The 2025/26 season is going to be a big one for plenty of top-fighters, but spare a thought for those down in tier five – specifically, the Lowland Leaguers, who are playing in what’s become known as a ‘transition’ season ahead of major changes.
The big change on the horizon for tier five is, of course, that the Lowland League will be split in two for the start of 2026/27 – meaning that there are only a few months in hand until it’s all change on the rankings front.
The Lowland League is splitting into Lowland League West, or LLW, and Lowland League East, or LLE, running alongside the Highland League. The teams themselves voted through these changes, so as confusing as they might sound, there are clearly some benefits for them. In fact, it’s reported that only the Caledonian Braves voted against the measure.
The heat’s off – for now
As the Lowland teams are in a transition season, the threat of relegation isn’t on their plate right now – meaning that finishing last isn’t necessarily the end of the world (Gretna 2008 and East Stirlingshire, based on current rankings, can rest a tad easier). That said, it’s still worth checking out LiveScore for any upsets and to make the most of your season tickets.
From next season, however, there will be two leagues of 16-member clubs and a guest place, and tier-six sides will have a shot at climbing into either the LLW or LLE. The membership is based largely on where the clubs fall on the map, and it’s here where things get a little complex.
A handful of tier-six teams that make it to the new duo in tier five will need to check off a few licensing rules and stipulations, as standard, and the idea is that all 16 achievable places in either league will be completely filled. However, there’s a chance that this might not be the case, which will lead to some leagues running with fewer teams and taking fewer promotions from further down.
Ultimately, tier-six sides are currently slugging it out to get to the top of their tables for a shot at membership in one of the new twin leagues. While tier-five sides can, at least for now, keep things consistent, tier-six clubs are scrambling for points to join the maiden voyage of LLW and LLE.
Future giants on the climb?
You never know who you might find climbing up the lower leagues these days, and there are a few tier-sixes worth watching (we’ll let you off if you want to take your eyes off Celtic in the Europa League for now).
In the East of Scotland Football League (SFL) Premier, at the time of writing, all eyes are on Hill of Beath, Musselburgh, the Swifts and Dunipace. The Haws, Swifts and Pace, in particular, all have low-loss records this time around. However, the Haws are benefitting from an enormous goal difference and just enough wins to keep them at pace with Musselburgh.
Over in the West of SFL Premier, meanwhile, things are currently looking a little more cut and dried. Troon led the way here with three wins over rivals in Auchinleck Talbot, though the latter are benefitting from a healthy goal difference and an impressive loss drought so far this season.
It would be easy to assume that Troon have this season locked down, but we can’t count out Cumnock Juniors or Largs Thistle at this stage. That said, we won’t be too surprised if Troon climbs into the new twin leagues in the months ahead.
In the South of SFL, there are fewer climbers to pick from, but it’s a five-horse race right now, with Stranraer and Lochar Thistle showing the most promise. At the time of writing, Stranraer are yet to lose a match this season, but as we all know, things can change fast.
A change is as good as a rest
At least, that’s what the pro-LLW and LLE sides are saying, and while we won’t see how the new leagues look until summer, the pressure’s on for tier six to push ahead and get promoted into an all-new table. Tier fives might be starting to rest on their laurels for a bit, but relegation threats will be coming back around again before they know it.