McInnes's Rangers debut headlines ten must-watch SPFL fixtures for 2026-27

The 2026-27 William Hill Premiership fixture list is out, with Derek McInnes’s debut as Rangers manager and a September Old Firm derby among the highlights of a schedule packed with managerial storylines and fierce rivalries from the opening weekend.

McInnes begins his tenure at Ibrox on Friday, 31 July, when Rangers travel to Tannadice to face Dundee United — a club where the 54-year-old spent three years as a player. It is a demanding start for a manager returning to Scottish football’s top job.

The following day, 1 August, Aberdeen open their campaign under new head coach Stephen Robinson against Hearts at Pittodrie. Hearts themselves are under new management following McInnes’s departure to Rangers, and both sides will be eager to set an early tone.

St Johnstone, back in the top flight after a one-season absence, host Kilmarnock on 2 August. Simo Valakari’s Championship winners arrive with confidence, though Neil McCann’s side will carry momentum from a strong finish to last term. Also on that Sunday, Hibernian and Motherwell meet fresh from Conference League action, with Hibs seeking greater consistency and Motherwell adapting to life under new management after losing Jens Berthel Askou.

The first Dundee derby arrives on 22 August at Tannadice, where United — who won 3-0 at home in April — host city rivals Dundee. A week later, on 29 August, McInnes returns to Pittodrie as Rangers boss, facing the club where he spent eight years as manager. The fixture carries obvious personal weight and shapes up as one of the season’s most charged early encounters.

September opens with the Edinburgh derby on 2 September at Easter Road, where Hearts — winners of three of their four meetings with Hibernian last season — will be favourites, though those victories frequently required late interventions.

The first Old Firm derby falls on 20 September at Celtic Park, marking McInnes’s first as Rangers manager. He faces Martin O’Neill, who was unbeaten across four derbies against predecessor Danny Röhl last term. McInnes also returns to the ground where his Hearts side suffered a devastating final-day title defeat last month.

The schedule’s most politically charged fixture may be 17 October, when Celtic host Hearts at Celtic Park in a rematch of last season’s title decider. Significant tension has built between the clubs following the contentious manner in which Celtic edged Hearts to the championship, and the fallout shows little sign of cooling before the sides meet again in match-week nine.