Scottish Premiership facts for kids
| Founded | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Scottish Championship |
| Domestic cup(s) | Scottish Cup |
| League cup(s) | Scottish League Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Conference League |
| Current champions | Celtic (11th title) (2024–25) |
| Most championships | Celtic (11 titles) |
| TV partners | Sky Sports Premier Sports BBC Alba BBC Scotland List of international broadcasters |
The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is Scotland's top football league for men's teams. It is the highest level in the Scottish football league system. This league is part of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). It started in July 2013 when two older leagues joined together.
There are 12 teams in the Scottish Premiership. Each team plays 38 games every season. Since the league began in the 2013–14 season, sixteen different clubs have played in it. Currently, Celtic are the champions. They won the 2024–25 Scottish Premiership season.
Contents
How the Competition Works
Teams get three points for a win and one point for a draw. If they lose, they get no points. Teams are ranked by how many points they have. If points are tied, they look at goal difference (goals scored minus goals against). If that's also tied, they look at the total goals scored.
At the end of the season, the team with the most points wins the league title. If teams are tied for the title, a European spot, or relegation, they might play an extra game. This game happens at a neutral stadium to decide who finishes where.
The League Split
The top football league in Scotland has had 12 clubs since the 2000–01 season. This is the longest time without changes in Scottish football history. The Scottish Premiership uses a "split" format. This means the season is divided into two parts. This helps avoid playing too many games, like 44 games in one season.
A season runs from August to May. In the first part, each club plays every other team three times. This means each team plays 33 games. After these games, the league "splits" into two groups. There's a "top six" group and a "bottom six" group.
Each club then plays five more matches. They play against the other five teams in their own group. The points from the first 33 games carry over to the second part. However, teams can only compete within their own group in the second part. Once the split happens, a team cannot move out of its group, even if they get more or fewer points than a team in the other group.
At the start of each season, the SPFL tries to guess where each club will finish. This helps them create the game schedule. It tries to make sure each club plays twice at home and twice away against others. This is called "seeding." Sometimes, if teams don't finish where they were expected, the schedule can get a bit uneven. A team might play 20 home games or 20 away games in a season.
Moving Up and Down the League
At the end of each season, the team in last place in the Premiership moves down to the Scottish Championship. The winner of the Scottish Championship moves up to the Premiership. This can only happen if the Championship winner meets the Premiership rules.
Since the SPFL started, there are also play-off games. The team in 11th place in the Premiership plays against the winners of the Championship play-offs. These play-offs involve teams from the Championship. The winner of this two-game play-off gets to play in the Scottish Premiership next season. This means up to two teams can move down from the Premiership each season, and two can move up.
Playing in European Competitions
UEFA is the main football body in Europe. It gives European competition spots to the Scottish Football Association. The number of spots depends on Scotland's ranking in Europe. This ranking is called the UEFA country coefficient.
The Scottish Football Association then gives these spots to teams based on their final positions in the Scottish Premiership. After the 2020–21 season, Scotland was ranked 11th in Europe. This meant two Scottish teams could play in the UEFA Champions League. One team could play in the UEFA Europa League. And two teams could play in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
At the end of the 2022–23 season, the Scottish Premiership winners, Celtic FC, went straight into the UEFA Champions League group stage. The second-placed team, Rangers FC, entered the Champions League at an earlier stage. The third-placed team, Aberdeen FC, entered the Europa League. The fourth and fifth-placed teams, Heart Of Midlothian FC and Hibernian FC, entered the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The winner of the Scottish Cup also gets a spot in the Europa League. If the Scottish Cup winner has already qualified for Europe through their league position, then the fifth-placed team in the Premiership gets a spot in the Europa Conference League. Also, the third-placed team might move up to the Europa League.
Money Differences Between Clubs
A report in 2017 looked at how much money teams in the Scottish Premiership paid their players. It found big differences. For example, champions Celtic paid their players an average of £735,040 per year. Their rivals Rangers paid £329,600. The team that finished second, Aberdeen, paid £136,382. The team that paid the least was Hamilton, with £41,488. This was much less than Celtic.
This report showed that the money difference between teams in Scotland was one of the biggest among 18 leagues studied. Also, the Scottish Premiership paid some of the lowest salaries overall compared to other leagues. For example, Celtic's opponents in the Champions League that year paid their players much, much more.
Clubs in the League
The 12 clubs listed below will play in the Scottish Premiership during the 2025–26 season.
| Club | Location | Position in 2024–25 | 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 |
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| 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 |
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- Club Ranking
Here's how Scottish clubs rank in Europe after the 2024/25 season, based on their performance in European competitions over the last five years:
- 25. Rangers (71.250 points)
- 59. Celtic (38.000 points)
- 138. Heart of Midlothian (11.500 points)
- 161. Aberdeen (9.500 points)
- 205. Kilmarnock (2.500 points)
- 206 St Mirren (2.000 points)
- 207. Hibernian (4.500 points)
- 208. Dundee United (2.000 points)
- 209. Motherwell (3.500 points)
- 210. St Johnstone (2.500 points)
League Statistics
Championship Winners
The table below shows the winners, runners-up, and third-place teams for each Scottish Premiership season. It also lists the top goalscorer (Tartan Boot) and the best players of the year.
| Season | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Tartan Boot (Top Scorer) | 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 | 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-Cook 13 (Ross County) Giorgos Giakoumakis 13 (Celtic) |
Callum McGregor (Celtic) | Craig Gordon (Heart of Midlothian) | Craig Gordon (Heart of Midlothian) |
| 2022–23 | Celtic | Rangers | Aberdeen | Kyogo Furuhashi 27 (Celtic) | Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) | Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) | Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) |
| 2023–24 | Celtic | Rangers | Heart of Midlothian | Lawrence Shankland 24 (Heart of Midlothian) | Lawrence Shankland (Heart of Midlothian) | Lawrence Shankland (Heart of Midlothian) | Lawrence Shankland (Heart of Midlothian) |
| 2024–25 | Celtic | Rangers | Hibernian | Cyriel Dessers 18 (Rangers) | Daizen Maeda (Celtic) | Daizen Maeda (Celtic) | Daizen Maeda (Celtic) |
As of 2025, the top football league in Scotland has been won 55 times each by Rangers and Celtic. Nine other clubs have won the remaining 19 championships. Three clubs are tied for third place with 4 wins each. The last time a club other than Rangers or Celtic won the championship was in 1984–85, when Aberdeen won it.
Records and Awards
Here are some interesting records from the Scottish Premiership:
- Biggest home win: Rangers 8–0 Hamilton Academical, 8 November 2020
- Biggest away win: Dundee United 0–9 Celtic, 28 August 2022
- Most goals in a game: Hibernian 5–5 Rangers, 13 May 2018
- Most points in a season: 106; Celtic, 2016–17
- Fewest points in a season: 21; Dundee, 2018–19
- Most wins in a season: 34; Celtic, 2016–17
- Fewest wins in a season: 5; Dundee, 2018–19; Livingston, 2023–24
- Most draws in a season: 15; Dundee, 2015–16
- Fewest draws in a season: 3; St Mirren, 2014–15; Celtic, 2022–23; Aberdeen, 2022–23
- Most defeats in a season: 27; Dundee, 2018–19
- Fewest defeats in a season: 0; Celtic, 2016–17; Rangers, 2020–21
- Most goals scored in a season: 114; Celtic, 2022–23
- Fewest goals scored in a season: 24; St Johnstone, 2021–22
- Most goals conceded in a season: 78; Dundee, 2018–19
- Fewest goals conceded in a season: 13; Rangers, 2020–21
- Fastest goal: Kris Boyd, for Kilmarnock against Ross County, 10 seconds, 28 January 2017
- Highest transfer fee paid: Arne Engels, from FC Augsburg to Celtic, £11 million, 30 August 2024
- Highest transfer fee received:Matt O'Riley, from Celtic to Brighton, £25 million, 26 August 2024
- Most hat-tricks: Liam Boyce and Leigh Griffiths, 4 each
- Youngest player: Dylan Reid, for St Mirren v Rangers, 16 years and 5 days, 6 March 2021
- Youngest goalscorer: Jack Aitchison, for Celtic v Motherwell, 16 years and 71 days
Top Goalscorers
This table shows the players who have scored the most goals in the Scottish Premiership.
- Bold means the player is still playing in the Scottish Premiership.
- Italics means the player is still playing professional football in other leagues.
| 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) | |
| 2 |  James Tavernier |
84 | 312 | 0.27 | 2016 | 2025 | Rangers | |
| 3 |  Alfredo Morelos |
78 | 178 | 0.44 | 2017 | 2023 | Rangers | |
| 4 |  Odsonne Édouard |
66 | 116 | 0.57 | 2017 | 2021 | Celtic | |
 Adam Rooney |
66 | 151 | 0.44 | 2014 | 2018 | Aberdeen | ||
| 6 | Lawrence Shankland |
64 | 155 | 0.41 | 2013 | 2025 | Aberdeen (0/17), Dundee United (8/33), Heart of Midlothian (56/105) | |
| 7 |  Kyogo Furuhashi |
63 | 116 | 0.54 | 2021 | 2025 | Celtic | |
| 8 |  Liam Boyce |
62 | 166 | 0.37 | 2014 | 2025 | Ross County (48/99), Heart of Midlothian (14/67) | |
| 9 | Billy Mckay |
59 | 185 | 0.32 | 2013 | 2021 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle (32/78), Dundee United (12/29), Ross County (15/78) | |
| James Forrest |
59 | 270 | 0.22 | 2013 | 2025 | Celtic |
Watching the Games (Broadcasting Rights)
The SPFL's TV deal for showing games in Scotland is currently ranked 16th among European leagues.
| Country/region | Broadcaster | Language | What they show |
|---|---|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
Sky Sports | English | Up to 60 live Premiership matches each season from 2024 to 2029. Also, the play-off final. They show goal highlights on Saturday nights on Sky Sports News. |
| Premier Sports | 20 live Premiership matches before the league split each season from 2024 to 2029. Also, 2 live matches from the bottom six group after the split from 2025 to 2029. They also show live Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup games. | ||
| BBC Sport Scotland | Highlights of Scottish Premiership matches on Saturday nights. Longer highlights and a full weekend review on Sunday nights. They also show 30 live Friday-night Scottish Championship matches. Plus, the Scottish Premiership Play-Off quarter-final and semi-final. All Scotland Men's National Team matches are live until the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They have a Friday night show called A View from the Terrace. You can also find highlights online and on social media. | ||
| STV | Short goal clips during the sports section of their STV News at Six programme. | ||
| BBC Alba | Gaelic | 38 matches shown later on Saturday evenings. 10 live League One matches and live Championship and League One play-off matches. | |
| Worldwide | YouTube | English (N/A) | 6-10 minute highlights of all Premiership matches. Also, goals from Championship, League One, and League Two. These are available without commentary on the SPFL YouTube channel. |
International Broadcasts
Football fans around the world can watch the Scottish Premiership on different TV channels.
See also
In Spanish: Scottish Premiership para niños
- List of association football competitions
- List of professional sports teams in the United Kingdom
- Scottish Women's Premier League
External links
- Official SPFL Website: https://spfl.co.uk/
pt:Scottish Premiership
