How are the fixtures for rounds 34-38 determined?
Clubs play 16 or 17 home games in the 33 fixture rounds before the split. We then try to ensure that all clubs finish up having played 19 games at home and 19 away. However, this is not always possible to achieve. For the first time since 2017/18 one club (St Mirren) will play 20 home games and one club (Motherwell) will play 18 at home. Motherwell were the last club to gain a home fixture, with Hearts the team that lost a home game in 2017/18.
Will some clubs play certain opponents three times at home and once away?
Yes. To a greater or lesser extent, fixture reversals have been required in every season since the split was introduced in season 2000/01, when the top flight was increased from 10 clubs to 12. There were five reversals last season but only two this year.
Which games have been switched this season?
In the top six, St Mirren will host Hibernian for a third time. In the bottom six, St Johnstone will be at home to Ross County for a third time.
How do you decide which fixtures are reversed?
In general, we aim to minimise the number of switches and do our best to avoid reversing fixtures that have a key impact on the league title, the race for Europe, and the battle to avoid relegation, but that is not always possible, particularly when clubs might be separated by only a few points. We try to avoid reversing the big city derbies and may also take into account how clubs have been impacted by the post-split fixtures in previous years.
Are there any ‘golden rules’ regarding the post-split fixtures?
All clubs will play a minimum of two, and a maximum of three, home fixtures after the split. We try to make sure that clubs finish the season home/away or away/home over rounds 37 and 38 and that is the case again this season.
Why have the split at all?
In order to manage a division of 12 clubs, without having to accommodate 44 matches – which is too many given the increasingly-congested calendar – the split is required. It also provides significant additional interest as clubs bid to secure a top-six finish. For example, three years ago we had no fewer than seven clubs chasing three top-six places on fixture round 33. Two seasons ago, three clubs were battling for two places and last year Dundee
edged out Motherwell and Hibernian after another dramatic Saturday afternoon. This year St Mirren secured a third successive top-half finish with a 3-2 home win over Ross County to edge out both Motherwell and Heart of Midlothian, who drew 0-0 at Fir Park.
The final five fixture rounds then involve teams playing each other to chase a common objective, be that the league title, European qualification – Scotland again has five places in UEFA competitions for 2025/26 – or to retain top-flight status. There has been a lot of debate about league format recently, and no structure is perfect, but over the past 25 years the split has become a firmly established and exciting element of the William Hill Premiership and the weekend was another good example of that. As has been reported, the SPFL Competitions Working Group will be meeting later this month to consider the pros and cons of the current system and any deliverable alternatives.
Remind us of the post-split dates…
The Scottish Cup semi-finals take place at Hampden Park this coming weekend before the William Hill Premiership resumes with fixture round 34 on the weekend of April 26/27. Fixture round 35 takes place on the weekend of May 3/4 and round 36 will be played on the weekend of May 10/11. Fixture round 37 is scheduled for the midweek of May 13/14 and fixture round 38 will be played over the weekend of May 17/18, with top-six games on
Saturday and the bottom six matches on Sunday.
What post-split matches have been chosen for live TV coverage?
Our main broadcast partner Sky Sports have confirmed four fixtures for live broadcast and may also select a match in fixture round 37 in due course:
- Saturday April 26: Dundee United v Celtic (Sky Sports, 12.30pm)
- Sunday May 4: Rangers v Celtic (Sky Sports, 12 noon)
- Sunday May 11: Rangers v Aberdeen (Sky Sports, 12 noon)
- Saturday May 17: Celtic v St Mirren (Sky Sports, 12.30pm)
Sky Sports will also show both legs of the William Hill Premiership play-off final on Thursday May 22 and Monday May 26, kick-off 8.00pm.
And what about next season?
We recently confirmed that fixtures for 2025/26 will be published at 9.00am on Friday June 20, with the league season kicking off on the weekend of August 1-3
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