Scottish Premiership A-Z guide for the new season!

The new Scottish Premiership season is back with a bang! <p>Every single game across the opening weekend will be shown live on <em>Sky Sports</em>, starting with Rangers' trip to Dundee United on Friday, and ending with Celtic against Dundee on Monday.</p><widget id="4"></widget><p>Following one of the best seasons ever, as Celtic clinched the title on the final day against Hearts, there are new managers, players, rules and much more to look out for during the campaign.</p><ul><li><strong><a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/36621/13567131/scottish-premiership-2026-27-after-celtics-final-day-triumph-over-hearts-how-can-the-new-season-top-the-best-in-decades">Can the new Scottish Premiership season top the best campaign in decades?</a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/WatchSPApp" target="_blank">Got Sky? Watch now on the Sky Sports app</a> 📱  </strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.nowtv.com/plans/new/sports?DCMP=ilc_skysports_Scotland_bloglink" target="_blank">Not got Sky? Get instant access with no contract</a> <a href="http://ggggg/" target="_blank">📺</a></strong></li></ul><p>Ahead of the big kick-off, here's an A-Z of everything that's new about the league this year...</p><p><strong>A</strong> <strong>- Astroturf: </strong>There's only one artificial surface left. Kilmarnock have switched to grass at Rugby Park and Livingston have been relegated, so the Falkirk Stadium is the only plastic pitch.</p><p><strong>B</strong> <strong>- Broken Hearts:</strong> After losing out on a first top-flight title in 66 years on the final day last season, the squad has been broken up. Captain Lawrence Shankland departed for Rangers one year into a three-year deal. Head coach Derek McInnes followed, before influential midfielder Cammy Devlin made the trip to Ibrox too after rejecting a new Tynecastle deal.</p><p><strong>C</strong> <strong>- Captains: </strong>Aberdeen, Hearts, Kilmarnock, Rangers and St Mirren all have new players wearing the armband this year following the departures of Graeme Shinnie, Lawrence Shankland, Brad Lyons, James Tavernier and Mark O'Hara.</p> <widget id="7"></widget><p><strong>D - Deadline Day:</strong> The Scottish Premiership transfer window closes on September 3 at 5pm, that's two days after the Premier League window. So if you're worried that your club hasn't made enough signings yet, don't worry, you've still got well over a month to go.</p><ul><li><strong><a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11781/13548430/transfer-news-summer-transfer-window-2026-scottish-premiership-deals-ins-and-outs">Scottish Premiership ins and outs - the confirmed deals so far...</a></strong></li></ul><p><strong>E - Europe: </strong>Five Scottish clubs started out competing in European qualifiers this summer but this year it's a race for the top four, as it's almost certain that Scotland's faltering coefficient ranking will cost one place.</p><p><strong>F - Flag days:</strong> Champions Celtic will raise the league flag once again when they take on Dundee in the final game of opening weekend on Monday. Newly promoted St Johnstone will also raise the Championship flag at home to Kilmarnock on Sunday.</p> <widget id="8"></widget><p><strong>G - Gordon: </strong>This will be the first time since the maiden year of the SPFL in 2013 in which there will be no Craig Gordon in Scotland. The 43-year-old Hearts legend announced his retirement from football following Scotland's exit from the World Cup, 25 years on from making his professional debut.</p><p><strong>H - Hogh: </strong>Celtic have broken their transfer record to sign Bodo Glimt striker Kasper Hogh for £11m plus add-ons. The Denmark international has been brought in to replace Daizen Maeda, who departed for Ipswich.</p><p><strong>I - International breaks: </strong>We've just had the World Cup but be prepared for an almost three-week-long break over September and October. The international match calendar has changed from three international windows to just two for this year.</p><p><strong>J - Johansson: </strong>Motherwell's new boss Alfred Johansson<em> </em>has big shoes to fill after Jens Berthel Askou left for Toulouse. He's the youngest manager in the league at just 35.</p> <widget id="9"></widget><p><strong>K - Kenobi:</strong> Did you know that Aberdeen's new left back Nesta Guinness-Walker is the great-grandson of Sir Alec Guinness, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy?</p><p><strong>L - Law changes:</strong> Just as we saw at the World Cup, VAR can now intervene on second yellow cards. Meanwhile, players will have a five-second countdown to take throw-ins and goal kicks, while there is just 10 seconds for a substitute to leave the field, plus a minute break for those who undergo treatment.</p> <widget id="10"></widget><p><strong>M - McInnes: </strong>For the fifth season in a row, Rangers start with a new manager. Derek McInnes is tasked with doing what the last five permanent Rangers bosses failed to do, win the league title.</p><p><strong>N - New mascot: </strong>St Johnstone are looking for someone new to take on the role of Brogan the Beagle after the previous Brogan hung up the paws after 11 years.</p><p><strong>O - O'Neill:</strong> At 74 years old, Martin O'Neill is back at Celtic for what is technically his fourth spell. He won a league and cup double last term after replacing Brendan Rodgers, then Wilfried Nancy.</p> <widget id="11"></widget><p><strong>P - Promoted: </strong>St Johnstone are back in the Premiership after a year out. They're the only newly promoted side after St Mirren beat Partick Thistle in the play-off final in May.</p><p><strong>Q - Questionable haircuts:</strong> New season means new trim but Falkirk's League Cup trialist David Ninkovic will take some beating!</p> <widget id="12"></widget><p><strong>R - Robinson's rebuild:</strong> Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson is about to begin his first full season at Pittod...