| Pixels: | 250 |
| Country: | Scotland |
| Confed: | UEFA |
| Teams: | 10 |
| Promotion: | Scottish Premiership |
| Relegation: | Scottish League One |
| Level: | 2 |
| Pyramid: | Scottish football league system |
| Domest Cup: | Scottish Cup |
| League Cup: | Scottish League Cup Scottish Challenge Cup |
| Champions: | Dundee United (2nd title)[1] |
| Season: | 2023 - 24 |
| Most Successful Club: | Dundee Dundee United Heart of Midlothian (2 titles) |
| Tv: | BBC Scotland BBC ALBA |
| Current: | 2024–25 Scottish Championship |
The Scottish Championship, known as the William Hill Championship for sponsorship reasons,[2] is the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League, the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish Championship was established in July 2013, after the Scottish Professional Football League was formed by a merger of the Scottish Premier League and Scottish Football League.[3]
Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned league champion. If points are equal, the goal difference determines the winner. If this still does not result in a winner, the tied teams must take part in a playoff game at a neutral venue to determine the final placings.[4]
The champions are directly promoted to the Scottish Premiership, swapping places with the bottom club of the Premiership.[4] The clubs finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th then enter the two-legged Premiership play-off. The 3rd-placed club plays the 4th-placed club, with the winner then playing the 2nd-placed club. The winner of that game then plays against the 11th-placed Premiership club. If the Championship play-off winner prevails, the club is promoted and the Premiership club is relegated; otherwise, the Premiership club remains in its league while the Championship club is not promoted.[4]
For promotion and relegation, the Championship play-off system closely mirrors its Premiership counterpart—the bottom-ranked club in the Championship is automatically relegated while the 9th-placed club undergoes a play-off with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed clubs from League One.[4]
Listed below are all the teams competing in the 2024–25 Scottish Championship season, with details of the first season they entered the second tier; the first season of their current spell in the second tier; and the last time they won the second tier.
| Team | Position in 2023–24 | First season in second tier | First season of current spell in second tier | Last second tier title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airdrieonians | 4th, Scottish Championship | 2004–05 | 2023–24 | - |
| Ayr United | 7th, Scottish Championship | 1910–11 | 2018–19 | 1965–66 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 6th, Scottish Championship | 1912–13 | 2023–24 | 2010–11 |
| Falkirk | 1st, Scottish League One (promoted) | 1902–03 | 2024–25 | 2004–05 |
| Greenock Morton | 5th, Scottish Championship | 1893–94 | 2015–16 | 1986–87 |
| Hamilton Academical | 2nd, Scottish League One (promoted) | 1897–98 | 2024–25 | 2007–08 |
| Livingston | 12th, Scottish Premiership (relegated) | 2024–25 | 2000–01 | |
| Partick Thistle | 3rd, Scottish Championship | 1893–94 | 2021–22 | 2012–13 |
| Queen's Park | 8th, Scottish Championship | 1922–23 | 2022–23 | 1955–56 |
| Raith Rovers | 2nd, Scottish Championship | 1902–03 | 2020–21 | 1994–95 |
as Meadowbank Thistle
See also: List of Scottish Professional Football League stadiums.
| Airdrieonians | Ayr United | Dunfermline Athletic | Falkirk | Greenock Morton | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excelsior Stadium | Somerset Park | East End Park | Falkirk Stadium | Cappielow Park | |
| Capacity: [5] | Capacity: [6] | Capacity: [7] | Capacity: [8] | Capacity: [9] | |
| Hamilton Academical | Livingston | Partick Thistle | Queen's Park | Raith Rovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Douglas Park | Almondvale Stadium | Firhill Stadium | Hampden Park[10] | Stark's Park | |
| Capacity: [11] | Capacity: [12] | Capacity: [13] | Capacity: 51,866[14] | Capacity: [15] | |
See main article: List of winners of the Scottish Championship and predecessors.
[20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30]
| width=45 | Rank | Player | Club(s)[31] | width=45 | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queen of the South (2016–2021) | 69 | |||
| 2 | Jason Cummings | Hibernian (2014–2017) Dundee (2020–2021) | 63 | ||
| 3 | Lawrence Shankland | St Mirren (2015–2017) Greenock Morton (2017) Ayr United (2018–2019) Dundee United (2019–2020) | 62 | ||
| 4 | Nicky Clark | Rangers (2014–2016) Dunfermline Athletic (2016–2018) Dundee United (2018–2020) | 54 | ||
| 5 | Queen of the South (2013–2018) | 51< | -- | ||
| 6 | Hamilton Academical (2013–2014) Heart of Midlothian (2014–2015) Hibernian (2015–2017) Dundee United (2017–2018) Inverness CT (2019–2021) Raith Rovers (2021–2022) | 49 | |||
| 7 | Raith Rovers (2014) Queen of the South (2014–2015) Falkirk (2015–2017) Inverness CT (2017–2018) Greenock Morton (2018) | 48 | |||
| 8 | Gavin Reilly | Queen of the South (2013–2015) Dunfermline Athletic (2016–2017) St Mirren (2017–2018) Greenock Morton (2021–2022) | 42--> |