| Country: | Scotland |
| Season: | 1896–97 |
| Prevseason: | 1895–96 |
| Nextseason: | 1897–98 |
| Flagicon: | yes |
| Bodyclass: | football |
| Headerstyle: | background:#BFD7FF |
| Above: | 1896–97 in Scottish football |
| Header1: | Division One champions |
| Data2: | Heart of Midlothian |
| Header3: | Division Two champions |
| Data4: | Partick Thistle |
| Header5: | Scottish Cup winners |
| Data6: | Rangers |
| Header7: | Scottish Junior Cup winners |
| Data8: | Strathclyde |
| Header9: | Scotland national team |
| Data10: | 1897 BHC |
The 1896–97 season of Scottish football was the 24th season of competitive football in Scotland and the seventh season of the Scottish Football League.
See main article: 1896–97 Scottish Division One.
Hearts were champions of the Scottish Division One.
See main article: 1896–97 Scottish Division Two.
Partick Thistle won the Scottish Division Two. Both Linthouse and Port Glasgow Athletic had four points deducted.
| width=160 | Competition | width=135 | Winner | width=80 | Score | width=135 | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish Cup | 5 – 1 | Dumbarton | |||||
| Scottish Qualifying Cup | Kilmarnock | 4 – 1 | Motherwell | ||||
| Scottish Junior Cup | 2 – 0 | Dunfermline Juniors |
Other Senior Leagues
| width=230 | Division | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayrshire Combination | Ayr | [1] | |
| Border League | Selkirk | [2] | |
| Central League | Cowdenbeath | [3] | |
| Midland League | Clackmannan | ||
| Northern League | Orion | [4] | |
| Scottish Alliance | Third Lanark 'A' | [5] | |
| Scottish Combination | Hearts 'A' | [6] | |
See main article: 1896–97 British Home Championship and Scotland national football team 1872–1914 results.
| Date | Venue | Opponents | Competition | Scotland scorer(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 March 1897 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham (A) | 2–2 | BHC | John Ritchie, John Walker | ||
| 27 March 1897 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow | 5–1 | BHC | John McPherson (2), Neil Gibson, Robert McColl, Alex King | ||
| 3 April 1897 | Crystal Palace, London | 2–1 | BHC | Tom Hyslop, James Millar |
Scotland were winners of the 1897 British Home Championship.
Key:
| Date | Venue | Opponents[7] [8] | Scotland scorer(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 January | Solitude, Belfast (A) | Irish League XI | 2–0 | Alex King (2) | |
| 24 April | Ibrox Park, Glasgow (H) | Football League XI | 3–0 | Tommy Low, John McPherson (2) |