The Struggles of Scottish Football Clubs in Europe: A Multi-Decade Story of Decline

How the non-Glasgow clubs have settled for mediocrity.

Scottish football, outside of Celtic and Rangers, has endured a long period of decline on the European stage. While these two Glasgow giants have remained competitive—Celtic winning the 2003 UEFA Cup runners-up medal and Rangers reaching the Europa League final in 2022—the rest of the Scottish Premiership has fallen far behind.

Molde's 3–2 win over Legia Warszawa in Norway has officially ended Scotland's hopes of finishing in the top 12. Mathematically, we can no longer catch Norway in 12th place. The consequences of dropping from 11th to outside the top 12 are significant for almost every Scottish club—except Celtic and Rangers.

Aberdeen, Hearts, and Hibernian, despite having comparable or even superior financial resources to clubs in Norway and Denmark, have consistently struggled to make a mark in European competitions. Meanwhile, clubs like Molde and Midtjylland have flourished, regularly competing in the Europa League and even the Champions League. The stark contrast in performance raises serious questions about the development, strategy, and ambition of Scottish clubs compared to their Scandinavian counterparts.

The Financial Comparison

At first glance, Scottish clubs should be able to compete with teams from Norway and Denmark. Aberdeen, for example, generated £23.9 million in revenue in 2023, which is higher than Molde’s £18.9 million, even after Molde experienced rapid financial growth. Hearts, too, brought in £20.25 million, and even Hibernian, despite recording losses, traded as though they had £23 million in revenue.

These figures suggest that Scottish teams should at least be competitive against Scandinavian sides, yet the results tell a different story. Molde, a club that had revenues of just £5 million four years ago, has reached the Champions League group stages in 2023/24 and regularly competes deep into European competitions. Midtjylland, another Scandinavian side with similar financial resources, has also performed well in Europe, frequently progressing beyond the group stages in UEFA competitions.

Despite having comparable financial backing, Scottish clubs have failed to achieve similar success. The question is—why?