The New Scottish Season Has Arrived: What’s in store?

We’re back after a long summer break—well, it felt long—and couldn’t be more excited about the impending start to the 2026-27 Scottish Premiership campaign.

Last season attracted significant global attention thanks to Hearts’ long run at the top of the league table. However, the Jambos were unable to break the 40-year Celtic/Rangers hold on the title, as Martin O’Neill’s Hoops side pipped them on the final day of the season.

We expect another down-to-the-wire title race this term, although it’s unlikely to involve clubs outside Glasgow this time, what with significant changes at both Hearts and last season’s other Cinderella story, Motherwell.

With those changes in mind, we begin with a few thoughts on the close season.

• Scotland won more hearts than matches at this summer’s World Cup, but outgoing manager Steve Clarke still deserves much credit for actually guiding the national team into major tournaments. Exactly who takes over for Clarke—and where the bench boss will head next (he’s 62, but O’Neill, at 74, shows age is just a number)—remains to be seen. The good news is his successor will not need to rebuild the squad.
• The opposite is the case at Rangers, with the club bringing in 10 new players, as of this writing, as well as manager Derek McInnes to run the show. Still, while McInnes has been successful at previous stops (Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, Hearts), he has not worked in an environment like Ibrox.
• Hearts didn’t need a rebuild after their success of last season, but they got one anyway, thanks to several key departures, including McInnes. However, new manager Wouter Vrancken has had success in his native Belgium and he has the Jamestown Analytics tools at his disposal. With a number of new recruits, it will be interesting to see if the model can once again unearth diamonds in the rough.
• Speaking of rebuilds, Celtic had a slow-burn summer, with many supporters grumbling about the relative lack of transfer activity. The Hoops have signed Camilo Duran and Kasper Høgh, both of whom are attacking players, but unless more bodies come in discord could once again be the order of the day in Parkhead, particularly since several key players—like talisman Daizen Maeda—have left.
• Motherwell will also be hoping it has identified another up-and-coming manager, this time in the form of Swede Alfred Johansson. Last season, of course, Dane Jens Berthel Askou impressed many in and around Scottish football, earning a move to Toulouse. Key performers like winger Elijah Just have also moved on.
• Despite all of these changes, we’re predicting a familiar look to the final 2026-27 table in Scotland: 1. Celtic 2. Rangers 3. Hearts 4. Hibs 5. Aberdeen 6. Motherwell 7. Dundee United 8. Falkirk 9. Dundee 10. Kilmarnock 11. St. Johnstone 12. St. Mirren.