Championship (Scotland) 2026/27

The Scottish Championship operates as the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), positioned immediately beneath the top-flight Scottish Premiership. Its roots extend back to 1893, when the Scottish Football League (SFL) established Division Two to accommodate a growing number of clubs. Founding members included Arbroath, Ayr United, Dunfermline Athletic, and Greenock Morton. Over decades the structure evolved through various names—Division B, the First Division—before the 2013 merger of the SFL and the Scottish Premier League created the SPFL and rebranded the second tier as the Championship.

The season comprises 36 matches per team, played out in a four-time round-robin format where each side plays every opponent twice at home and twice away. Victory in the league secures automatic promotion to the Premiership. The teams finishing second, third, and fourth enter a post-season playoff: fourth place hosts third place, with the winner facing second place in a two-legged semi-final. The victor of that tie then challenges the eleventh-placed Premiership club in a two-legged final for the remaining promotion spot. At the bottom, the tenth-placed team suffers automatic relegation to League One, while the ninth-placed side enters a separate playoff against League One opponents.

Financially the Championship differs significantly from the top flight. The Premiership benefits from lucrative broadcasting deals with Sky Sports and Premier Sports, whereas the Championship relies on coverage from BBC Scotland and BBC ALBA, resulting in substantially lower revenue streams. This disparity influences the competitive landscape, with clubs such as Falkirk and St Johnstone historically leading the tally of titles. The current season sees ten clubs competing, including Arbroath, Ayr United, and Livingston among others.