The Week of Football is a chance to shine a light on the clubs, schools, bodies, volunteers and fans across Scotland who make football possible. It is also a platform to share inspirational stories that encapsulate the Power of Football. It is for everyone, everywhere, in whatever way they can to show their love of football.

2026’s theme is ‘Scotland Plays Together’, and in this World Cup year, is a collaboration between the Scottish FA, SPFL, SWPL and SPFL trust to shine a light on some of the fantastic work being done up and down the country, using football to change people’s lives.

The Week of Football is a rallying cry to get people out and about, active, involved with their local clubs, engaged with their local communities, and using local facilities. 

The Week of Football will begin on Saturday, 23 May with the Men’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Final, as Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic face his old boss Martin O’Neill at Hampden.

Monday 25th May kicks of the Week of Football in earnest as alongside SportScotland and the Scottish Government, we will launch the Summer of Sport. The Summer of Sport will provide children and young people across Scotland with the opportunity to get active in their local communities through events and activities hosted by schools, clubs, sporting bodies and local authorities. Free and low-cost opportunities will be provided with investment from the Scottish Government and delivered by SportScotland, as the excitement of the FIFA World Cup, Commonwealth Games and more inspires a generation to get involved in sport and physical activity.  

Tuesday, 26 May the Scottish FA will be focussing on their Extra Time programme. Extra Time is a joint initiative between the Scottish Government and the Scottish FA that provides funding for over 50 local football clubs and trusts to provide free access to before school, after school and holiday clubs for targeted primary school children from families on low incomes.

Children from across the country were invited to enter a drawing competition, and asked to show how qualifying for the World Cup in America made them feel. We were inundated with wonderful drawings from across the country, with the best selected to be turned into a design and affixed to flight cases heading for the United States in the summer.  

On Wednesday, 27 May, the SPFL, SWPL and SPFL Trust will be highlighting the vital work of Spartans Community Foundation in partnership with The Spartans FC and senior figures from both the charitable trust and football club discussing the incredible impact of the foundation in the local community in Edinburgh.

On Thursday, 28 May the focus will be on the impact of the Scottish FA’s Pitching In fund as we visit Bannockburn and Eastern Villages, Renfrew Victoria, Inverness Caledonian Thistle’s new Community Hub, Glasgow Girls and Women and Ayr United FC. Each stop will showcase the unique projects the length and breadth of the country that are being transformed by the Pitching In fund as the Scottish FA works to improve facilities.

A series of short films highlighting the breadth and variety of the different work being done to improve facilities will highlight what difference the upgrades are making, whether to community clubs, the girls and women’s game, or even in partnership with the Johan Cruyff foundation in Renfrew to provide the facilities needed, whatever those are.

On Friday, 29 May, the SPFL, SWPL and SPFL Trust will focus on the work of Montrose Community Trust and their bold ambition to create the world's first community-driven dementia meeting centre located within an active football stadium at Montrose FC's Links Park.

Kerr Waddell, project officer and recent Montrose player, talks through the important work of their dementia meeting centre Montrose Connections, alongside programme participants Mary, who shares how the trust has supported her since her own diagnosis.

Saturday, 30 May, Scotland face Curacao as their farewell match before heading to the World Cup in the USA. Steve Clarke’s men have finally ended Scotland’s long wait for a return to the biggest stage, with games against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil facing the team in America.

Sunday, 31st May will be the conclusion to the week as the Women’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup takes place at Hampden as Rangers face Celtic at 2pm on Sunday to face off against each other for the trophy.

So keep an eye across Scottish FA, SPFL, SWPL and SPFL trust social channels throughout the week to catch up on what’s happening every day in the 2026 Week of Football.