Scottish football fans will be able to watch every Premiership match live during the opening weekend of the new season after the SPFL unveiled the fixtures for the 2026/27 campaign.
In a first for Scottish football, Sky Sports will broadcast all six William Hill Premiership matches across four days as clubs begin a season that follows one of the most dramatic title races in recent memory.
The action gets underway on Friday 31 July when Dundee United host Rangers at Tannadice before Falkirk welcome St Mirren and Aberdeen take on Heart of Midlothian on Saturday.
Sunday sees newly promoted St Johnstone mark their return to the top flight against Kilmarnock before Hibernian face Motherwell at Easter Road, with champions Celtic beginning the defence of their title against Dundee on Monday evening.
There is also plenty of interest for football fans across the Highlands, with Inverness Caledonian Thistle starting life back in the Championship at home to Dunfermline Athletic while Ross County begin their League One campaign away to Peterhead.
The fixture list also confirms that the first Old Firm clash of the season will take place at Celtic Park on 20 September, while the first Edinburgh derby is scheduled for the opening week of September.
SPFL Group Chief Executive Neil Doncaster said:
“We are delighted to announce the fixtures for 2026/27 on the back of an incredible season that produced so much drama and excitement and was again watched by record attendances in the SPFL era.
“We are thrilled that our main broadcast partner Sky Sports are showing all six William Hill Premiership matches live across the opening weekend in what is a first for Scottish football. We greatly value Sky Sports’ support of our game, which saw more live games than ever before shown last season.
“We are very much looking forward to the return of domestic football in the coming weeks but in the meantime, we wish Steve Clarke’s Scotland team all the very best for the massive World Cup matches against Morocco tomorrow and Brazil on Wednesday.”
Sky Sports Director of Football Gary Hughes said:
“Sky Sports is excited to broadcast all six William Hill Premiership matches on the opening weekend and showcase all 12 clubs to kick off the domestic season.
“The decision underlines Sky Sports commitment to Scottish football on the back of last season which saw viewing increase by over 20% year-on-year, culminating in a dramatic final-day title decider.
“We‘re looking forward to continuing the story with our unrivalled coverage and expert analysis.”
The Premiership season will conclude on the weekend of 15 and 16 May 2027, while the Championship, League One and League Two campaigns will finish two weeks earlier.
For supporters counting down the weeks until football returns, the publication of the fixture lists means the wait for a new season is officially underway.
The full fixture card for the opening weekend of season 2026/27 is as follows:
William Hill Premiership
Friday July 31
Dundee United v Rangers (Sky Sports, 8.00pm)
Saturday August 1
Falkirk v St Mirren (Sky Sports, 3.00pm)
Aberdeen v Heart of Midlothian (Sky Sports, 5.30pm)
Sunday August 2
St Johnstone v Kilmarnock (Sky Sports, 2.00pm)
Hibernian v Motherwell (Sky Sports, 4.30pm)
Monday August 3
Celtic v Dundee (Sky Sports, 7.30pm)
William Hill Championship
Saturday August 1
Ayr United v Arbroath
Greenock Morton v Partick Thistle
Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Dunfermline Athletic
Livingston v Queen’s Park
Raith Rovers v Stenhousemuir
William Hill League 1
Saturday August 1
Alloa Athletic v East Fife
Cove Rangers v Airdrieonians
East Kilbride v Queen of the South
Montrose v Hamilton Academical
Peterhead v Ross County
William Hill League 2
Saturday August 1
Annan Athletic v The Spartans
Clyde v Stranraer
Edinburgh City v Elgin City
Forfar Athletic v Kelty Hearts
Stirling Albion v Dumbarton
