Heart of Midlothian seeks historic title win against Old Firm gap in 2026

Hearts can become the first non-Old Firm side to win the Scottish Premiership in over 40 years if they beat Celtic on the final matchday.

Season's tight race defies financial odds This season's Scottish Premiership has seen the closest competition involving a club outside the Old Firm in decades. Champions Celtic will meet Hearts in the season finale to decide the 2025-26 champions. If the Edinburgh-based side avoids defeat against their Glasgow rivals, they will claim the title—something no non-Old Firm club has achieved since the 1984-85 campaign. Breaking the decades-long dominance of Celtic and Rangers would be particularly remarkable given the vast financial differences between the teams. ## Revenue gap highlights financial disparity Last season's financial figures reveal stark contrasts in annual turnover. Celtic's revenue for the 2025-26 season reached £143.6 million—nearly six times higher than Hearts' total for the same period. Rangers followed with the second-highest revenue at £94.2 million, creating a gap of nearly £70 million between the Old Firm and Hearts. The difference between Celtic and the lowest earner, Falkirk, exceeds £140 million, with Celtic generating over 30 times more income. ## Transfer spending shows Old Firm’s dominance The financial divide extends to transfer activity, where Old Firm clubs outspend rivals by significant margins. Even with a conservative summer transfer window, Celtic still led outgoing transfer revenue. Rangers reported the highest total outgoings in the league, nearly nine times greater than Hearts. Four clubs recorded zero spending on signings, though some fees may have gone unreported. Two of those clubs—Dundee and Falkirk—also did not disclose any income from player departures. ## Stadium sizes underline infrastructure gap Celtic Park stands as a colossal outlier with a capacity of 60,411, making it the UK’s 10th-largest stadium and nearly 9,000 seats bigger than the national stadium, Hampden. Rangers’ Ibrox follows at 50,817 seats, while Aberdeen’s Pittodrie is the next-largest at 20,866—less than half of Ibrox’s size. Falkirk’s stadium, the smallest in the league, could fit inside Celtic Park more than seven times. The full stadium capacities are as follows: - Celtic Park - 60,411 - Ibrox (Rangers) - 50,817 - Pittodrie (Aberdeen) - 20,866 - Easter Road (Hibernian) - 20,421 - Tynecastle (Heart of Midlothian) - 19,852 - Rugby Park (Kilmarnock) - 15,003 - Tannadice (Dundee United) - 14,223 - Fir Park (Motherwell) - 13,677 - Dens Park (Dundee) - 11,775 - Almondvale (Livingston) - 8,716 - St Mirren Park - 7,937 - Falkirk Stadium - 7,937