The brand‑new Scottish Premiership campaign is set to launch with plenty of excitement, and every fixture from the opening weekend will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. The action kicks off on Friday with Rangers travelling to face Dundee United and wraps up on Monday when Celtic meet Dundee. After a dramatic conclusion to last season—Celtic clinching the championship on the final day against Hearts—the league returns with fresh faces on the bench, new signings on the pitch, updated regulations, and a host of other developments to keep fans on their toes. To help you navigate the upcoming season, we’ve compiled an A‑Z guide that highlights the most noteworthy changes, storylines, and trivia you’ll encounter throughout the campaign.
**A – Artificial Surfaces** Only a single synthetic pitch remains in the top flight. With Kilmarnock reverting to a natural grass surface at Rugby Park and Livingston dropping out of the division, the Falkirk Stadium now stands as the league’s sole remaining astroturf venue. **B – Broken Hearts** Following the heartbreak of missing out on a first league title in 66 years on the final day of the previous season, several key members of the Hearts squad have moved on.
Captain Lawrence Shankland left for Rangers despite being only a year into a three‑year contract. Head coach Derek McInnes also departed, and influential midfielder Cammy Devlin turned his back on a new deal at Tynecastle to join Ibrox.
**C – Captains Changing Hands** A number of clubs will see new leaders wearing the armband this season. Aberdeen, Hearts, Kilmarnock, Rangers and St Mirren have all appointed fresh captains after the exits of Graeme Shinnie, Lawrence Shankland, Brad Lyons, James Tavernier and Mark O’Hara respectively.
**D – Deadline Day** The Scottish Premiership’s transfer window shuts on 3 September at 5 p.m., two days later than the English Premier League deadline. This gives clubs a little extra breathing room to complete deals, and supporters can rest easy knowing there is still ample time for signings before the window finally closes. **E – European Ambitions** Five Scottish clubs entered European qualifying rounds over the summer, but this season the battle will focus on securing the top four league spots.
Scotland’s UEFA coefficient has slipped, meaning the nation is likely to lose one of its usual Europa‑League places, making the race for the fourth spot even more intense. **F – Flag‑Bearing Fixtures** Champions Celtic will once again hoist the league flag when they face Dundee on Monday, the final match of the opening weekend. Meanwhile, newly promoted St Johnstone will raise the Championship flag at home against Kilmarnock on Sunday, celebrating their return to the top tier. **G – Goodbye to Craig Gordon** For the first time since the SPFL’s inception in 2013, the league will be without veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
The 43‑year‑old Hearts legend announced his retirement after Scotland’s exit from the World Cup, ending a career that began 25 years ago. **H – High‑Profile Signing: Kasper Høgh** Celtic have broken their transfer record by acquiring Danish striker Kasper Høgh from Bodø Glimt for a reported £11 million plus add‑ons. Høgh arrives to fill the void left by Daizen Maeda, who departed for Ipswich Town.
**I – International Breaks** Although the World Cup has just concluded, the international calendar will feature an extended pause of nearly three weeks across September and October. This season the schedule has been trimmed from three windows to just two, giving clubs a longer uninterrupted run of league fixtures.
**J – Young Manager Johansson** Motherwell’s new head coach Alfred Johansson, aged only 35, steps into the role after Jens Berthel Askou left for Toulouse. Johansson becomes the youngest manager in the Scottish Premiership and faces the challenge of restoring Motherwell’s fortunes. **K – A Touch of Hollywood** Aberdeen’s recent signing Nesta Guinness‑Walker has an interesting claim to fame: he is the great‑grandson of Sir Alec Guinness, the actor who famously portrayed Obi‑Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy.
**L – Law Adjustments** New officiating rules mirror some World Cup innovations. VAR can now intervene on a second yellow card, potentially overturning a red‑card decision. Additionally, players have a five‑second window to take throw‑ins and goal‑kicks, substitutes must leave the field within ten seconds, and medical treatment breaks are limited to one minute. **M – Managerial Shuffle at Rangers** Rangers commence their season under a fresh manager for the fifth consecutive year.
Derek McInnes is tasked with achieving what his five predecessors could not: lifting the league trophy. **N – New Mascot Search** St Johnstone are on the lookout for a new mascot to replace Brogan the Beagle, who retired after an eleven‑year tenure entertaining fans at McDiarmid Park. **O – Veteran Martin O’Neill Returns** At 74, Martin O’Neill embarks on his fourth spell at Celtic. He previously guided the club to a league‑and‑cup double after taking over from Brendan Rodgers and later Wilfried Nancy.
**P – Promotion Spotlight** St Johnstone bounce back to the Premiership after a single season away, becoming the sole promoted side following St Mirren’s successful play‑off final against Partick Thistle in May. **Q – Questionable Haircuts** The new season brings fresh haircuts, and Falkirk’s League Cup trialist David Ninković may find himself the subject of some light‑hearted banter over his latest style.
**R – Robinson’s Rebuild at Aberdeen** Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson begins his first full campaign at Pittodrie, aiming to reshape the squad. In a parallel move, former Scotland captain and Sky Sports pundit Rachel Corsie has been appointed to the club’s board of directors, adding a fresh perspective to the club’s governance.
**S – Six‑Game Live Coverage** All twelve clubs will have their opening‑weekend fixtures aired live on Sky Sports, marking the first time the entire weekend schedule is broadcast in one block. Fans can tune in from Friday night at Tannadice when Rangers face Dundee United, through to Monday’s finale. **T – Transfer Activity** Collectively, the twelve Premiership clubs have already completed over 80 signings, and with the window remaining open for another month, further squad reinforcements are expected. **U – Ultras Across the League** Every Premiership team now boasts an organized ultras group, committed to delivering louder, more passionate support in the stands and enhancing the match‑day atmosphere.
**V – Hearts Appoint Wouter Vrancken** Hearts have hired Belgian manager Wouter Vrancken, the 2022 Belgian Manager of the Year, to replace Derek McInnes. Vrancken narrowly missed out on a league title with Genk in 2023 and is now tasked with reigniting Hearts’ title ambitions. **W – World Cup Afterglow** The Premiership season kicks off just 12 days after the World Cup final. While Spain’s victorious squad featured no Scottish‑based players, the league has welcomed two new Spaniards: Unax Álvarez at St Johnstone and Samuel Ramos at St Mirren.
**X – Experience Counts** Motherwell captain Paul McGinn, at 35, becomes the oldest player in the division—a coincidence that matches the age of his manager Alfred Johansson, making for an interesting trivia point. **Y – Years Since an Outsider Won** It has been 41 years since a club outside the Old Firm claimed the Scottish league title.
Hearts pushed the previous season’s title race to the final day; this year, they and perhaps another challenger will strive to break the long‑standing duopoly. **Z – Zero Un‑Televised Matches** Every Premiership game scheduled for the opening weekend will be shown live on Sky Sports, meaning zero matches will be left off the broadcast schedule.
The slate begins with Rangers at Dundee United on Friday night. Fans can also enjoy the Scottish Premiership via the NOW streaming service, and for the best video experience, a Chrome browser is recommended. Keep an eye on the league’s evolving storylines, and enjoy what promises to be a thrilling season of Scottish football.