Scottish Championship Standings: 2025/26 Season Live Table and Analysis

St Johnstone leads the Scottish Championship standings with 65 points from 32 matches, holding a five-point advantage over second-placed Partick Thistle. The 2025/26 campaign has reached its final month, with St Johnstone in the pole position for automatic promotion to the Scottish Premiership. Partick Thistle remains the primary challenger with 60 points, while Arbroath and Dunfermline Athletic currently occupy the remaining two promotion play-off spots in third and fourth place respectively. At the opposite end of the table, Ross County sits in the automatic relegation spot with 28 points, trailing Airdrieonians by two points in the battle to avoid the drop to League One.

This comprehensive guide provides a real-time breakdown of the league table, analysis of the promotion race, and a look at the relegation battle defining the final weeks of the season. Readers will discover detailed team statistics, top performer analysis, and essential practical information for attending upcoming matches.

Scottish Championship Live Table: April 2026

The current standings reflect 32 completed rounds of fixtures for most teams. St Johnstone has established a commanding lead through defensive solidity, conceding only 25 goals in 32 games, the lowest in the division.

The Race for the Title

St Johnstone is currently the favorite to clinch the title and secure an immediate return to the top flight. Their recent 4-2 victory over Arbroath on April 4 served as a major statement of intent, widening the gap at the top.

Partick Thistle remains a dangerous threat, currently on a 10-match unbeaten run. However, their 1-1 draw with Ayr United in the most recent round saw them lose ground, meaning they likely need St Johnstone to drop points in at least two of their remaining four games.

Promotion Play-off Battle

Arbroath and Dunfermline Athletic are the frontrunners for the play-off spots, sitting comfortably ahead of the mid-table pack. Dunfermline holds a game in hand over Arbroath and could move into third place with a win in their rescheduled fixture.

The battle for the final play-off spot is essentially a four-way tie on 36 points between Raith Rovers, Ayr United, Queen’s Park, and Greenock Morton. With only a few points separating fifth from eighth, every goal in the final weeks will be critical for goal difference.

Relegation Survival Scenarios

Ross County is fighting for their survival in the second tier, currently sitting bottom after a difficult season. Their defensive record is the league’s poorest, having conceded 52 goals in 32 matches.

Airdrieonians currently occupy the ninth-place play-off spot, which would see them enter a two-legged tie against a League One opponent to stay up. With Ross County only two points behind, the automatic relegation spot remains undecided.

Individual Top Performers

Josh McPake leads the goal-scoring charts for the 2025/26 season with 15 goals. His clinical finishing has been a primary reason for his side’s competitive position in the top half of the table.

In the assist department, the league has seen a high volume of creative play, contributing to an average of 2.44 goals per match across the division. St Johnstone’s Jason Holt has been a standout veteran presence in the midfield, controlling the tempo for the league leaders.

Practical Information and Planning

Attending a Scottish Championship match offers an authentic and accessible football experience. Most matches take place on Saturday afternoons at 15:00, though Friday night and midweek fixtures are common for television coverage.

• Ticket Prices: Adult tickets typically range from £20 to £25, while concessions (seniors/students) are usually £12 to £18.
• How to Get There: Major grounds like McDiarmid Park (Perth) and Firhill (Glasgow) are well-served by ScotRail services and local bus routes.
• What to Expect: A passionate, community-driven atmosphere with stadium kiosks serving traditional football fare like Scotch pies and Bovril.
• Tips for Visitors: Book tickets online in advance for high-profile matches like the Fife Derby or Partick Thistle home games to avoid queues.

Timely Fixture Update: April 11, 2026

The upcoming weekend of April 11 features several high-stakes matches that could decide the title and play-off seeds.

• St Johnstone vs Airdrieonians: A top-vs-bottom clash where the league leaders could move closer to the title.
• Partick Thistle vs Dunfermline: A massive game for the play-off seeding and the title chase.
• Ayr United vs Arbroath: Critical for Ayr’s late push into the top four.

League Format and Table Structure

How the Championship Works

The Scottish Championship uses a 10‑team, 36‑game format, with each club playing every opponent four times (twice home and twice away) across the season. The standings are calculated first by total points, with three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss; if teams are tied on points, goal difference, then goals‑for, and finally head‑to‑head record are used as tiebreakers. The league’s official table is maintained by the SPFL and mirrored on major sports sites, with daily updates after each fixture.

At the end of the 2023/24 season, the top‑placed club earned automatic promotion to the Scottish Premiership, while the second, third, and fourth‑placed teams entered a four‑team promotion‑play‑off. The ninth‑placed club entered a relegation‑play‑off against the winner of the League One play‑off, and the bottom team (10th) was automatically relegated to Scottish League One. This structure makes the middle of the table incredibly competitive, as a small shift in points can move a club from safety up into the top‑four race or down into the relegation zone.

Key Table Positions and Meaning

In the Scottish Championship standings, each position carries a distinct consequence, from top to bottom. The number one side finishes as champions and is promoted immediately, often doing so with a strong, sustained‑form run in the second half of the season. The clubs in second to fourth are grouped into the top‑four play‑off bracket, where they face a knockout mini‑tournament to decide the second promotion spot, turning the final weeks into a high‑pressure sprint.

Below the top four, the middle‑of‑the‑table sides (roughly 5th–8th) are safe from relegation but still fight for finishing pride, European‑rights‑linked rewards, and bragging rights in local derbies. The ninth‑placed club entered the relegation‑play‑off, needing to beat the League One play‑off champion over two legs to avoid a drop. The 10th‑placed team is automatically relegated unless outstanding fixtures, deductions, or licence issues intervene, making every point in the lower half of the standings crucial over the full 36‑match campaign.

Home‑Away and Goal‑Difference Role

The Scottish Championship standings often feature a small gap between clubs when analyzed by home and away records, even if their total points look similar. Strong home form at compact, partisan stadiums can give a mid‑table club enough points to escape the relegation zone, while poor away results can drag a top‑side down the table even if they dominate at home. Managers often use home games as “must‑win” fixtures, aiming to bank maximum points on their own pitches before dealing with the more difficult road trips.

Goal difference, shown as GD on the table, plays a bigger role in the Championship than in many top‑tier leagues because points‑tight battles are common. A team that wins 1–0 versus 2–1 may end up with the same number of points, but the higher‑scoring side tends to have a better goal‑difference safety‑net in the event of a late‑season points‑tie. The league’s official rules also emphasize the importance of head‑to‑head results between tied clubs, meaning that individual fixtures between rivals can have an outsized impact on the final standings.

2023/24 Season Standings Explained

Final 2023/24 Championship Table

In the 2023/24 Scottish Championship, the 10‑team table produced a tightly packed mid‑section while one or two clubs pulled away at the top. The 1st‑placed side finished with a strong points‑total, often in the 70‑plus range, securing automatic promotion to the Scottish Premiership, while the second and third‑placed teams operated within a narrower points window. The 4th‑placed club entered the play‑off bracket with a handful of defeats but enough points to stay in the top‑four fight until the final matchday.

Lower down, the 5th–8th positions were typically separated by only a few points, sometimes even less than the equivalent of a single win, underlining how competitive the Championship is. The 9th‑placed club hovered just above the automatic relegation mark, relying on the play‑off route to stay in the division, while the 10th‑placed team sat at the bottom with a record that included several heavy losses and too many dropped points at home. The exact final rankings for 2023/24 can be checked on the SPFL and BBC / Sky Sports tables, which publish the complete stats for each club.

Top‑of‑Table and Promotion Race

The top‑of‑table contest in the 2023/24 Scottish Championship often featured a leading club that built a cushion in the second half of the season, gradually extending their lead over the chasing pack. The 1st‑placed side usually combined strong home form with a respectable away‑record, managing to win key games against the other top‑four‑bound teams. The 2nd and 3rd‑placed clubs, often separated by only a few points, stayed in the play‑off‑zone thanks to a mix of consistent draws and narrow victories, with the gap narrowing at the very end of the season.

The 4th‑placed club in 2023/24 typically reached the top‑four by escaping the mid‑table pack with a late‑season run, winning several head‑to‑head clashes that decided the play‑off spots. This made the final weeks of the season a dramatic time, with clubs on the edge of the top four picking up crucial wins or draws to secure the final play‑off berth. The 1st‑placed club’s promotion was often confirmed before the last matchday, allowing them to rest players, while the 2nd–4th‑placed sides kept pushing for the best possible position and seeding in the play‑off mini‑tournament.

Mid‑Table Clashes and Form Runs

The 5th–8th positions in the 2023/24 Scottish Championship standings often changed hands multiple times, with several clubs trading form‑run positions and goal‑difference edges over the course of the season. These clubs usually had a record of more draws than wins, meaning they rarely fell into the 9th or 10th spot but also struggled to break into the top‑four. Mid‑table fixtures between these sides were often tight, low‑scoring games that decided subtle points‑differentials rather than the promotion‑or‑relegation narrative.

Form‑run patterns in the mid‑table revealed that a short‑term hot‑streak—three or four consecutive wins—could lift a side from the 7th or 8th position into the 4th–5th range, sometimes briefly threatening the top‑four zone. Conversely, a winless run of four or five games could drop a team down to the 7th–8th area, increasing the pressure on the manager and board. The 2023/24 campaign saw several mid‑table teams go through these phases, with one‑game‑win differentials often determining the difference between a comfortable‑style finish and a nervy last‑day survival‑style scrap.

Relegation Battle and Play‑Offs

The 2023/24 Scottish Championship relegation battle usually boiled down to the 9th and 10th positions, with both clubs fighting to avoid automatic relegation or the relegation‑play‑off trap. The 9th‑placed team often finished just above the 10th‑placed club on points, sometimes with a narrow goal‑difference edge, and entered the relegation‑play‑off against the League One play‑off champion. The 10th‑placed side, even if they had a late‑season rally, ended up with a record that included several heavy defeats and too many dropped points at home.

The relegation‑play‑off itself was a two‑legged tie, with the 9th‑placed Championship club hosting one leg and travelling for the other. History shows that the Championship‑side has a strong record of surviving these ties, thanks to higher‑level experience and better squad depth, but the 2023/24 campaign saw one or two clubs drop through the play‑off after losing key fixtures. The 10th‑placed club, in contrast, faced an automatic drop to Scottish League One, where they had to rebuild and aim for immediate promotion back to the Championship in the following season.

Key Clubs and Season Stories

Promoted and Top‑Four Clubs

In the 2023/24 season, the 1st‑placed club’s journey to automatic promotion usually began with a strong start, often winning the first few fixtures and then consolidating that form with a steady run of mid‑season victories. The 2nd and 3rd‑placed sides often entered the season as among the favourites, with experienced managers and squads built around a mix of experienced internationals and younger talent. The 4th‑placed club, sometimes a surprise package, relied on a potent attack or resilient defense to ride the wave of the top‑four race until the final matchday.

Each of these top‑four clubs had a different storyline: one might have escaped a shaky start to overtake the chasing pack, another might have led the table early only to be challenged later, and a third might have built a persistent second‑place campaign that never quite nudged the top spot. The 2023/24 campaign also saw one or two clubs that had been promoted from League One the previous season staying in the Championship’s top‑half, underlining the importance of sustained squad planning and depth beyond the first‑year bounce.

Mid‑Table Survivors

The 5th–8th clubs in the 2023/24 Scottish Championship standings were often the “solid but unspectacular” teams, with records that included a mix of draws and narrow wins balanced against occasional heavy losses. These clubs typically lacked the consistency to break into the top‑four race but were strong enough to avoid the relegation zone, relying on key home‑win streaks and timely away‑day results. The 5th‑placed side sometimes edged close to the 4th‑place line, teasing fans with a late‑season top‑four‑push that ultimately fell short.

The 6th–8th‑placed clubs were often the most varied in terms of form, with multiple managers, injuries, and financial constraints shaping their campaigns. Some may have started brightly, only to slump in the second half, while others scraped together enough points in the final weeks to stay clear of the 9th‑place relegation‑play‑off zone. The 2023/24 season highlighted how small‑budget clubs can still achieve mid‑table stability with good recruitment, strong youth integration, and shrewd tactics, even if they never threaten the top‑four.

Relegated and Play‑Off Clubs

The 9th and 10th clubs in the 2023/24 Scottish Championship standings often shared a narrative of under‑performance, with a mix of managerial changes, poor form runs, and defensive frailty. The 10th‑placed team’s record usually showed a high number of defeats and too many lost points at home, leading to an early‑season slide from which they never fully recovered. The 9th‑placed club, slightly better off in points, often relied on draws and late‑season improvements to stay out of automatic relegation, only to face the stress of the relegation‑play‑off.

The relegation‑play‑off narrative in 2023/24 usually featured one of the 9th‑placed sides managing a late‑season rally, winning key fixtures and building confidence going into the two‑legged tie, while the 10th‑placed side spent the final weeks reading the relegation‑zone, knowing that survival was out of their hands. The outcome of the play‑off could be decided by a single goal, with fortunate moments, defensive errors, or individual heroics shaping whether a club stayed in the Championship or dropped to League One. The 2023/24 season therefore balanced between the celebrations of the top‑four with the heartbreak and pressure of the bottom two.

Form Runs, Goal Stats, and Trends

Goal‑Scoring and Goal‑Conceding Patterns

In the 2023/24 Scottish Championship, the league’s average goals per game sat at a mid‑to‑high rate, with many matches finishing with at least two or three goals scored between the two teams. The top‑scoring sides were usually the 1st–4th‑placed clubs, whose attacking units combined pace, movement, and clinical finishing, while the 5th–8th‑placed teams often scored fewer goals but still enough to secure points. The 9th and 10th‑placed clubs, meanwhile, frequently struggled to score, sometimes finishing with the lowest‑goals‑for totals in the division.

Defence was often the key to survival, and the 5th–8th‑placed sides that conceded the fewest goals tended to finish higher than those with similar points totals but more goals against. The 10th‑placed club, by contrast, often had the worst defensive record, with multiple heavy defeats and a high goals‑conceded tally that underlined their lack of stability. The 9th‑placed side in the relegation‑play‑zone might have scored a respectable number of goals but still conceded enough to keep their goal‑difference barely positive or slightly negative, leaving them vulnerable in tight points‑ties.

Home‑Away Form and Fixture Impact

The 2023/24 Championship season highlighted that home form usually carried more weight than away form in the standings, as compact Scottish grounds and partisan crowds gave home teams a psychological edge. The 1st‑placed club normally maximized their points at home, dropping fewer points in front of their own supporters, while the 2nd–4th‑placed teams often had a more balanced home‑away split. The 5th–8th‑placed clubs relied heavily on home‑field advantage, with several of their wins and draws coming at their own grounds.

Away form tended to expose the weaknesses of the bottom‑two clubs, whose records on the road often showed few wins and many defeats, sometimes with heavy scorelines. The 9th‑placed side might have managed a handful of away‑day wins or draws that kept them off the bottom, while the 10th‑placed club often struggled to secure points away from home, sometimes losing key fixtures to direct rivals. The 2023/24 season therefore saw a clear pattern: strong home‑form teams floated higher in the standings, while poor‑away‑form teams occupied the relegation and play‑off zones.

Form‑Run Indicators and Table Watch

In the Scottish Championship standings, form‑run indicators (often shown as “Form 6” or “Last 6” on major sports sites) are crucial for understanding how a club is trending going into the final weeks. The 1st–4th‑placed sides often went into the run‑in with strong recent form runs, sometimes five or six consecutive wins that helped them secure promotion or a top‑four‑play‑off spot. The 5th–8th‑placed teams sometimes had mixed form‑runs, with three or four‑game‑winning streaks that lifted them in the table followed by short‑form slumps that kept them in the mid‑section.

The 9th and 10th‑placed clubs usually entered the final fortnight with negative or neutral form‑runs, with the 10th‑placed side often suffering multiple consecutive losses and the 9th‑placed side scraping draws and narrow wins. These form‑run patterns helped fans and analysts predict the likelihood of a late‑season push, a slide, or a manager‑sacking‑style collapse. The 2023/24 season reinforced that even a seemingly safe‑mid‑table side could drop into the relegation‑zone if their form‑run turned negative, while a struggling side could climb if they found a short‑term hot‑streak at the right moment.

Practical Information and Planning

How to Check Live Standings

To follow the latest Scottish Championship standings, fans can visit the SPFL’s official league‑table page, which is updated immediately after each matchday with full stats for all ten clubs. Major sports sites such as BBC Sport, Sky Sports, LiveScore, FlashScore, and Sofascore also carry the current table, often with extra features like form‑run indicators, head‑to‑head stats, and live‑score updates. These platforms also show upcoming fixtures, kick‑off times, and recent results, making it easy to track how the standings are changing week by week.

International viewers can access the Scottish Championship table through the same sites, with the SPFL and BBC pages defaulting to UK time, while some platforms offer local‑time conversion for European, Asian, and American users. The tables are usually updated within minutes of a match finishing, with the latest points and goal‑differences displayed in real time. The 2023/24 season’s archive can be loaded from past‑seasons links, allowing fans to review the full evolution of the standings from the first matchday through the final‑day drama.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many teams are in the Scottish Championship?

There are 10 teams competing in the 2025/26 Scottish Championship: Airdrieonians, Arbroath, Ayr United, Dunfermline Athletic, Greenock Morton, Partick Thistle, Queen’s Park, Raith Rovers, Ross County, and St Johnstone.

How many matches does each team play in a season?

Each team plays 36 matches in total. The structure is a quadruple round-robin, meaning every club faces the other nine teams four times—twice at home and twice away.

What happens to the team that finishes first?

The team that finishes at the top of the standings after 36 games is crowned the Championship winner and receives automatic promotion to the Scottish Premiership for the 2026/27 season.

How do the promotion play-offs work?

The teams finishing in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place enter the play-offs. The 3rd and 4th placed teams play a two-legged quarter-final; the winner then faces the 2nd placed team in a two-legged semi-final. The winner of that match advances to the Premiership Play-off Final against the 11th-placed team from the Scottish Premiership.

How many teams are relegated? 

The team that finishes 10th (last place) is automatically relegated to Scottish League One. The team that finishes 9th must compete in a two-legged play-off against teams from League One to avoid relegation.

When is the final day of the regular 2025/26 season? 

The final round of matches (Week 36) is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2026, with all matches typically kicking off simultaneously.

Where can I watch Scottish Championship highlights? 

Official match highlights are available on the SPFL YouTube channel and through the BBC Scotland program “Sportscene.” Selected live matches are broadcast on the BBC Scotland channel and BBC iPlayer throughout the season.

Can I buy tickets at the stadium on matchday? 

While many clubs offer “pay at the gate” or matchday ticket office sales, it is highly recommended to purchase tickets online in advance via official club websites, especially for high-demand fixtures like derbies or play-off matches.

Is there a winter break in the Scottish Championship? 

Unlike the Premiership, the Scottish Championship generally does not have a formal winter break, with fixtures continuing through December and January, though matches are frequently rescheduled due to winter weather or cup commitments.

Final Thoughts

The Scottish Championship has entered its definitive phase, with the standings as of April 9, 2026, pointing toward a high-stakes finish at both ends of the table. St Johnstone currently controls its own destiny, sitting five points clear at the summit. Their consistent form—anchored by the league’s most effective defense—has made them the heavy favorites for the title. However, Partick Thistle’s 10-match unbeaten streak ensures that any slip-up by the leaders in the final four games could dramatically shift the title to Glasgow.

In the middle of the pack, the race for the remaining play-off seeds is exceptionally tight. While Arbroath and Dunfermline Athletic have a comfortable cushion in 3rd and 4th, the “Mid-Table Four”—Raith Rovers, Ayr United, Queen’s Park, and Greenock Morton—are all deadlocked on 36 points. This parity suggests that the fourth play-off spot could be decided by goal difference on the final day. At the bottom, the survival battle between Ross County and Airdrieonians remains a game of nerves, with just two points separating automatic safety from the drop to League One.

To Read More: Manchester Independent