

When teams finish level on points, league position is decided using criteria that include goal difference and goals scored.

Promotion and Relegation

The club finishing 12th in the Scottish Premiership is automatically relegated to the Scottish Championship.

The team finishing 11th enters the Premiership play-offs.

Clubs finishing second, third and fourth in the Scottish Championship compete in preliminary play-off rounds. The eventual winner then faces the 11th-placed Premiership club in a two-legged final.

The winner of that final earns a place in the Scottish Premiership for the following season.

This means one or two clubs can be relegated from the Premiership each year.

Qualification for European Competitions

The highest-placed Scottish Premiership clubs can qualify for UEFA competitions, including:

The UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Conference League

The Scottish Cup winners can also earn a European place.

The number of qualifying clubs and the rounds at which they enter can change according to Scotland’s position in the UEFA association rankings. European places can also move down the league table when the Scottish Cup winners have already qualified through their league position.

Scottish Premiership Clubs in 2026–27

The clubs competing in the 2026–27 Scottish Premiership are:

Famous Scottish Premiership Rivalries

The Premiership contains some of British football’s oldest and most passionate rivalries.

The best known is the Glasgow rivalry between Celtic and Rangers. Meetings between the clubs attract enormous attention in Scotland and around the world, and the results can have a major influence on the championship.

Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian contest the Edinburgh derby, while Dundee and Dundee United meet in the Dundee derby. Their grounds, Dens Park and Tannadice, are situated only a short distance apart.

Other fixtures have developed strong competitive traditions through geography, history and repeated battles for trophies or league positions.

Scottish Premiership Champions

Celtic became the 2025–26 Scottish Premiership champions after defeating Heart of Midlothian on the final day of the season.

It was Celtic’s fifth consecutive league championship and their 56th Scottish top-flight title.

Since the Scottish Premiership name was introduced in 2013–14, Celtic have won the competition 12 times and Rangers once.

Scottish Premiership Champions

Season	Champions
2013–14	Celtic
2014–15	Celtic
2015–16	Celtic
2016–17	Celtic
2017–18	Celtic
2018–19	Celtic
2019–20	Celtic
2020–21	Rangers
2021–22	Celtic
2022–23	Celtic
2023–24	Celtic
2024–25	Celtic
2025–26	Celtic

Scottish Premiership Records

Celtic recorded the highest points total of the Scottish Premiership era when they collected 106 points during the 2016–17 season.

They completed all 38 league matches without defeat, winning 34 and drawing four. The club also remained unbeaten throughout its entire domestic campaign.

Leigh Griffiths holds the record for the most goals in a Scottish Premiership season, scoring 31 league goals for Celtic in 2015–16.

The 2019–20 season was brought to an early end because of the coronavirus pandemic. Celtic were declared champions using points per game, while Heart of Midlothian were relegated.

At the end of the 2025–26 season, Celtic held the record for the most Scottish league championships with 56, followed by Rangers with 55.

Scottish Premiership Stadiums and Supporters

Scottish football is renowned for its passionate supporters and distinctive grounds.

Celtic Park and Ibrox are the division’s largest stadiums and regularly attract some of the biggest attendances in British football.

Pittodrie, Easter Road, Tynecastle Park, Rugby Park, Fir Park, Dens Park and Tannadice are among the other historic venues associated with Scotland’s top division.

The smaller size of the league means clubs meet frequently, helping to create familiarity, rivalry and competitive matches throughout the season.

Watching the Scottish Premiership

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, live Scottish Premiership coverage is provided by Sky Sports and Premier Sports.

Sky Sports holds the rights to show up to 60 live Premiership matches each season. Premier Sports can show up to 22 matches, including selected fixtures after the league split.

Television and streaming arrangements outside the United Kingdom vary by country and may change between seasons.

Why Follow the Scottish Premiership?

The Scottish Premiership combines historic clubs, passionate support and high-pressure competition.

The championship race attracts international attention, but there is also considerable interest in European qualification, the battle to reach the top six and the fight to avoid relegation.

The division has also helped develop numerous players who have progressed to the English Premier League, major European competitions and international football.

With important matches throughout the table and the added drama of the league split, the Scottish Premiership regularly produces an exciting conclusion to the season.