2026-27 Scottish Premiership preview: Celtic again? New-look Rangers? Another Hearts shock? Assessing every team

The Dark Knight, The Godfather Part II, The Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2: Judgment Day -- four sequels considered by many to be superior to the original.

A few other movies were also in contention to be added to the list above (especially Top Gun: Maverick which narrowly missed the cut) but the options were certainly not plentiful because history tells us it's pretty rare for a follow-up to eclipse a classic.

It's the same in all walks of life, whether it's a sequel to something good or a replacement for someone great. "It's a bit like taking the mic from Frank Sinatra," Ally McCoist told the assembled media at Ibrox in February 2011 when it was announced he would be replacing club legend Walter Smith as the next Rangers manager. 

So how on earth does season 2026-27 in Scottish football even begin to try and follow in its own footsteps and replicate the glorious chaos of what happened over the past twelve months?

Quickly recapping (and it will be quick bearing in mind the author of this article is a fervent Hearts supporter), Celtic dramatically won the league in the final few minutes on the final day of the Scottish Premiership in May by coming from behind to beat Hearts 3-1 after the Jambos had been top of the table since the previous September.

So, what's new this season? Well, quite a lot as it happens...

1. A quarter of the league is under new management
2. A fifth of the outfield players who started for Hearts against Celtic in May now play for Rangers
3. And Derek McInnes swapped the technical area at Tynecastle for the dugout at Ibrox

And that's just the start.

Elsewhere, 74-year-old Martin O'Neill has been persuaded by the Celtic hierarchy to return for another 12 months to try to win back-to-back titles under his watch, promoted St Johnstone have replaced relegated Livingston in the top flight, plus Wouter Vrancken and Alfred Johansson have taken the top jobs at Hearts and Motherwell respectively. The Scottish football landscape -- in just 10 weeks since the dramatic end of last season -- looks fundamentally different heading into the start of a new league campaign this weekend.

Sizing up the 2026-27 Scottish Premiership

Trying to predict most things in Scottish football -- outside of Celtic winning the league for the past five seasons, albeit last season went right to the wire -- is not easy.

Will 2025-26 be the exception -- where we saw an unexpected title challenge and at one point a four-horse title-race during the second half of the campaign -- or could it be the start of a more unpredictable era in the game north of the border?

The Contenders

Celtic

2025-26 finish: 1st

2026-27 predicted finish: 1st

Below par last season but never gave up and still found a way to win the league, Celtic possess clearly the strongest squad in the top flight and they should retain the title if the club's board decides to splash the cash on replacements for key players who have moved on.

Rangers

2025-26 finish: 3rd

2026-27 predicted finish: 2nd

This particular empire is trying to find a way to strike back after finishing outside the top two for the first time since 2018. Under new management, with a stronger spine to the team, expect Rangers to put up a far better title challenge than last season.

Heart of Midlothian

2025-26 finish: 2nd

2026-27 predicted finish: 3rd

Replicating last season will be tough having lost their manager (McInnes), their captain and top scorer (Lawrence Shankland) and their midfield terrier (Cammy Devlin) all to Rangers. New boss Wouter Vrancken is highly rated on the continent but it's impossible to know if the new signings recommended by Jamestown Analytics -- already in double digits -- will gel with those already at the club.

The Challengers

Aberdeen

2025-26 finish: 9th

2026-27 predicted finish: 4th

A first full season in charge at Pittodrie for Stephen Robinson and the target is simple: get the Dons back into the top six -- something he managed to do at previous club St Mirren in his last three full seasons in Paisley.

Hibernian

2025-26 finish: 5th

2026-27 predicted finish: 5th

Arguably the fourth strongest squad in the top flight but inconsistency has plagued the club for many years. As a player, David Gray scored the winning goal for Hibs in the 2016 Scottish Cup final -- ending the club's 114-year drought in that competition -- but a growing number of fans are losing faith in him as their manager.

Motherwell

2025-26 finish: 4th

2026-27 predicted finish: 6th

The best footballing team to watch in Scotland last season under the guidance of Jens Berthel Askou, but he's now in charge at Toulouse, while key players Elijah Just, Elliot Watt and goalkeeper Calum Ward have all been sold. Consolidating their place in the top six would likely be considered a success for new boss Alfred Johansson, especially if talented forward Tawanda Maswanhise also moves on.

The Hopefuls

Dundee

2025-26 finish: 8th

2026-27 predicted finish: 7th

An abysmal start to last season had supporters questioning the club's choice to appoint Steven Pressley as manager, but things turned around and the Dark Blues finished only three points behind neighbours Dundee United. Any improvement on their eighth-place finish from last season will be welcomed, especially if Pressley can guide them into the top six.

Dundee United

2025-26 finish: 7th

2026-27 predicted finish: 8th

Jim Goodwin has plenty experience of managing in Scotland's top flight but the former defender will need to try and find a way to keep things tighter at the back. United have conceded 114 goals in the two seasons since being promoted from the Scottish Championship in 2023.

Kilmarnock

2025-26 finish: 10th

2026-27 predicted finish: 9th

Appointed in January, Neil McCann helped lead Killie to safety following the disastrous appointment of Stuart Kettlewell. With the plastic pitch at Rugby Park no more, a return to grass means visiting managers will have to find something else to moan about if they leave Ayrshire with nothing.

Falkirk

2025-26 finish: 6th

2026-27 predicted finish:10th

A top-six finish following back-to-back promotions was quite the achievement for manager John McGlynn and his players in the club's first top-flight campaign for 15 years. It will be tough to repeat that feat, especially without last season's player of the year Calvin Miller (who left to join Hearts), but a season of consolidation without any relegation worries would likely be considered a successful one for the Bairns.

The Rest

St Johnstone

2025-26 finish: Promoted from Scottish Championship

2026-27 predicted finish: 11th

History is on their side because, outside of Hearts, no other team has finished bottom of the Scottish Premiership immediately after winning the Scottish Championship since Dunfermline Athletic in 2011-12. The Saints bounced straight back after just one season down in the second tier, but they'll be without Josh McPake, their player of the year last season, who joined Hearts.

St Mirren

2025-26 finish: 11th

2026-27 predicted finish: 12th

Beating Celtic to win the League Cup meant last season was memorable, despite finishing 11th in the league and having to beat Partick Thistle to survive a relegation playoff. Inexperienced head coach Craig McLeish still has a lot to figure out after replacing Stephen Robinson in March.

Scottish Premiership opening round fixtures

Friday, July 31

Dundee United vs. Rangers -- 8 p.m. BST / 3 p.m. ET

Saturday, Aug. 1

Falkirk vs. St Mirren -- 3 p.m. BST / 10 a.m. ET

Aberdeen vs. Hearts -- 5.30 p.m. BST / 12.30 p.m. ET

Sunday, Aug. 2

St Johnstone vs. Kilmarnock -- 2 p.m. BST / 9 a.m. ET

Hibernian vs. Motherwell 4.30 p.m. BST / 11.30 a.m. ET

Monday, Aug. 3

Celtic vs. Dundee 7.30 p.m. BST / 2.30 p.m. ET