Scottish Premiership split and the final five fixtures

Work out which half the club joins

The SPFL rules describe a 12-club division. Before the split, each club meets the other 11 three times, giving 33 fixtures. The six clubs in the upper half after the first phase play the other five in that half. The six in the lower half do the same within their group.

The rules also reserve final places one through six for the upper half and seven through twelve for the lower half. Suppose a lower-half club later has a larger points total than a club in the upper half. Its final position still belongs to its assigned half. The standings combine the competition’s group rule with the teams’ results.

Confirm the home fixture after the split

The SPFL’s 2025/26 Q&A describes 19 home and 19 away games as the scheduling aim and documents exceptions in that completed edition. It also explains that a club can host the same opponent three times when post-split balancing requires it. The previous meetings can therefore leave more than one plausible venue.

Once the split is confirmed, check the official home and away listing for the last five rounds. A match with the same opponent and a different venue can fit the published schedule. This is a reason to save the new fixture rather than derive it from the previous meeting.

Read relegation and the play-off as separate outcomes

The rule document sends the bottom club down and gives 11th place the Premiership and Championship play-off route. The final 38-match table identifies which club enters that later stage. Its opponent and legs come from the play-off schedule. Record the final table position and the subsequent tie separately when tracking whether a club remains in the top division.