Scottish Premiership 2026/27: Can the New Season Surpass a Classic Campaign?

The Scottish Premiership returns this week with all six opening-weekend matches being shown live on Sky Sports for the first time, but the biggest question surrounding the new campaign is whether it can possibly match the drama of the 2025/26 season.

Just over 10 weeks ago, Celtic Park hosted one of the most significant league matches in Scottish football history. Celtic and Hearts entered the final day level in a title race that captivated audiences across the world. Hearts were minutes away from winning their first top-flight title in 66 years before Celtic completed a dramatic comeback to secure their 13th championship in the last 14 seasons.

That finale would normally be impossible to follow, yet the summer has already transformed the landscape of Scottish football through managerial changes, major transfers and extensive squad rebuilding across the league.

Hearts reshaped after heartbreak

Hearts came agonisingly close to making history, but the aftermath has been just as dramatic as the title race itself.

Captain Lawrence Shankland and manager Derek McInnes both left Tynecastle for Rangers only weeks after the final-day defeat. Shankland became Rangers’ first major signing of the summer after a contract clause allowed him to move, while McInnes was appointed as the new head coach at Ibrox.

Rangers have continued their rebuild with several additional signings, including influential Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin, who has been reunited with Shankland and will help strengthen the squad for the new season.

Hearts, meanwhile, have turned to Belgian manager Wouter Vrancken. The club has undergone a significant overhaul, with ten arrivals and ten departures as part of a long-term project aimed at eventually challenging for the title.

Celtic begin another era under Martin O’Neill

Celtic have also entered a new chapter, with Martin O’Neill returning for what is technically a fourth spell at the club.

The 74-year-old guided Celtic to a domestic double last season and has chosen to continue despite expectations that he might retire again. O’Neill has spent much of the summer defending the club’s transfer strategy as supporters grow increasingly frustrated by the slow pace of recruitment.

Several key players have departed, including Daizen Maeda, Kelechi Iheanacho, Marcelo Saracchi and Kasper Schmeichel. Celtic have responded by signing Camilo Duran and completing a club-record £11 million move for striker Kasper Høgh, while talks continue with additional targets.

Returning faces and fresh starts

Elsewhere, St Mirren have handed the managerial position to Craig McLeish after he successfully guided the club through the relegation play-offs last season.

However, McLeish faces a major rebuilding job after losing 12 first-team players, including captain Mark O’Hara and leading scorer Mikael Mandron.

Motherwell have experienced perhaps the most significant upheaval of any club in the division. Manager Jens Berthel Askou has left for Toulouse, while several of the club’s standout performers have departed, including Elijah Just, Elliot Watt, Calum Ward and Callum Slattery.

Their replacement, Alfred Johansson, arrives from Rosenborg at just 35 years old and becomes the youngest manager in the Scottish Premiership.

Falkirk, Aberdeen and the transfer surge

Falkirk begin the new season hoping to build on an impressive return to the top flight. John McGlynn’s side secured a top-six finish after gaining promotion, but they have lost several key players, including Calvin Miller, Filip Lissah and Barney Stewart.

Across the league, recruitment has been extensive. More than 80 new players have joined Premiership clubs during the summer window.

Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hearts and Falkirk have each made ten signings, while other clubs have also undergone significant changes.

Stephen Robinson is attempting to guide Aberdeen back into the top six and European qualification after a disappointing ninth-place finish last season. Hibernian, who finished fifth, have strengthened with several new arrivals, including former St Johnstone captain Jason Kerr.

Dundee United have added ten new players, while city rivals Dundee have lost a large portion of their first-team squad and are rebuilding under Steven Pressley.

Kilmarnock have also undergone notable changes, with captain Brad Lyons and defender Lewis Mayo leaving for Aberdeen, while former St Mirren captain Mark O’Hara has returned to Rugby Park.

Newly promoted St Johnstone have retained most of the squad that won the Championship, although Player of the Year Josh McPake has departed for Hearts.

A season full of uncertainty

The 2026/27 Scottish Premiership begins with fresh narratives across almost every club. Rangers are entering a new era under Derek McInnes, Celtic are attempting to defend their title with Martin O’Neill back in charge, Hearts are rebuilding after coming within minutes of ending a 66-year wait for glory, and clubs across the division have collectively reshaped their squads on an unprecedented scale.

After one of the most dramatic Scottish seasons in decades, the sequel begins this weekend—and it already promises a very different story.