The Scottish football champions are the winners of the highest league in Scottish football, namely the Scottish Football League (SFL) from 1890 until 1998, the Scottish Premier League (SPL) from 1998 until 2013 and the Scottish Premiership thereafter.
The SFL was established in 1890, initially as an amateur league until professionalism in Scottish football was legalised in 1893. At the end of the first season, Dumbarton and Rangers finished level on points at the top of the table. The rules in force at the time required that the teams contest a play-off match for the championship, which finished in a 2–2 draw, and the first ever championship was thus shared between two clubs, the only occasion on which this has happened. In 1893, a lower division was formed, with the existing division renamed Division One. The higher tier continued during World War I but the league was suspended altogether during World War II.
Although there were several short spells when a third level was created, the two-division structure remained largely in place until 1975, when a major re-organisation of the league led to a new three-tier setup and the creation of a new Premier Division at the highest level. In 1998, the teams then in the Premier Division broke away to form the SPL, which supplanted the Premier Division as the highest level of football in Scotland. The SPL and SFL merged in 2013 to form the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), which branded its top division as the Scottish Premiership.
Throughout its existence the championship of Scottish football has been dominated by two Glasgow clubs, Celtic and Rangers. The two rivals, who are collectively known as the "Old Firm", have claimed the vast majority of league titles and there have only been five seasons in which neither finished in the top two, most recently in the 1964–65 season. As of 2026, Celtic have won 56 titles and Rangers 55, while no other club has won on more than four occasions. No club outside the Old Firm has won the title since the 1984–85 season, when Aberdeen won the Premier Division under the management of Alex Ferguson. The current 41-year period of dominance by the Old Firm is a record; the previous longest streak was 27 years, between 1904 and 1931. Each of the Old Firm clubs has managed a run of nine consecutive championships: Celtic from 1966 to 1974 and again from 2012 to 2020, and Rangers from 1989 to 1997.
Both of the Old Firm clubs have also claimed the double, by winning the league and the Scottish Cup in the same season, on many occasions. As of the end of the 2025–26 season, Celtic have won 22 doubles and Rangers 18. The only other club to have won a league and Scottish Cup double is Aberdeen, in 1983–84. Both Old Firm clubs have completed a treble (Celtic 8 times; Rangers 7) by also winning the Scottish League Cup. In the 1966–67 season, Celtic took all three domestic trophies, and also won the European Cup to complete the only quadruple to date.
Champions
Key: Club won the Scottish CupClub won the Scottish League CupClub won both domestic cups
Scottish Football League (1890–1893)
SeasonChampionsRunners-upThird placeTop scorer(s)Player(s)Goals1890–91Dumbarton (1) andRangers (1)Celtic (Dumbarton) 201891–92Dumbarton (2)CelticHeart of Midlothian (Dumbarton) 231892–93Celtic (1)RangersSt Mirren (Celtic) (Celtic) 11
Scottish Football League Division One (1893–1946)
SeasonChampionsRunners-upThird placeTop scorer(s)Player(s)Goals1893–94Celtic (2)Heart of MidlothianSt Bernard's (Celtic) 161894–95Heart of Midlothian (1)CelticRangers (Clyde) 121895–96Celtic (3)RangersHibernian (Celtic) 191896–97Heart of Midlothian (2)HibernianRangers (Heart of Midlothian) 121897–98Celtic (4)RangersHibernian (Rangers) 181898–99Rangers (2)Heart of MidlothianCeltic (Rangers) 251899–1900Rangers (3)CelticHibernian (Rangers) (Heart of Midlothian)151900–01Rangers (4)CelticHibernian (Rangers) 201901–02Rangers (5)CelticHeart of Midlothian (Third Lanark)101902–03Hibernian (1)DundeeRangers (Hibernian)141903–04Third Lanark (1)Heart of MidlothianCeltic and Rangers (Rangers)281904–05Celtic (5)RangersThird Lanark (Rangers) (Celtic)191905–06Celtic (6)Heart of MidlothianAirdrieonians (Celtic)201906–07Celtic (7)DundeeRangers (Celtic)291907–08Celtic (8)FalkirkRangers (Falkirk)321908–09Celtic (9)DundeeClyde (Dundee)291909–10Celtic (10)FalkirkRangers (Celtic) (Falkirk) 241910–11Rangers (6)AberdeenFalkirk (Rangers)381911–12Rangers (7)CelticClyde (Rangers)331912–13Rangers (8)CelticAirdrieonians andHeart of Midlothian (Airdrieonians)301913–14Celtic (11)RangersHeart of Midlothian andMorton (Airdrieonians)271914–15Celtic (12)Heart of MidlothianRangers (Heart of Midlothian) (Ayr United)291915–16Celtic (13)RangersMorton (Celtic)341916–17Celtic (14)MortonRangers (Airdrieonians)391917–18Rangers (9)CelticKilmarnock and Morton (Motherwell)351918–19Celtic (15)RangersMorton (Rangers)291919–20Rangers (10)CelticMotherwell (Motherwell)331920–21Rangers (11)CelticHeart of Midlothian (Motherwell) 431921–22Celtic (16)RangersRaith Rovers (St Mirren) 451922–23Rangers (12)AirdrieoniansCeltic (Heart of Midlothian) 301923–24Rangers (13)AirdrieoniansCeltic (Dundee) 381924–25Rangers (14)AirdrieoniansHibernian (Cowdenbeath) 331925–26Celtic (17)AirdrieoniansHeart of Midlothian (Cowdenbeath) 401926–27Rangers (15)MotherwellCeltic (Celtic) 491927–28Rangers (16)CelticMotherwell (Celtic)471928–29Rangers (17)CelticMotherwell (Falkirk) 431929–30Rangers (18)MotherwellAberdeen (Aberdeen)381930–31Rangers (19)CelticMotherwell (Heart of Midlothian)441931–32Motherwell (1)RangersCeltic (Motherwell)521932–33Rangers (20)MotherwellHeart of Midlothian (Motherwell)451933–34Rangers (21)MotherwellCeltic (Rangers)411934–35Rangers (22)CelticHeart of Midlothian (Rangers)361935–36Celtic (18)RangersAberdeen (Celtic)501936–37Rangers (23)AberdeenCeltic (Hamilton Academical) 341937–38Celtic (19)Heart of MidlothianRangers (Heart of Midlothian) 401938–39Rangers (24)CelticAberdeen (Rangers)351939–46Suspended due to World War II. Unofficial leagues (Emergency League and regional North Eastern League and Southern League) held.
Scottish Football League Division 'A' (1946–1955)
SeasonChampionsRunners-upThird placeTop scorer(s)Player(s)Goals1946–47Rangers (25)HibernianAberdeen (Third Lanark) 221947–48Hibernian (2)RangersPartick Thistle (Falkirk)201948–49Rangers (26)DundeeHibernian (Dundee) 301949–50Rangers (27)HibernianHeart of Midlothian (Heart of Midlothian) 301950–51Hibernian (3)RangersDundee (Hibernian)221951–52Hibernian (4)RangersEast Fife (Hibernian) 271952–53Rangers (28)HibernianEast Fife (Hibernian) (East Fife) 301953–54Celtic (20)Heart of MidlothianPartick Thistle (Heart of Midlothian) 271954–55Aberdeen (1)CelticRangers (Heart of Midlothian)21
Scottish Football League Division One (1955–1975)
SeasonChampionsRunners-upThird placeTop scorer(s)Player(s)Goals1955–56Rangers (29)AberdeenHeart of Midlothian (Heart of Midlothian)281956–57Rangers (30)Heart of MidlothianKilmarnock (Airdrieonians)331957–58Heart of Midlothian (3)RangersCeltic (Heart of Midlothian) (Heart of Midlothian)281958–59Rangers (31)Heart of MidlothianMotherwell (Hibernian)251959–60Heart of Midlothian (4)KilmarnockRangers (Hibernian) 421960–61Rangers (32)KilmarnockThird Lanark (Third Lanark)421961–62Dundee (1)RangersCeltic (Dundee)241962–63Rangers (33)KilmarnockPartick Thistle (Rangers) 271963–64Rangers (34)KilmarnockCeltic (Dundee) 321964–65Kilmarnock (1)Heart of MidlothianDunfermline Athletic (Rangers) 301965–66Celtic (21)RangersKilmarnock (Celtic) (Dunfermline Athletic) 311966–67Celtic (22)RangersClyde (Celtic)211967–68Celtic (23)RangersHibernian (Celtic)321968–69Celtic (24)RangersDunfermline Athletic (Dundee United)261969–70Celtic (25)RangersHibernian (Rangers)241970–71Celtic (26)AberdeenSt Johnstone (Celtic)221971–72Celtic (27)AberdeenRangers (Aberdeen)331972–73Celtic (28)RangersHibernian (Hibernian)271973–74Celtic (29)HibernianRangers (Celtic)261974–75Rangers (35)HibernianCeltic (Dundee United) (Motherwell)20
Scottish Football League Premier Division (1975–1998)
SeasonChampionsRunners-upThird placeTop scorer(s)Player(s)Goals1975–76Rangers (36)CelticHibernian (Celtic) 241976–77Celtic (30)RangersAberdeen (Motherwell) 211977–78Rangers (37)AberdeenDundee United (Rangers) 251978–79Celtic (31)RangersDundee United (Morton) 221979–80Aberdeen (2)CelticSt Mirren (St Mirren) 251980–81Celtic (32)AberdeenRangers (Celtic) 231981–82Celtic (33)AberdeenRangers (Celtic) 211982–83Dundee United (1)CelticAberdeen (Celtic) 291983–84Aberdeen (3)CelticDundee United (Celtic) 231984–85Aberdeen (4)CelticDundee United (Aberdeen) 221985–86Celtic (34)Heart of MidlothianDundee United (Rangers) 241986–87Rangers (38)CelticDundee United (Celtic) 351987–88Celtic (35)Heart of MidlothianRangers (Dundee) 331988–89Rangers (39)AberdeenCeltic (Celtic) (Aberdeen) 161989–90Rangers (40)AberdeenHeart of Midlothian (Heart of Midlothian)171990–91Rangers (41)AberdeenCeltic (Celtic) 181991–92Rangers (42)Heart of MidlothianCeltic (Rangers) 341992–93Rangers (43)AberdeenCeltic (Rangers) 341993–94Rangers (44)AberdeenMotherwell (Rangers) 221994–95Rangers (45)MotherwellHibernian (Motherwell) 161995–96Rangers (46)CelticAberdeen (Celtic) 261996–97Rangers (47)CelticDundee United (Celtic)251997–98Celtic (36)RangersHeart of Midlothian (Rangers) 32
Scottish Premier League (1998–2013) SeasonChampionsRunners-upThird placeTop scorer(s)Player(s)Goals1998–99Rangers (48)CelticSt Johnstone (Celtic) 291999–2000Rangers (49)CelticHeart of Midlothian (Celtic) 252000–01Celtic (37)RangersHibernian (Celtic) 352001–02Celtic (38)RangersLivingston (Celtic) 292002–03Rangers (50)CelticHeart of Midlothian (Celtic) 282003–04Celtic (39)RangersHeart of Midlothian (Celtic) 302004–05Rangers (51)CelticHibernian (Celtic) 252005–06Celtic (40)Heart of MidlothianRangers (Kilmarnock, Rangers) 322006–07Celtic (41)RangersAberdeen (Rangers) 202007–08Celtic (42)RangersMotherwell (Celtic) 252008–09Rangers (52)CelticHeart of Midlothian (Rangers) 272009–10Rangers (53)CelticDundee United (Rangers) 232010–11Rangers (54)CelticHeart of Midlothian (Rangers) 212011–12Celtic (43)RangersMotherwellGary Hooper (Celtic) 242012–13Celtic (44)MotherwellSt JohnstoneMichael Higdon (Motherwell) 26
Scottish Premiership (2013–present) SeasonChampionsRunners-upThird placeTop scorer(s)Player(s)Goals2013–14Celtic (45)MotherwellAberdeen (Celtic)272014–15Celtic (46)AberdeenInverness Caledonian Thistle (Aberdeen)182015–16Celtic (47)AberdeenHeart of Midlothian (Celtic)312016–17Celtic (48)AberdeenRangers (Ross County)232017–18Celtic (49)AberdeenRangers (Kilmarnock)182018–19Celtic (50)RangersKilmarnock (Rangers)182019–20Celtic (51)RangersMotherwell (Celtic)222020–21Rangers (55)CelticHibernian (Celtic)182021–22Celtic (52)RangersHeart of Midlothian (Ross County) (Celtic)132022–23Celtic (53)RangersAberdeen (Celtic)272023–24Celtic (54)RangersHeart of Midlothian (Heart of Midlothian)242024–25Celtic (55)RangersHibernian (Rangers)182025–26Celtic (56)Heart of MidlothianRangers (Motherwell)17
Total titles won
Clubs participating in the 2026–27 Scottish Premiership are denoted in bold type. Clubs no longer active are denoted in italics.
ClubChampionsRunners-upThird placeLast ChampionshipCeltic5632172025–26Rangers5537212020–21Aberdeen417101984–85Heart of Midlothian415201959–60Hibernian46151951–52Dumbarton2001891–92Motherwell1791931–32Kilmarnock1441964–65Dundee1411961–62Dundee United1081982–83Third Lanark1021903–04Airdrieonians (1878)042—Falkirk021—Morton014—Clyde003—Partick Thistle003—St Johnstone003—Dunfermline Athletic002—East Fife002—St Mirren002—Inverness Caledonian Thistle001—Livingston001—Raith Rovers001—St Bernard's001—
By city/town