⚽ The Kick-Off - Friday 22nd May 2026
Jens Berthel Askou leaves Motherwell. Scottish FA release audio from Celtic v Hearts. Multiple SPFL club signings announced. Scottish Cup Final this weekend. SWPL 1 title to be decided.
Random Scottish Football Fact #315:
This is the sixth Scottish Cup Final appearance for the Pars, they have only not faced Celtic once - they beat Hearts in the final in 1968.
LATEST SCOTTISH FOOTBALL RESULTS
➡️ William Hill SPFL Premiership Play-Off Final First Leg
Partick Thistle 1 - 1 St Mirren
➡️ North of Scotland Football League Premier Division
Buchanhaven Hearts 1 - 2 Dyce
NEWS
👋 Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou has left to join French club Toulouse. The Dane joined last summer and guided Motherwell to fourth.
Not many managers who leave the Scottish game will be missed by fans of other clubs, but it certainly feels that way for Jens Berthel Askou. - Craig Turnbull, STV
⚽ The Scottish FA has released the audio of the end of the Celtic v Hearts match to set the record straight that referee Don Robertson had ended the game. - Scottish FA website
🔴 Aberdeen defender Mats Knoester suffered a broken bone in his kneecap and will be out for up to 10 weeks. - Sean Wallace, The Press & Journal
✍️ The latest SPFL signings:
Cove Rangers have snapped up former Arbroath defender Victor Enem on a free transfer. - Cove Rangers on X
East Fife have signed Myles Gaffney on a permanent deal. The League One club had signed the forward on loan from Annan Athletic during the second half of the season. - East Fife website
Edinburgh City have signed midfielder Robbie Leitch from Clyde. - Edinburgh City on X
Livingston will bring Kilmarnock midfielder Liam Polworth to West Lothian at the end of his contract this summer. The 31-year-old started his career at Inverness before moving to Motherwell. - Livingston FC website
Stirling Albion have signed Montrose midfielder Craig Brown for an undisclosed fee. - Stirling Albion website
Stranraer announced the permanent signing of striker Dean Cleland. The 18-year-old had been on loan at Stair Park from Hibernian. - Stranraer FC website
🔵 St Johnstone defender Liam Smith has signed a new deal at McDiarmid Park. - St Johnstone FC website
📝 Louis Longridge has signed a new contract at Queen’s Park. The 34-year-old has signed on for a seventh season with the Glasgow Southside club. - Queen’s Park FC website
🏆 Celtic and Dunfermline Athletic face off in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Final tomorrow. Celtic are in their fourth successive final and eighth out of the last ten. Should they win, it will be the 43rd time they have lifted the historic trophy.
Dunfermline are in the final for the first time since 2007, looking to win a third Scottish Cup trophy. The last time they won it was in 1968.
⚽️ With it being the Scottish Cup Final tomorrow, Pie & Bovril is running another Scottish Cup Final Tenz Competition. 10 questions, 10 points per correct answer, and the winner gets £100. It is free to enter here.
🏆 The SWPL 1 title comes down to the final day on Sunday. A Hearts win or draw away to Hibernian will seal the title. If they slip-up and lose, a Rangers win away to Glasgow City will mean the title heads to Glasgow.
🏃♂️➡️ Clydebank midfielder Nicky Low is embarking on an ambitious charity fundraiser over the weekend. He is cycling over 120 miles today and tomorrow before running the Edinburgh Marathon on Sunday. - you can donate here
⚽️ Scotland youth international Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri has been called up to the senior Jamaica squad for the upcoming Unity Cup in London. The 16-year-old, who is at the Manchester City Academy, will still be eligible to play for Scotland or England - FIFA doesn’t consider these matches competitive. - Alan Temple, The Courier
📒 If you or your kids have a Panini World Cup sticker album, you could get some free stickers and do swaps with the Panini team in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
They’ll be at Sainsbury’s in Darnley, Glasgow tomorrow from 10am - 12.30pm and 2.30pm - 5pm.
On Sunday, they’ll be at Sainsbury’s Blackhall in Edinburgh during the morning and Smyths Toys at Fort Kinnaird in the afternoon. - Panini UK website
❓ The very last team of four is still available for The Scottish Football Kick-Off World Cup Quiz. There will be no more availability after this.
Come and join over 100 other World Cup fans at The Clubhouse in Glasgow on Monday, 1st June. Rory Hamilton will be on hosting duties, and every participant will receive a free copy of Nutmeg magazine. - grab the final team slot here
🌎 Days until Haiti v Scotland at the World Cup: 22
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL FIXTURES TODAY
🏆 RJM SPORTS EAST OF SCOTLAND LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINALS
Hill of Beath Hawthorn v Musselburgh Athletic (7.30pm)
Leith Athletic v Dunipace (8pm)
🏆 CREE LODGE CUP FINAL
Dalbeattie Star v Stranraer SOS (7.45pm)
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL ON TV THIS WEEKEND
📺 Saturday
Celtic v Dunfermline Athletic (BBC One Scotland & Premier Sports: 3pm)
Sportscene: Scottish Cup Final Highlights (BBC Scotland: 7.15pm)
📺 Sunday
Glasgow City Women v Rangers Women (BBC iPlayer: 1.10pm)
Hibernian Women v Heart of Midlothian Women (BBC Alba: 1.10pm)
ENJOY THE SCOTTISH FOOTBALL KICK-OFF?
The weekday Kick-Off will always be free, but if you would like to receive some bonus Kick-Off content and support The Scottish Football Kick-Off in general, join the growing number of paid subscribers via the button below.
Don’t want to become a paid subscriber, but want to support? You can ‘buy me a pint’ via the button below. (I know the normal thing to say here is ‘buy me a coffee,’ but I’ll be honest, I don’t drink coffee.)
🙏🏼 Thank you for reading today’s Scottish Football Kick-Off. 🗣️ If you like getting this email, please recommend it to a friend, work colleague or family member. 📱 Latest subscriber number: 2922 🆓 The daily kick-off will always be free.