Scottish Premiership 2026/27: Rangers & Hearts bid to knock Celtic off their perch | OneFootball

Celtic will head into the 2026/27 season bidding to win the Scottish Premiership title for the sixth consecutive season.

Following their final-day triumph last season, the Hoops will begin their title defence at home to Dundee on August 3.

Every match across the opening weekend will be shown live on Sky Sports. The season gets underway when Dundee United host Rangers on July 31.

Read on as we look at some of the key dates for the upcoming Scottish Premiership season, before previewing what promises to be a thrilling campaign.

Scottish Premiership 2026/27 – Key dates

Matchday 1 fixtures

Derby dates

Boxing Day fixtures

New Year fixtures

Scottish Premiership 2026/27 – Top summer transfers

Scottish Premiership clubs still have time to strengthen their squads, with the summer transfer window scheduled to run until September 1.

These are the top transfers completed to date (Saturday, July 25).

Scottish Premiership 2026/27 – Preview

Celtic’s lack of activity in the transfer market has raised questions about their status as the bookmakers’ favourites to retain the title.

Forward Camilo Duran has been signed from Qarabag, but his arrival has been overshadowed by the sale of Daizen Maeda to Ipswich Town.

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has questioned why the club has sanctioned the sale of one of their top players.

“I find the decision to cash in now on Daizen Maeda utterly incredible,” Sutton told Record Sport.

“The fee of £8 million – rising to £10 million – is buttons for starters. He’s worth way more than that to Celtic. The real puzzle is why they let him go now.

“Celtic might argue they already have his replacement in Duran, but Maeda does the job of more than one role, so that argument doesn’t wash.

“There’s also the matter of a massive Champions League qualifier in a few weeks.

‌”I know Celtic were resigned to him leaving, but unless the offer was totally ridiculous, they should have stood firm and said he wasn’t leaving until after the qualifier.

“Ten million – at that point, you’d think fair enough – if he’d helped deliver a place in the group stage.

“That’s what happened in the past with the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Moussa Dembele.

“But it just seems that Celtic are quick to do business with sales – but the complete opposite when it comes to signings.”

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill has repeatedly urged the board to strengthen his squad, but they have failed to back him up to this point.

There is still time for things to change, but Rangers and Hearts will feel they have a chance to capitalise on the situation.

Rangers are set to embark on a new era under Derek McInnes, who narrowly missed out on winning the title with Hearts last season.

Having come close to ending Celtic’s stranglehold on the Scottish Premiership title, McInnes is determined to knock them off their perch.

“I feel as though it’s the right time for me (joining Rangers) and I am ready for it,” McInnes said. “I feel as if I belong here and I am looking forward to getting started.

“Rangers fans have suffered with winning one title in 15 years, and it’s up to us to play a key role in driving the standards and getting a winning Rangers team again.”

“The intention is to win the title as soon as possible.”

Rangers have shown ambition in the transfer market, signing goalkeeper Ivor Pandur from Hull City and midfielder Vanja Dragojevic from Partizan Belgrade.

Full-back Ross McCrorie has also arrived from Bristol City, and he should prove to be a shrewd signing after impressing in the English Championship.

Rangers could be a good bet to topple Celtic this season, but Hearts will also hope to be in the title mix after narrowly missing out last term.

Several key players have followed McInnes out of the club this summer, but defender Stuart Findlay has urged their fans to trust the board’s methodology.

“I’d be lying if I said that we didn’t feel the loss of the players that have left,” Findlay said. “We understand that they were massive players for us – there’s no point in shying away from that

“But you trust the new system at Hearts that the players that are going to come in are going to be able to do a good job replacing these guys.

“The guys that were here last year will have that hunger to redeem what happened on the last day of the season.

“But obviously the new guys come with that freshness and that fresh slate almost, so hopefully it’s a good mix. We have to hit the ground running because the big games start and they don’t stop.

Further business in the transfer window could change the landscape, but Rangers and Hearts look well-placed to give Celtic a run for their money this season.

McInnes will be eager to prove a point after almost guiding Hearts to the title last term, and he may well get the job done with Rangers.