How are the Scottish Premiership post-split fixtures decided?

How are the Scottish Premiership post-split fixtures decided?ByClive LindsayBBC Sport ScotlandPublished8 April 2026Image source, SNSIt is that time of the year again when the Scottish Premiership splits into two sections of six teams and the arguments begin immediately about which team the final five rounds of fixtures favour.It is not a random decision made by a computer. It is the governing body, the SPFL who make the final call, in consultation with rights holders who want the best games on live TV and the police.The "who plays who" is obviously pre-determined, but the where and when is the result of many variables that have to be carefully considered and can leave the SPFL open to accusations of bias, favouritism, even conspiracy.Reacting to Tuesday's post-split fixture reveal, Hearts head coach Derek McInnes acknowledged some fans will be disappointed that the tendency to give the league leaders going into the split a home game on the final day had not been adhered to.However, he also accepted that the SPFL faces an impossible task to please all 12 clubs and their fans. But how is it all decided?McInnes happy to play Hearts' title deciders 'in car park'Published2 days agoParanoia and post-split permutations - the fan perspective on the title raceAttributionSoundsHearts and Celtic given potential final-day title deciderPublished3 days agoWhy is there a split and what is it?In its previous guise as the Scottish Premier League, the top flight had 10 clubs. That made a 36-game season with teams meeting four times. Ideal.Then the division expanded to 12 for season 2000-01. And a 44-game campaign was deemed too long. So an innovative split was introduced after the teams had met on three occasions. After that, the top six would play five more games among themselves and the bottom six would do the same.It meant the top six were left playing for the title and European qualification places, while the bottom six were trying to avoid the one a...