List of Scottish football champions
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.
| Scottish football champions |
|---|
 |
| Founded |
| 1890 |
| Editions completed |
| 123 |
| Number of teams |
| 12 |
| Current champions |
| Celtic |
| Country |
| Scotland |
| Most titles won |
| Rangers (54 times champions, including 1 shared) |
The SFL was established in 1890, initially as an amateur league until professionalism in Scottish football was legalised in 1893.[1] 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.[2] In 1893 a Second Division was formed, with the existing single division renamed the First Division. The league continued during the First World War but was suspended during the Second World War.[3]
Although there were several short spells when a third division 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 set-up 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.[4] The SPL and SFL merged in 2013 to form the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), which branded its top division as the Scottish Premiership.[5]
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. As of 2020, Rangers have won 54 and Celtic 51, while no other club has won the title on more than four occasions. No club outside the Old Firm has won the title since the 1984–85 season, when the Aberdeen side managed by Alex Ferguson won the Premier Division.[6] The current 35-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,[7] and Rangers from 1989 to 1997. Each of the two clubs has also claimed the Double on many occasions, by winning the league and the Scottish Cup in the same season.[8] As of the end of the 2019–20 season, Rangers have won 18 doubles and Celtic 19, second in the world only to Northern Ireland's Linfield.[9] Each club has also won a Double and added the Scottish League Cup to make it a Treble, Rangers 7 times, and Celtic 7, including on four consecutive occasions between 2016 and 2020, known as the "Quadruple treble".[10] In the 1966–67 season, Celtic took all three domestic trophies, and also won the European Cup to complete the only Quadruple to date.[11]
Champions
Key:
| Club won the Scottish Cup |
| Club won the Scottish League Cup |
| Club won both domestic cups |
Scottish Football League (1890–1893)
| Year | Winner[12] | Runner-up[12] | Third[12] | Top scorer[13] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Goals | ||||
| 1890–91 | Dumbarton (1) and Rangers (1)[lower-alpha 1] |
Celtic | Jack Bell (Dumbarton) | 20 | |
| 1891–92 | Dumbarton (2) | Celtic | Heart of Midlothian | Jack Bell (Dumbarton) | 23 |
| 1892–93 | Celtic (1) | Rangers | St Mirren | Sandy McMahon (Celtic) John Campbell (Celtic) | 11 |
Scottish Football League Division One (1893–1946)
Scottish Football League Division 'A' (1946–1955)
| Year | Winner[12] | Runner-up[12] | Third[12] | Top scorer[13] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Goals | ||||
| 1946–47 | Rangers (25) | Hibernian | Aberdeen | Bobby Mitchell (Third Lanark) | 22 |
| 1947–48 | Hibernian (2) | Rangers | Partick Thistle | Archie Aikman (Falkirk) | 20 |
| 1948–49 | Rangers (26) | Dundee | Hibernian | Alex Stott (Dundee) | 30 |
| 1949–50 | Rangers (27) | Hibernian | Heart of Midlothian | Willie Bauld (Heart of Midlothian) | 30 |
| 1950–51 | Hibernian (3) | Rangers | Dundee | Lawrie Reilly (Hibernian) | 22 |
| 1951–52 | Hibernian (4) | Rangers | East Fife | Lawrie Reilly (Hibernian) | 27 |
| 1952–53 | Rangers (28) | Hibernian | East Fife | Lawrie Reilly (Hibernian) Charlie Fleming (East Fife) | 30 |
| 1953–54 | Celtic (20) | Heart of Midlothian | Partick Thistle | Jimmy Wardhaugh (Heart of Midlothian) | 27 |
| 1954–55 | Aberdeen (1) | Celtic | Rangers | Willie Bauld (Heart of Midlothian) | 21 |
Scottish Football League Division One (1955–1975)
Scottish Football League Premier Division (1975–1998)
Scottish Premier League (1998–2013)
Scottish Premiership (2013–present)
| Year | Winner[12] | Runner-up[12] | Third[12] | Top scorer[13] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Goals | ||||
| 2013–14 | Celtic (45) | Motherwell | Aberdeen | Kris Commons (Celtic) | 27 |
| 2014–15 | Celtic (46) | Aberdeen | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Adam Rooney (Aberdeen) | 18 |
| 2015–16 | Celtic (47) | Aberdeen | Heart of Midlothian | Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) | 31 |
| 2016–17 | Celtic (48) | Aberdeen | Rangers | Liam Boyce (Ross County) | 23 |
| 2017–18 | Celtic (49) | Aberdeen | Rangers | Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock) | 18 |
| 2018–19 | Celtic (50) | Rangers | Kilmarnock | Alfredo Morelos (Rangers) | 18 |
| 2019–20[lower-alpha 4] | Celtic (51) | Rangers | Motherwell | Odsonne Édouard (Celtic) | 22 |
| 2020–21 | |||||
Total titles won
Titles won by club (%)
- As of 18 May 2020
- Clubs participating in the 2020–21 Scottish Premiership are denoted in bold type.
- Clubs no longer active are denoted in italics.
| Club | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Last Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers[lower-alpha 5] | 54 | 32 | 20 | 2010–11 |
| Celtic | 51 | 31 | 17 | 2019–20 |
| Aberdeen | 4 | 17 | 9 | 1984–85 |
| Heart of Midlothian | 4 | 14 | 18 | 1959–60 |
| Hibernian | 4 | 6 | 13 | 1951–52 |
| Dumbarton[lower-alpha 5] | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1891–92 |
| Motherwell | 1 | 7 | 9 | 1931–32 |
| Kilmarnock | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1964–65 |
| Dundee | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1961–62 |
| Dundee United | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1982–83 |
| Third Lanark | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1903–04 |
| Airdrieonians (1878) | 0 | 4 | 2 | — |
| Falkirk | 0 | 2 | 1 | — |
| Morton[lower-alpha 6] | 0 | 1 | 4 | — |
| Clyde | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| Partick Thistle | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| St Johnstone | 0 | 0 | 3 | — |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| East Fife | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| St Mirren | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| Livingston | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| Raith Rovers | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| St Bernard's | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
By City/Town
| City / Town | Championships | Clubs | Last championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow[lower-alpha 5] | 106 | Rangers (54), Celtic (51), Third Lanark (1) | 2019–20 (Celtic) |
| Edinburgh | 8 | Heart of Midlothian (4), Hibernian (4) | 1959–60 (Heart of Midlothian) |
| Aberdeen | 4 | Aberdeen (4) | 1984–85 (Aberdeen) |
| Dumbarton[lower-alpha 5] | 2 | Dumbarton (2) | 1891–92 (Dumbarton) |
| Dundee | 2 | Dundee (1), Dundee United (1) | 1982–83 (Dundee United) |
| Kilmarnock | 1 | Kilmarnock (1) | 1964–65 (Kilmarnock) |
| Motherwell | 1 | Motherwell (1) | 1931–32 (Motherwell) |
Notes
- Rangers and Dumbarton were declared joint champions after the teams finished level on points and a play-off for the title finished in a 2–2 draw.
- Celtic defeated Rangers 2–1 in a play-off for the title after the teams finished level on points.
- Celtic also won the European Cup
- The 2019–20 Scottish Premiership was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. The season was subsequently curtailed on 18 May 2020 and a points per game average was used to calculate a final table.[7]
- The total includes one championship shared by Rangers (Glasgow) and Dumbarton, in 1890–91.
- Morton are now known as Greenock Morton.
References
- Davies, Hunter (2003). Boots, Balls and Haircuts: An Illustrated History of Football from Then to Now. Cassell Illustrated. p. 39. ISBN 1-84403-261-2.
- "Scotland – List of Champions". RSSSF. 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- "Scotland – List of Divisional Movements". RSSSF. 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- "History". www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk. Scottish Premier League. Archived from the original on 2 February 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- "SPFL: New Scottish league brands unveiled". BBC Sport. BBC. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
- Duncan, Colin (25 April 2013). "Aberdeen stars Dougie Bell & Neil Simpson: We wouldn't have believed our SPL victory would be last for non-Old Firm team". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- "Celtic champions & Hearts relegated after SPFL ends season". BBC Sport. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- "Brief history". www.celticfc.net. Celtic FC. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
1988: Celtic celebrate the centenary season (1987/88) by winning the first "double" in 11 years. The accomplishment marks the 35th league title, and the 28th Scottish Cup.
- "Doing the Double!". RSSSF. 18 April 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
- "1946–1970 An Historic Treble". www.rangers.premiumtv.co.uk. Rangers FC. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
In 1948–49, Rangers became the first team to win the League, the Scottish Cup, and the League Cup in one season. It was the first glorious treble in Scottish football.
- James Dart, Paolo Bandini and Sean Armstrong (2007-02-28). "The sulkiest football walk-offs ever". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- Barnes, Stuart (2007). News of the World Football Annual 2007/2008. Invincible Press. pp. 159–161. ISBN 0-00-725555-1.
- Brown, Alan; Preston, Simon; Di Maggio, Roberto (9 June 2016). "Scotland – List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 October 2016.