Edinburgh/Motherwell, April 17, 2026 — The PFA Scotland Premiership Team of the Year for the 25-26 season presents a striking image: a near-complete absence of usual suspects from the Glasgow giants, with Motherwell and Hearts players commandeering the selections. This configuration, announced on April 17th, sidelines Celtic and Rangers players, a departure from recent trends.
The eleven chosen individuals reflect a strong showing for Motherwell and Hearts.
Five players hail from Motherwell: goalkeeper Calum Ward, defender Paul McGinn, midfielders Elliot Watt and Elijah Just, and top scorer Tawanda Maswanhise.
Four players represent Hearts: defender Craig Halkett, defender Harry Milne, midfielder Claudio Braga, and forward Lawrence Shankland.
The select XI also includes Rangers defender Emmanuel Fernandez and Celtic midfielder Benjamin Nygren, marking the only inclusions from outside the aforementioned clubs. Nygren has a reported 19 goals across all competitions.
Maswanhise's Standout Season
Tawanda Maswanhise, the Zimbabwean forward for Motherwell, has particularly captured attention. His performance this season has placed him firmly in the limelight.
He has netted 17 goals in 30 William Hill Premiership matches, making him the league's leading scorer.
His form has apparently drawn the gaze of clubs like Celtic and Rangers.
This marks a significant achievement for Motherwell, being their first time fielding so many players in the PFA Scotland Team of the Season in over a decade.
Maswanhise is also in contention for multiple personal accolades at Motherwell's own end-of-season awards, including Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, and Goal of the Season.
Individual Accolades Pending
The nominees for the individual PFA Scotland Player of the Year awards are slated for announcement later in April. The winners themselves will be revealed at the union’s annual dinner, scheduled for May 3rd.
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The players nominated for Player of the Year include Claudio Braga, Elijah Just, Tawanda Maswanhise, and Lawrence Shankland, a list notably absent of any players from Celtic or Rangers.
