The 2020–21 season was the 124th season of competitive football in Scotland. The domestic season began on 1 August 2020 with the first round of matches in the 2020–21 Scottish Premiership. The start of all other domestic competitions were delayed until at least October 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most games were played behind closed doors due to Scottish Government restrictions.
Transfer deals
Due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the football calendar, the summer window for transfers in Scotland ran from 14 July to 5 October. Those dates used the full 12-week period permitted by FIFA, and the governing bodies also authorised clubs outside the Premiership to make loan signings during October 2020.
League competitions
Scottish Premiership
Scottish Championship
Scottish League One
Scottish League Two
Non-league football Level 5
Level 6
Honours Cup honours
The Old Firm teams (Celtic and Rangers) were eliminated from both national cup competitions before the semi-final stage, the first time this had occurred since the introduction of the Scottish League Cup 75 years earlier. St Johnstone won both tournaments, becoming the first non-Old Firm side to win a "cup double" since Aberdeen in 1989–90.
CompetitionWinner ScoreRunner-up Match report2020–21 Scottish CupSt Johnstone1–0HibernianBBC Sport2020–21 League CupSt Johnstone1–0LivingstonThe Guardian2020–21 Challenge CupTournament cancelledTournament cancelled at the third round stage2020–21 Youth CupTournament cancelled2020–21 Junior CupTournament cancelled
Non-league honours Senior LevelCompetitionWinner5 Highland LeagueBrora Rangers Lowland League Kelty Hearts6 Null and void South of Scotland LeagueNull and void Null and void7Null and voidWest of Scotland League Tier 7Null and voidNorth Caledonian League Division OneGolspie Sutherland North Caledonian League Division TwoAlness United
Junior East Region DivisionWinnerEast Region Premiership NorthNull and voidEast Region Premiership South
North Region DivisionWinnerAberdeen NorthNull and voidAberdeen SouthBanff and BuchanWest
Individual honours PFA Scotland awards
AwardWinnerTeam Players' Player of the Year James Tavernier Rangers Young Player of the Year David Turnbull Celtic Manager of the Year Steven Gerrard Rangers Championship Player of Year Liam Boyce Heart of Midlothian
SFWA awards AwardWinnerTeam Footballer of the Year Steven Davis Rangers Young Player of the Year Josh Doig Hibernian Manager of the Year Steven Gerrard Rangers International Player of the Year John McGinn Aston Villa
Scottish clubs in Europe
Summary Due to scheduling pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic, qualifying rounds were played over just one tie instead of the usual two-leg format.
ClubCompetitionsStarted roundFinal roundCoef.CelticUEFA Champions LeagueFirst qualifying roundSecond qualifying round8.0UEFA Europa LeagueThird qualifying roundGroup stageRangersUEFA Europa LeagueSecond qualifying roundRound of 1619.5MotherwellUEFA Europa LeagueFirst qualifying roundThird qualifying round3.0AberdeenUEFA Europa LeagueFirst qualifying roundThird qualifying round3.5Total34.0Average8.5 * Season in progress
Celtic UEFA Champions League
Celtic entered the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League in the first qualifying round.
UEFA Europa League
Having lost in the second qualifying round of the Champions League, Celtic entered the Europa League in its third round of qualifying.
Qualifying
Group stage
Rangers UEFA Europa League
Rangers entered the UEFA Europa League in the second round of qualifying.
Qualifying
Group stage
Knockout Stage
Motherwell UEFA Europa League
Motherwell entered the UEFA Europa League at the first qualifying round.
Aberdeen UEFA Europa League
Aberdeen entered the UEFA Europa League in the first qualifying round as fourth-place finishers in the 2019–20 Scottish Premiership, as the 2019–20 Scottish Cup was not completed by the UEFA deadline.
Scotland national team
The Scotland national team qualified for their first major tournament in over two decades (since the 1998 World Cup) by winning through the Euro 2020 play-offs, defeating Israel and Serbia in penalty shootouts.
Women's football Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 women's season was declared null and void in July 2020.
A new season (2020–21) started in October 2020 and ended in July 2021; Scottish Women's Football thus returned to the autumn–spring calendar for the first time since 2008–09.
League and Cup honours DivisionWinner2020 SWPL 1/2Null and void2020 SWF Championship (North/South)Null and void2020–21 SWPL 1Glasgow City2020–21 SWPL 2Aberdeen2020–21 SWF Championship (North)Null and void2020–21 SWF Championship (South)Null and void
CompetitionWinnerScoreRunner-upMatch reportScottish Women's CupNot contested in 2020 or 2020–21Scottish Women's Premier League Cup2020 edition cancelled at the quarter-final stage;not contested in 2020–21SWF Championship Cup2020 edition cancelled at the quarter-final stage;not contested in 2020–212020 Scottish Women's Football League CupCancelled at the group stage
Individual honours SWPL awards
AwardWinnerTeam Players' Player of the Year Player of the Year Manager of the Year Young Player of the Year
Scottish Women's Premier League
SWPL 1
SWPL 2
UEFA Women's Champions League Glasgow City Glasgow City entered the 2020–21 UEFA Women's Champions League in the first qualifying round.
Scotland women's national team
Deaths
13 July: Pat Quinn, 84, Albion Rovers, Motherwell, Hibernian, East Fife and Scotland forward; East Fife manager. c.13 July: Eddie Beaton, 88, Greenock Morton, Berwick Rangers, Stranraer and Dumbarton forward. 21 July: Hugh McLaughlin, 75, St Mirren, Third Lanark and Queen of the South midfielder.ST MIRREN SADDENED TO HEAR OF PASSING OF HUGH MCLAUGHLIN 24 July: David Hagen, 47, Rangers, Hearts, Falkirk, Livingston, Clyde and Peterhead midfielder. 4 August: Willie Hunter, 80, Motherwell, Hibernian and Scotland forward; Queen of the South and Inverness Caledonian manager. 13 August: Jackie Wren, 84, Hibernian, Stirling Albion and Berwick Rangers goalkeeper. 14 August: Tom Forsyth, 71, Motherwell, Rangers and Scotland defender; Dunfermline Athletic manager. 24 August: Pat McCluskey, 68, Celtic, Dumbarton, Airdrieonians and Queen of the South defender and midfielder. September: Archie Irvine, 74, Airdrieonians midfielder.Archie Irvine (1946-2020) 19 October: Jim Townsend, 75, Heart of Midlothian, St Johnstone and Greenock Morton midfielder. 23 October: Ebbe Skovdahl, 75, Aberdeen manager. 24 October: Kevin McCarra, 62, journalist. 31 October: Marius Žaliūkas, 36, Heart of Midlothian and Rangers defender. 4 November: Matt Tees, 81, Airdrieonians forward. 15 November: Campbell Forsyth, 86, St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Scotland goalkeeper. 3 December: Bobby Wishart, 87, Aberdeen, Dundee, Airdrie and Raith Rovers forward. 12 December: John McSeveney, 89, Hamilton Academical winger. December: Joe Frickleton, East Stirlingshire wing half. 24 December: Davie Sneddon, 84, Dundee, Kilmarnock and Raith Rovers inside forward; Kilmarnock and Stranraer manager. 26 December: Chic McLelland, 63, Aberdeen, Motherwell, Dundee and Montrose defender; Montrose manager. 26 December: Jim McLean, 83, Hamilton Academical, Clyde, Dundee and Kilmarnock inside forward; Dundee United manager and chairman. 31 December: Tommy Docherty, 92, Celtic and Scotland right half; Scotland manager. 24 January: Jóhannes Eðvaldsson, 70, Celtic and Motherwell defender. 24 January: Barrie Mitchell, 73, Dunfermline Athletic, Aberdeen and Morton forward. 26 January: Jozef Vengloš, 84, Celtic manager. 28 January: Eddie Connachan, 85, Dunfermline Athletic, Falkirk and Scotland goalkeeper. January: John Grant, 89, Hibernian, Raith Rovers and Scotland defender. 6 February: Columb McKinley, 70, Airdrie and Dumbarton half-back. 22 February: Jack Bolton, 79, Raith Rovers, Morton and Dumbarton defender.Former Defender Bolton Dies 2 March: Ian St John, 82, Motherwell and Scotland forward; Motherwell manager. 3 March: Willie Whigham, 81, Albion Rovers, Falkirk and Dumbarton goalkeeper. 6 March: Jimmy Stevenson, 74, Hibernian wing half. 7 March: Alastair Alexander, 83, BBC Scotland football commentator.Obituary: Alastair Alexander, broadcaster known as BBC Scotland's 'Voice of Football' 20 March: Peter Lorimer, 74, Scotland midfielder. 27 March: Alex Kiddie, 93, Aberdeen, Falkirk, Arbroath, Brechin City, Montrose and Forfar Athletic winger. 24 April: Walter Borthwick, 73, Morton, East Fife, St Mirren, St Johnstone and Dunfermline midfielder; Arbroath manager. 29 April: Frank Brogan, 78, Celtic winger. 7 May: John Sludden, 56, Celtic, St Johnstone, Airdrieonians, Ayr United, Kilmarnock, East Fife, Clydebank, Clyde and Stenhousemuir forward; Bo'ness United, Camelon Juniors and East Stirlingshire manager. 3 June: Alan Miller, 51, St Johnstone goalkeeper.
Notes and references