Will the SPL's Exciting End to the 2025/2026 Season Inspire a Global Audience to Watch Next Season?

It’s fair to say that not many saw the ending of the SPL season coming. Right up to the last day, there was still a real sense of uncertainty about who would come out on top: Celtic or Hearts.

The buzz throughout the country was palpable. Indeed, the entire Premiership saw a 22% rise to 28 million viewer hours, and it wasn’t just the Scots fans who were glued to the tournament. Around the UK, the SPL is growing more popular, and the exciting end to the SPL’s 2025/26 season will only have inspired more global fans to watch next season.

Watching the SPL Abroad

The league certainly has a lot of things going for it. For starters, it’s become easier than ever for global fans to watch live offshore football games, no matter what device they’re streaming from.

Streaming services like DAZN, for instance, have made it possible to follow matches easily, while the rise of VPNs like Private Internet Access has made it simpler and more flexible to stream both at home and out and about. Indeed, Private Internet Access has a dedicated app for macOS and a range of other devices, including Android, Apple TV, and console, so there isn’t the concern of tuning in to a less familiar football league and risking your device in the process.

Secondly, the rise in domestic viewers has led to a range of new sponsorships, each of which will have an impact on club revenues and league-wide investment. With the profile of the league growing – along with the ease and security of international football fans – the chances of a global audience tuning in are high.

The Brilliance of the SPL

As for why they would tune in, the answer is in the 2025/26 league itself. This was a hugely dramatic tournament, full of twists and turns that occurred right up to the final whistle. Hearts had led the table for much of the season and looked set to end Celtic’s dominance, but the gap never truly felt safe.

Celtic kept clawing their way back into contention, setting up a thrilling final-day showdown at Celtic Park that effectively became a winner-takes-all decider. Hearts even went ahead during the match, briefly believing history was within reach, before Celtic flipped the game with a second-half surge to win the SPL and lift the coveted trophy.

But what made the season so compelling wasn’t just that final game, it was the constant feeling that it could swing either way. Fans are already attempting to predict the 2026/27 SPL season, but the thing is, it’s almost impossible, and that’s exactly what football fans want from their top tournaments – back-and-forth narratives that keep you guessing, along with some genuinely brilliant football that makes us gasp, cheer, and shout in disbelief.

Of course, there are a lot of top leagues that give us this sort of entertainment, but there’s something uniquely compelling about the SPL. Perhaps it’s the passion of the Scottish fans and players, the intensity that can be felt in every game and every stadium. The rivalries are fierce, the energy is relentless, and that can be seen every day on the field, no matter which teams are playing.

Is it the most professional league in the world? No. But it’s certainly one of the most emotionally charged, and that’s exactly why it’s likely more global fans will be tuning in to see what it’s all about.