The wait is over for football fans across Scotland as the 2026/27 SPFL season gets under way this weekend with a packed schedule of league action and several significant changes on and off the pitch.
The new William Hill Premiership campaign kicks off on Friday evening when Dundee United welcome Rangers, with Sky Sports broadcasting every Premiership fixture live across the opening weekend for the first time.
Saturday’s fixtures see Falkirk mark their return to the top flight at home to St Mirren before Aberdeen host Heart of Midlothian at Pittodrie, while Sunday’s action features St Johnstone’s first Premiership match since promotion as they face Kilmarnock, followed by Hibernian against Motherwell.
Reigning champions Celtic complete the opening round of fixtures on Monday evening when they begin the defence of their league title against Dundee.
In the Highlands, Inverness Caledonian Thistle begin life back in the William Hill Championship with a home fixture against Dunfermline Athletic as they look to make a positive start to the new campaign.
Elsewhere, Stenhousemuir return to second tier football for the first time in 50 years with a trip to Raith Rovers, while East Kilbride will unfurl their championship winning flag before opening their William Hill League 1 season against Queen of the South.
The new campaign also introduces an important change to SPFL rules, with clubs now permitted to field 15 year old players in all SPFL competitions for the first time.
The move follows positive discussions with clubs after 15 year olds were allowed to feature in last season’s KDM Evolution Trophy, with the aim of creating more opportunities for talented young players to experience senior football earlier in their development.
The change has already had an impact, with Aberdeen, St Mirren and Dundee United all handing competitive debuts to the youngest players in their respective histories during this season’s Premier Sports Cup group stage.
SPFL group chief executive Neil Doncaster said:
“Everybody at the SPFL is hugely looking forward to another exciting season following the incredible drama across our four divisions last campaign.
“The fact Sky Sports is showing every William Hill Premiership game on the opening weekend is fantastic for the profile of our league as the new season gets under way.
“We’re also pleased to confirm that clubs can now field 15-year-olds across all SPFL competitions.
“Following positive discussions with our clubs and the success of the change in last season’s KDM Evolution Trophy, we believe this will create even more opportunities for the country’s brightest young players to gain valuable first-team experience.”
