Is the Scottish Premiership More Competitive Now?

It has long been the case that cities all over the US have harbored supporters clubs of teams from the EPL. Many fans have been introduced to the sport by watching the English game and then searched for their own local teams to get behind. But there is another British league that has a sizeable representation in the States too.

The Scottish top tier has been dominated by the two Glasgow clubs, Celtic and Rangers, virtually ever since there was a football league in the country. From the late 19th century up until today, almost 85% of league titles have gone to the two Old Firm sides. The two cup competitions in Scotland have also been won more often than not by Celtic and Rangers.

If you were to place a bet online at BetUS on the outright winner of the Scottish Premiership, those two giants of the game would receive the shortest odds, with the rest of the clubs a long way behind. But all that could be changing. This season, Hearts have led the way for much of the campaign, and another team, Motherwell, have kept Celtic and Rangers nervously looking over their shoulders throughout the season.

With only a few games left to play in the 2025-26 season, there is still the chance for a non-Glasgow club to win the league title for the first time since 1985. With St. Mirren winning this season’s Scottish League Cup, Aberdeen claiming the Scottish Cup last year, and the closest title race in living memory, is Scottish football competitive now?

The owner of the EPL’s Brighton and Hove Albion invested in Hearts during last season but could do nothing to stop the Edinburgh team from finishing 40 points behind the champions. But a change in operations, switching to a deeply analytical approach to recruitment (think Billy Beane-era Oakland A’s), increased productivity, and a tactical shift have made for the most exciting title battle. Even if one of Celtic and Rangers does claw back the points and win the league again, it may already have signaled a shift in the landscape of Scottish football.

As the two wealthiest clubs, Celtic and Rangers have always been able to pick and choose the best Scottish players, as well as recruit from the top leagues in Europe and beyond. The likes of Hearts and Motherwell have had to make do with the Old Firm sides cherry-picking from their squads to strengthen their own and dismantle any competition. The amount of money involved in the game these days has only deepened that divide between the haves and have-nots in Scottish football. Celtic, in particular, has benefited in recent seasons, dominating even their bitter local rivals, Rangers.

The question about a permanent shift in power within Scottish football still remains, however. Rangers have lived largely in the shadow of Celtic in recent years, but have still been able to recruit a supposedly higher quality of player than the rest of the Scottish top flight. Celtic has had the most success, but some much publicized and embarrassing failures by the players and the owners (they have gone through four head coaches this season alone) has meant that the club has not been able to make the step up to challenge the best in Europe. But still, the two Glasgow giants remained untouchable until this season.

It makes sense that Hearts would be the club to challenge the Old Firm duopoly. As one of the Edinburgh teams, along with Hibernian, it also attracts a good standard of player and has historically mainly occupied the next level of club in Scotland. If any team were ever to usurp Celtic and Rangers, it would be one of the capital city clubs, or maybe Aberdeen. Bloom’s new approach to challenging the status quo in Scotland has proved that there is a way that smaller clubs can compete, at least in the short term. But even if Hearts does go on to win the league title this year, it is far from guaranteed that the club will be in with a chance next season.

Celtic, in particular, has been sleepwalking its way to league titles and cup triumphs for a while now. This new challenge from Hearts, and a Rangers revival that was far from expected when Russell Martin was fired earlier in the season, could be the best thing that has ever happened to the Parkhead club. Finally, Celtic’s slack attitude and complacency have been shown to have consequences. We should now expect a lot of transfer activity in the summer and a complete rehaul of the club from top to bottom. That is, if Celtic does not end up actually winning the league.