Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) champions Hibernian are set to begin their title defence at home against Aberdeen, following the recent release of the fixtures for the 2025-26 season.
Hibernian secured their first league title in 18 years last season, overcoming challenges from Rangers and Glasgow City on the final matchday to claim the championship.
Glasgow City, who finished three points behind Hibernian last season, will kick off their bid for a potential 17th SWPL title when they host Motherwell.
Rangers, currently searching for a new manager after Jo Potter`s move to Crystal Palace, are scheduled to start their campaign with an away fixture against Montrose.
Celtic, who finished fourth in the previous season, face a potentially difficult start with an away trip to Hearts, a team that finished just one position below them.
The final match of the opening weekend will see newly promoted Hamilton Academical mark their return to the top flight by playing host to Partick Thistle.
When does the 2025-26 SWPL season begin?
The upcoming SWPL season is scheduled to commence on Sunday, August 17th. All matches on the opening day are slated for a 2pm kick-off time.
Other significant dates for the SWPL season, including details regarding play-off competitions, the winter break period, and the Sky Sports Cup, were previously announced back in February.
SWPL Derby and Standout Fixtures for 2025-26 Season
The fixture list for the 2025-26 SWPL season includes several notable derby encounters set to take place on Matchday 4, September 7th.
These key derby fixtures scheduled for this date include Celtic hosting Rangers (currently without a manager), Hearts welcoming the champions Hibernian, and Motherwell facing newly promoted Hamilton Academical.
The corresponding reverse fixtures for these derby matches are provisionally scheduled for Sunday, November 16th.
The initial meeting between last season’s top two teams, Hibernian and Glasgow City, was originally pencilled in for Matchday 3 in August.
However, due to European competition commitments, this highly anticipated match has been rescheduled and will now be played on Wednesday, October 1st.
The second league encounter between Hibs and Glasgow City is set to take place on Sunday, November 23rd.
[Note: A list of other standout fixtures was mentioned in the original text but was not provided in the source.]
Changes to the 2025-26 SWPL Season Structure
A significant alteration for the 2025-26 SWPL season is the reduction in the number of top-flight teams. The league will now feature 10 teams, down from the previous 12.
This reduction was achieved during the conclusion of last season`s campaign, which saw Spartans, Queen’s Park, and Dundee United relegated to the second tier of Scottish women`s football, while only Hamilton Academical gained promotion to the top flight.
Consequently, the SWPL 2 division has seen an increase in size, expanding from 10 teams to 12.
In the SWPL, teams will compete against each other twice (once at home and once away) before the league splits into two groups: a top six and a bottom four.
The team that finishes at the bottom of the SWPL table will face automatic relegation and will be replaced by the team that finishes first in the second tier.
Additionally, a play-off system is in place: teams finishing third and fourth in SWPL 2 will contest a quarter-final. The winner of this match will advance to a semi-final against the team that finished second in SWPL 2. The victor of this semi-final will then play against the team that finishes ninth in the SWPL to determine which club will secure a place in the top division for the following season.
