All five Scottish teams in European competition have opted to postpone their Premiership matches scheduled for Saturday, 22 August. Celtic, Heart Of Midlothian, Rangers, Motherwell and Hibernian are all involved, and the rearranged games are now expected to land in midweek slots in September.

The rule change behind the reshuffle

The big change came in April 2025, when clubs playing in Europe were allowed to unilaterally delay a league game. Before that, postponements needed agreement from both clubs. That shift has clearly made fixture management easier for Scottish sides trying to keep their domestic calendar from colliding with European ties.

BBC Sport reported: "Previously, postponements had to be agreed by both clubs, but since April 2025, a team playing in Europe has been able to unilaterally delay a game."

September's replacement dates

The postponed fixtures are due to be played in midweek on either 8/9 or 15/16 September. That part is still framed as a date range, so there is no single confirmed night for all five games yet.

The clubs are also in very different European situations. Hearts are 4-0 behind on aggregate in their Champions League second round qualifying tie against Sturm Graz, while Motherwell are 2-0 up on aggregate against Faroese side HB in Conference League second round qualifying. Hibernian lost their first leg 2-0 against Kosovan outfit Malisheva, and Rangers are already drawn against Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok in Europa League qualifying.

Those details help explain why the same postponement rule is affecting clubs with very different pressures. Celtic are top of the Premiership championship round table on 82 points after 38 matches, Hearts finished second on 80 points from 38 matches, Rangers finished third on 72 points from 38 matches, Hibernian sit sixth and Motherwell eighth. The schedule mess is the same, but the domestic and European context around it is not.

BBC Sport said: "All five Scottish teams in European competitions have opted to postpone their Premiership matches scheduled for Saturday, 22 August."

The practical outcome is straightforward enough. Five league games move out of the weekend, and Scottish football's first real European fixture squeeze of the season now spills into September.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →