The 2021/22 Scottish Premier League fixtures will soon be announced! But when does the season start? What about Europe? And when does the transfer window open and shut?
A remarkable 2020/21 domestic campaign has come to an end, and Euro 2020 now takes centre stage.
The European Championships – the first major international tournament Scotland have qualified for since 1998 – will run from June 11 until July 11.
But the Scottish domestic season is then right around the corner, getting underway less than three weeks later.
It was Rangers who stormed to an historic Scottish Premiership title last year, going the entire season unbeaten.
However, Celtic have now appointed Ange Postecoglou as Neil Lennon’s replacement, as they look to close the gap to their great rivals.
With the fixture list announcements quickly approaching, Sportsmail takes you through everything you need to know.
Steven Gerrard’s unbeaten Rangers were crowned 2020/21 Scottish Premiership champions
Celtic have now officially appointed Ange Postecoglou as Neil Lennon’s replacement
When are the fixtures announced?
The fixtures for the 2021/22 Scottish Premier League campaign will be officially announced at 9am BST on Tuesday, June 15.
It won’t just be Scotland’s top-tier learning of their opening-day opponents, with the fixtures announced for all 42 teams across the four senior divisions.
The announcements will come the day before the English Premier League fixtures, and just over a week before the English Football League fixtures are detailed on Thursday, June 24.
When does the season start?
For the first time since 2011, all four Scottish divisions will start on the weekend of Saturday, July 31.
It means that there is less than three weeks between the conclusion of the European Championships and the start of the domestic campaign.
With an early start, the SPFL also confirmed that the 2021/22 season will see the return of a winter break, which will last from Monday, January 3 until Friday, January 21.
Will Europe disrupt the start of the season?
The newly-formed Europa Conference League is set to commence in the 2021-22 campaign
For those who qualify for European competition, the start of the season is often a tough balancing act to negotiate.
And that’s certainly the case for a number of teams in the Scottish Premiership this season.
Despite winning the league, Rangers will have to qualify if they are to reach the Champions League for the first time since 2010.
They will go straight into the third qualifying round, meaning they will have to negotiate two two-legged ties to progress to the group stage.
The third qualifying round will be played on August 3/4 & 10, with the final Play-off round on August 17/18 & 24/25.
Meanwhile, Celtic will enter at the second qualifying round, which takes place on July 20/21 & 27/28.
As for the Europa League, St Johnstone will enter in the third qualifying round, played on August 5 and 12, which they must negotiate prior to the final Play-off round on August 19 and 26.
And then there’s the inaugural Europa Conference League campaign – which St Johnstone could join with defeat in their Europa League qualifiers.
Hibernian and Aberdeen will join the Europa Conference League in the second qualifying round.
| Round | First Leg | Second Leg |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | July 8 | July 15 |
| Round 2 | July 22 | July 29 |
| Round 3 | August 5 | August 12 |
| Play-off round | August 19 | August 26 |
What about the transfer window?
The summer transfer window officially opened on Wednesday, June 9 and will stay open for 12 weeks.
Of course, there will be less transfer activity while Euro 2020 is running, but clubs are able to make signings before, during and after the tournament.
The window will close at 11pm BST on August 31 which means Scottish teams will still be able to sign players well into the 2021/22 campaign.