Hearts need just one point to win their first league title in 66 years. On the final day of the Scottish Premiership season, the Tynecastle side travel to Celtic Park knowing that even a draw against the defending champions would end a drought stretching back to 1960 and complete one of the most emotional title tales Scottish football has ever seen.
Scottish Premiership Climax
Twelve-thirty kick-off, Celtic versus Hearts, winner takes all – but in reality, a single point is enough for Hearts manager Derek McInnes to etch his name into club folklore. The weight of history is palpable. For the thousands of Hearts fans who have spent a lifetime supporting a club that last won the league before England lifted the World Cup, the prospect is almost unbearable. One lifelong supporter, Amelia Hogg, described her 74-year-old father, who has been a fan since childhood: “He’s so nervous he doesn’t think he’s gonna watch the game. He still talks about the heartbreak in 1986, and since Hearts last won the league he’s been married 50+ years with two kids and three grandkids, retired, had cancer and cared for his sick wife. He deserves something nice after all that time.”
The emotion cuts both ways. Celtic fans reported stomachs in knots, with one supporter, Gerry Scott, confessing: “I appreciate everyone else wants Hearts to win but as a Celtic fan I can’t recall ever wanting to win the title more.” Another Celtic fan, Stephen McCrossan, said his stomach was “in knots”. The build-up has been described as the most emotionally charged title race since 1986, when Hearts were pipped on the final day by Celtic.
This campaign has been built on more than just the final afternoon. The run to this point began with Stuart Findlay’s late winner at Tannadice in August, Alexandros Kyziridis’s stoppage-time intervention against Livingston later that month, and a September victory at Ibrox that fuelled belief. But as one analysis noted, the journey started 16 years ago with a quintet of players – Brian Cormack, Alex Mackie, Jamie Bryant, Donald Ford and Garry Halliday – who set the club on a path that has almost, though only almost, reached the ultimate glory point.
For neutrals, the appeal is obvious. “Football needs these stories, and Scottish football does in particular, after 40 years of Old Firm dominance,” wrote one reader, Joshua Keeling. “Come on Hearts, do it for yourselves, do it for the neutrals, do it for football.” An Irish reader, Paul Roche, admitted he naturally has a soft spot for Celtic but said Amelia Hogg’s story had made up his mind: “Come on Hearts!”
Women’s Super League Finale
While Glasgow awaits its drama, the Women’s Super League brings its season to a close on Saturday with six matches kicking off at 1pm BST. Manchester City will lift the trophy for the first time in a decade, but the day is also marked by farewells. Arsenal face Liverpool at Anfield aiming to secure second place, but will do so without club legends Beth Mead and Katie McCabe, alongside Victoria Pelova, Laia Codina, Naomi Williams and Manuela Zinsberger, all poised to leave north London. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea host Manchester United in what will be Sam Kerr’s final appearance for the club and also a farewell to Millie Bright, who has retired from professional football. Across the city, Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw – on track to win her third consecutive Golden Boot with 19 goals in 21 appearances – is widely expected to move on, and the question of how to replace her looms large.
This finale also marks the last time the WSL will operate with 12 teams before expanding to 14 next season. In Australia, Melbourne City won a record-equalling fifth A-League Women Championship title, beating newcomers Wellington Phoenix 3-1 with goals from Holly McNamara and Leticia McKenna.
FA Cup and Premier League Updates
Later this afternoon, Chelsea and Manchester City contest the FA Cup final at Wembley. Chelsea’s interim manager sparked amusement during his pre-match press conference when, asked whether he would wear a suit or a tracksuit, he replied: “I’ll be in the tracksuit.” Pressed on whether it would be a special one, he answered simply: “The normal tracksuit.” Meanwhile, Alvaro Arbeloa – who replaced Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid earlier this year but could not salvage the club’s season – expressed his hope that José Mourinho would return to the Santiago Bernabéu bench next season. “For me, as a former player and as a Madridista, José Mourinho is No 1. He’s one of ours. If he comes back next year, I’ll be very happy to see him back home,” Arbeloa said. Mourinho’s potential appointment would be a gamble by president Florentino Pérez after Real Madrid finished a second consecutive season without a major trophy.
In the Premier League, Aston Villa secured their Champions League place with a 4-2 win over Liverpool on Friday night, propelled by an Ollie Watkins double, and goals from Morgan Rogers and John McGinn. Unai Emery said the qualification removes pressure ahead of next week’s Europa League final: “Now we can play the final, only thinking for a trophy. The priority is always the league and today is a summary of the season.” For Liverpool, the defeat was “damaging” according to manager Arne Slot, who said the club must now win at Brentford on the final day to guarantee a Champions League spot. Slot acknowledged fans may lack confidence but insisted they are “underestimating what a window can do”, adding that missing nine starters has forced him to rely on players entering their second Premier League season. “I can understand at this moment that they don’t have a lot of confidence… but I think then they are underestimating what a window can do, what a new start can do, and I think we know quite well what to improve.”
Eddie Howe described Newcastle’s season – in which they reached the Champions League knockout stage and the Carabao Cup semi-finals but lie 13th in the table – as “a challenge” with “mixed feelings”. “This one has been a challenge,” he said. At Manchester United, Michael Carrick is set to be named permanent manager and has praised his assistant Steve Holland for providing “calmness and composure”. “Steve’s been fantastic. He’s a very wise man and says things that really are important at the right time,” Carrick said.
Off the pitch, Southampton face potential expulsion from the Championship play-offs after the EFL indicated they could be kicked out if found guilty of breaching regulations concerning alleged training-ground spying on Middlesbrough. An independent disciplinary commission will hear their explanation by Tuesday. Middlesbrough have demanded the Saints’ expulsion, and the EFL warned the date of the final may be delayed. One West Ham fan, meanwhile, voiced deep discontent with the London Stadium, calling it “the worst ground in the Premier League” and reminiscing about Upton Park: “You had the smell of burgers on the way to the ground – for me that’s this smell of football. I’d rather be there a million times over.”
Sunderland’s breakout star Enzo Le Fée reflected on his season, saying he tries to bring “magic” but also win tackles: “Since I was a young boy I’ve always been smaller than everyone so I had to learn how to fight. If I can alter the game it’s perfect but I have to do the other side too.”
The Bundesliga finishes its season with a full slate of matches at 2:30pm BST, including Bayern Munich against Cologne and Werder Bremen hosting Borussia Dortmund.
World Cup Countdown
With the World Cup now less than a month away, several news lines emerged on Saturday. Bayern Munich pledged to do everything possible to get Alphonso Davies fit for Canada’s campaign. The 25-year-old left-back, who has suffered a series of muscle injuries since returning from a knee ligament tear in December, sustained an injury to the back of his left thigh during the Champions League elimination by Paris Saint-Germain. Sporting director Max Eberl said Davies will miss both the final Bundesliga game against Cologne and the German Cup final against Stuttgart on May 23, and will be out for “several weeks”. Eberl confirmed the club is cooperating with Canada Soccer with an eye to the World Cup and the player’s long-term fitness. Canada plan to announce their 26-man squad on 29 May.
South Korea named their 26-man squad, with Son Heung‑min set to lead the team at his fourth World Cup. Son left Tottenham last summer after a decade to join Los Angeles FC. Coach Hong Myung‑bo also selected Paris Saint‑Germain’s Lee Kang‑in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min‑jae. South Korea will play all three Group A matches in Mexico, starting against Czechia on 11 June, then Mexico on 18 June, and South Africa on 24 June – their 11th successive World Cup appearance, a streak dating to 1986.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez described the expanded 48‑team tournament as “going into the unknown”, requiring “incredible resilience”. “You don’t prepare for iconic moments – you prepare the team to perform under any circumstances,” he said. Despite a flawless qualifying campaign and a Nations League title, Martinez cautioned that “anything that we’ve done until now just gives you three games in a World Cup”. He had observed the Club World Cup in the United States last year as a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group, an experience he called essential for understanding what lies ahead.
And in Singapore, Adidas is offering dog lovers a novel way to show team spirit – football shirts for their four‑legged friends. The company’s first pet collection in Singapore includes mini‑jerseys of Japan and reigning champions Argentina, on sale at a pop‑up store in Clarke Quay and from 24 May at select stores and online. “Pets today are increasingly seen as part of the family and an extension of consumers’ lifestyles,” said Chen Rui Yuan, Adidas country manager for Singapore. At a media preview, rescue dogs and their owners strutted on a fashion runway wearing matching World Cup shirts. Each pet jersey retails for SG$49 ($38.26).
