Scottish Premiership attendances passed four million for the first time in the 2025-26 season, reinforcing Scotland’s position as Europe’s leading football nation for crowds relative to population.
A total of 4.1 million supporters attended Premiership matches during the campaign, with the average gate rising 3% to 17,903. The season ended with Celtic retaining the title after a dramatic final-day home victory over challengers Hearts.
Only England, Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the Netherlands recorded larger overall top-flight audiences. When attendance is measured against population, however, Scotland remains comfortably ahead of the rest of Europe.
Almost 20 people per 1,000 residents attended top-flight matches on average, close to double the rate recorded in Norway, which ranked second.
UEFA figures show around six million spectators attended men’s football across Scotland during 2025-26. About 900,000 watched lower-league matches, another 200,000 attended domestic cup fixtures and approximately 800,000 went to European games.
Celtic were the only club outside Europe’s five biggest domestic leagues to attract more than one million spectators to home league matches. Rangers also surpassed one million home supporters when all competitions were included.
Scottish Players Remain in Minority
The UEFA data also highlighted Scotland’s continued reliance on overseas players. More than two-thirds of Premiership playing minutes during the season went to footballers who were not Scottish.
Across Europe, the average share of minutes played by non-domestic players was 47%. Only Greece, Portugal and Turkey recorded a smaller proportion of playing time for locally trained footballers than Scotland.
Norway, Spain, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Sweden were among the countries where domestic players accounted for more than 60% of playing minutes.
The Scottish FA has already submitted proposals designed to increase opportunities for young players. SPFL clubs are expected to vote on the measures in November.