Premiership season set to begin

By Amelia Stockwell — 30 July 2026 — 3 min read

Premiership season set to begin

The Scottish Premiership is scheduled to return this Friday for the 2026-27 season. This follows a period of recovery after the World Cup. The previous season saw Celtic secure their 56th top-flight title, overcoming Hearts on the final day.

Ahead of the new campaign, the Opta supercomputer conducted 10,000 simulations to project the season’s outcome. Celtic emerged as champions in 55.36% of these simulations, indicating they are considered strong contenders. This projection is consistent with their record of winning 14 of the last 15 Scottish top-flight titles.

Celtic and Rangers prepare for new campaign

Celtic, under manager Martin O’Neill, are looking to build on their domestic double from last season. O’Neill, who returned to the club in January after an initial interim spell, has overseen his first pre-season in club football since 2012. The club has made two signings this summer: Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh, for reported combined fees of around £15m. However, Daizen Maeda has departed to join Ipswich Town.

There has been some discussion among supporters regarding the transfer activity, with some hoping for more additions before the domestic season commences. Celtic have been linked with Real Oviedo and Egypt winger Haissem Hassan, as well as Paderborn midfielder Mika Baur. O’Neill has expressed a desire to bring in quality players. Celtic will begin their season at home against Dundee.

Derek McInnes, who was previously with Hearts, has joined Rangers. The club has seen some changes in its squad, with long-term captain James Tavernier, goalkeeper Jack Butland, and forward Oliver Antman all having left. In terms of arrivals, South Africa defender Olwethu Makhanya is among the new recruits, while Lawrence Shankland has been appointed skipper. The acquisition of young Serbia international midfielder Vanja Dragojevic is also noted. Rangers will start their season away to Dundee United on Friday.

Hearts aim to rebound after close title race

Hearts were close to securing the league title last season, leading the table for a significant period and holding that position heading into the final weekend. They needed to avoid defeat against Celtic at Celtic Park but ultimately lost. This result denied them their first league crown since 1960. The team’s backbone has seen changes, with Derek McInnes, Lawrence Shankland, and Cammy Devlin departing. Wouter Vrancken has arrived from Sint-Truiden as the new manager.

The Opta supercomputer’s simulations indicate that Hearts won the title in 11.86% of the 10,000 simulations, making them the only other side besides Celtic and Rangers to win the title in more than 10% of the simulations. This suggests they are considered a potential threat if the top two teams do not perform consistently. Hearts’ season has already included a loss at Sturm Graz in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier, followed by a defeat at home in the second leg.

Other managerial changes across the league include Alfred Johansson at Motherwell and Craig McLeish at St Mirren, who are both starting permanent tenures. Motherwell has lost key players such as Elliot Watt and Elijah Just but has retained players like Tawanda Maswanhise and Lukas Fadinger. The new season begins on Friday.

Source: bbc.co.uk