Looking for the most thrilling title race in European women’s football, especially with the WSL’s competition feeling almost nonexistent? You won’t find it in Spain, where the battle is one-sided. France isn’t much closer, Italy’s top division is practically wrapped up, and while Germany’s Bundesliga offers a solid contest, the fiercest fight of all? You don’t even need to leave the British Isles. With four teams neck and neck in the standings, the Scottish Women’s Premier League 1 (SWPL1) is delivering an electrifying showdown that promises chaos, drama, and unpredictability right to the final whistle.
Given the very limited media coverage within Scotland, let alone internationally, you’d be forgiven for never having heard of the SWPL 1 or indeed the SWPL 2 (the second division), which is a sad reality. The league has existed in various forms since 2002, but a major shift occurred in 2022 when the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL)—which oversees Scotland’s professional men’s league—took over its organisation from the Scottish Women’s Football Association. The quality of football and the running of the league have dramatically improved since this move and currently five of the teams – Celtic, Rangers, Glasgow City, Hearts and Hibs are fully professional.
After an Old Firm rivalry battle last year between Celtic and Rangers was decided on goal difference, with the green side of Glasgow gaining twelve months of bragging rights over their Rangers friends, this year was always going to be an incredible season. Two thirds of the way through and it more than lived up to the hype, with four teams within three points of each other and the champion almost impossible to predict.
What makes the Scottish league so unique and the title race so much more exciting is the ‘split’, whereby after each team has played everyone twice, the league splits into a top six and bottom six. From then on teams play the other five within their split, home and away, to conclude the season. While it may seem like a ridiculous idea at first, a closer look reveals its brilliance. Mainly, it keeps matches more competitive, so the best teams are playing the best teams every week and the struggling teams are able to compete in games more often. Games before the split between the top teams and relegation fighters are often 6, 7, 8-0 or worse drubbings. In this context, the split sets up a chaotic and thrilling final two months of the season, with the four title contenders facing off every week, causing the title race to swing back and forth unpredictably.
So, what about these clubs in the title race? Who are they? What are their defining factors, and how could they win the league?
Rangers:
Despite being a historically dominant team in men’s football, success has only come recently for Rangers, with a first league title coming in the 2021-22 season. As mentioned earlier, Rangers suffered a heartbreaking end to last season, losing on goal difference to Celtic. In response to this, they went all out to ensure to this would not happen again. So far, this has been a hugely successful move, boasting by far the best attack in the division, being easily the first team to pass 100 goals scored (in less than 22 games) and having a significantly better goal difference than the teams around them.
With the rest of the games expected to be closely contested, it’s hard to see Rangers finishing with anything less than that record. This means the other title contenders must stay ahead of them on points if they hope to secure the championship. A huge part of that dominant attack is new recruit, striker Katie Wilkinson, who has 29 goals and 10 assists so far, which is an average of a goal contribution every 40 minutes, an unbelievable stat. She is supported by strike partner Rio Hardy and midfielder Lizzie Arnot, Rangers’ assist queen, who has already racked up 18 this season. It would be fair to say Rangers are probably the best overall team this year, but that doesn’t mean they are perfect. Back-to-back 3-0 defeats against fellow contenders Glasgow City and Hibs are the reason they’re not at the top. What’s most concerning about these losses is the manner in which they happened – both were marred by defensive errors, with the back four gifting the opposition easy chances. This was also their downfall in a draw against Hearts, the first time they dropped points to a team outside the title race. Looking ahead to their final ten games, this stretch will be the ultimate test of Rangers’ attacking firepower – can they maintain their free-scoring form against top defences week in, week out? At the same time, their own backline must tighten up and eliminate the costly mistakes that have plagued their biggest matches this season.
Celtic:
Having been founded in 2008, similarly to Rangers, Celtic competed for many years but their first title only came last season, scoring a late winner in their final game to claim an inaugural title. Following this success, they qualified for the group stages of the Champions League and put up a very respectable display against Chelsea in a 2-1 loss that did involve them taking the lead. Given the victory last year, being fourth is a slightly disappointing season for Celtic, but a good performance in this final part of the season can easily land them another title.
Perhaps the most hurtful part of the season so far has been taking one draw and two losses in the Old Firm derby across two league games and a league cup semi final. Celtic’s standout performers this season include prolific Irish striker Saoirse Noonan, who has netted 20 goals, as well as key figures Amy Gallagher and Shannon McGregor. Young forward Maria McAneney has impressed, while right-back Emma Lawton’s standout performances have earned her a spot in the Scotland squad. However, the departure of Caitlin Hayes, dubbed the “queen of headers” to Brighton in January is a significant blow. Named Player of the Season for the past two years, her absence leaves a major gap in Celtic’s backline. What Celtic have as an advantage over the other three is their sole focus on the league, having been knocked out of both cups there’s no need for managing the squad, just going all out for the title. The fact that this may be their only shot at silverware could provide Celtic with extra motivation, especially since other clubs might still view their season as a success if they win a cup, even if they fall short in the league. Celtic certainly have the squad to claim the title, but after being outplayed by their rivals in their most recent encounters, they have plenty of work to do to make that a reality.
Glasgow City:
In stark contrast to Celtic and Rangers, Glasgow City not only lack a winning history in men’s football – they don’t even have a men’s team at all. That’s right, Glasgow City is an independent club, founded in 1998 as the ultimate trailblazer of women’s football in Scotland. Being totally committed and invested in the women’s game from the beginning gave Glasgow a head start, and they made the most of this, absolutely dominating the league throughout it’s existence, winning 16 out of 22 seasons so far. There was real concern after a disappointing season last year, where Glasgow City were nowhere near the title race. Many feared this marked the end of their era of success, as they struggled to keep up with the rapid growth of the game and the influx of money from ultra-wealthy men’s teams. This however, has not happened at all, and they sit right in the fight, top of it to be exact. What is notable about Glasgow compared to the other contenders is the beautiful style of football they play, with intricate one touch passing bamboozling defences and leading Glasgow to have the second best goal difference, much higher than Hibs and Celtic, which is still a good advantage to have. Brenna Lovera, Nicole Kozlova and Natalia Wrobel like to share the goals between them in attack, with each of them in double figures for the season, with winger Lisa Forrest bagging seven goals and seven assists. Crucial to the style of play and seemingly at the heart of every attack is centre back Sam van Diemen, who’s range of passes make her a threat against any team. With the best defensive record so far and bundles of title-winning experience, Glasgow City are certainly well placed to push for the title. I don’t think it would be particular shock to anyone if they are able to pull it off. There is no doubt they are an incredible story to follow and a natural choice for neutrals to support in this race.
Hibernian:
Hibs are a team that sit somewhere between the Old Firm and Glasgow City. They have a men’s team and have also been committed to women’s football right from the start. Being a founding member of the league in 2002, Hibs had early success and have won the second most behind Glasgow City with three, although they were all between 2003 and 2007. They hold the record for most runner up finishes with nine, including four consecutively from 2015-2019, getting pipped by Glasgow every time. Recently, Hibs have tended to take up a middle ground with their Edinburgh rivals Heart of Midlothian – too good for the seven non-professional teams but not good enough to challenge for the title. This year however, they have overcome that and find themselves on a brilliant run of form, level on points with Glasgow at the top. Grant Scott’s side don’t always look like the other title contenders by flattening the rest of the league, but they do enough to win and ultimately achieving three points is what matters. They are more than 50 goals behind Rangers in the goal scoring charts, yet still find themselves ahead on points. What has driven this rise to the top after what was a standard start for Hibs has been a nine-game win streak, involving wins over all three title rivals, seeing off Rangers 3-0, Glasgow 3-1 and Celtic 1-0. While as a team they don’t score at the rate of others, they still have an extremely potent attack spearheaded by Eilidh Adams and Kathleen McGovern, with both passing 20 goals this year. Perhaps the biggest difference has been the control in midfield granted by Ciara Grant and Kristen Rielly, whereby Hibs can compete and take on the bigger teams, while in previous years they would have sat back and faced constant attacks. Creative left back Stacey Papadopoulos, winger Tegan Bowie and goalkeeper Erin Clachers have also been crucial to this fantastic run that has brought Hibs to the top of the table. Their biggest advantage as we head into the crunch time of the season is that, regardless of what happens, their campaign has already been a success. There’s no pressure on them; they’ve exceeded expectations and proven they can compete for the title. This allows them to play with joy and freedom, with nothing to lose. So why not? Who’s to say they couldn’t go on and win the whole thing?
What we have ahead is a fierce battle right down to the wire, with four teams, each carrying their own unique history, financial backing, and expectations. Predicting the outcome is far from straightforward. Will Rangers, with their goal-scoring prowess, seek revenge for last year’s disappointment? Or could Celtic, determined to solidify their place as the team to beat, rise to the occasion? Will Glasgow City reassert their dominance in the league, or could the underdogs, with nothing to lose, rediscover the magic of the mid-noughties? One thing is certain: this race will go to the final day, possibly with all four teams still in contention. Despite the challenges, the underdogs have proven they can overcome any opposition when they’re at their best. They’ve shown that they can defy expectations, and there’s no reason to believe they can’t continue to do so.
