Scottish Premiership attendances top 4.1m as Celtic draw nearly 1.5m
September 25, 2026 09:33
Scottish Premiership crowds exceeded four million for the first time last season, with a total of about 4.1 million and an average attendance of 17,903 — up 3% on the previous campaign. Celtic, who defended the title courtesy of a final-day home victory over Hearts, attracted collective home crowds of almost 1.5 million across domestic and European fixtures.
KEY CONTEXT
UEFA data underline two contrasting strengths of Scottish football. Measured against population, Scotland leads Europe with close to 20 attendees per 1,000 residents — nearly double the next-best nation, Norway — even though only England, Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the Netherlands registered larger overall audiences. UEFA also estimates roughly six million Scottish supporters watched men's matches in the 2025-26 campaign, including around 900,000 at lower-league games, 200,000 at domestic cup ties and 800,000 at European fixtures.
PLAYER PATHWAYS
The report shows just over two-thirds of Premiership minutes last season were played by non-Scots, well below the European average of 47% for locally trained talent. Only Greece, Portugal and Turkey recorded lower shares of homegrown minutes; Norway, Spain, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Sweden reported figures above 60%.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The Scottish FA has submitted proposals aimed at increasing playing time for young players. SPFL clubs are due to vote on the measures in November.