All 12 Scottish Premiership clubs will field a legends team when the Tennent's Soccer Sixes returns later this year, with the SPFL-backed event scheduled for Braehead Arena on 3 and 4 October 2026. The competition, once a fixture of Scottish football through the late 1980s and early 1990s, will be shown on Premier Sports as part of its revival.
The format will see clubs split into three regionalised groups of four for Saturday's group stage, with the top two finishers in each group, plus the best-placed third teams, advancing to the knockout rounds. Every match is guaranteed a winner: drawn games after normal time will go to a penalty shootout, with the winning side awarded a bonus point. A sin bin system will also be used throughout the tournament.
What was the original Tennent's Sixes?
The Tennent's Sixes ran for nine years from 1984 as a fixture of the Scottish football calendar, with top-flight clubs regularly selecting some of their strongest available players. According to Wikipedia, the tournament was organised by the Scottish Football Association and ran annually until 1993, when it was discontinued after its sponsorship deal ended. Its home venue for much of that period was Kelvin Hall, though the event began elsewhere before settling there.
Reporting from a national broadcaster's regional archive notes the tournament originally started at Coasters Arena in Falkirk before relocating to Ingliston Showground near Edinburgh, and then moving permanently to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow from 1986 onwards.
Who took the competition most seriously?
Clubs frequently used their leading players in the Sixes rather than treating it as a minor exhibition. Celtic's decision to include Scotland midfielder John Collins, then arguably the club's best player, in the 1992-93 tournament is often cited as evidence of how competitively the event was regarded.
Collins had also featured for Hibernian when they won the title in the 1989-90 edition, underlining his repeated involvement in the competition across different clubs.
A Hearts side containing a number of Scotland internationals won the tournament in the 1990-91 season, while Celtic's Joe Miller was among the players who featured against Dunfermline that same year.
Who won the last original tournament?
Partick Thistle lifted the final Tennent's Sixes title in 1993. According to the broadcaster's report, Thistle beat Airdrie 4-3 in that final. Thistle currently play in the Scottish Championship and will not feature in this year's revived legends event, which is restricted to Premiership clubs.
How popular did indoor six-a-side football become?
The broader six-a-side format extended well beyond Scotland during the 1980s. Coverage from a football history publication notes that in 1988, all 21 First Division clubs south of the border plus Manchester City took part in a related Soccer Six competition, reflecting how widely these indoor tournaments were embraced across British football at the time. Analysis from the same source suggests the format's popularity began fading by the early 1990s as clubs increasingly prioritised television revenue and fixture schedules shifted.
The Scottish Premiership itself resumes this weekend, with Celtic defending their title and Hearts looking to build on a near miss last season, providing a broader backdrop to the revived Sixes involving all of the division's clubs.
What happens next?
The revived Tennent's Soccer Sixes is confirmed for the weekend of 3 and 4 October 2026 at Braehead Arena, according to a national broadcaster's sport section. Further details on squad selections and broadcast scheduling are expected closer to the tournament date.
Key Facts
- All 12 Scottish Premiership clubs will enter legends teams in the revived tournament.
- The event takes place at Braehead Arena on 3 and 4 October 2026 and will air on Premier Sports.
- The original Tennent's Sixes ran from 1984 to 1993, mostly hosted at Kelvin Hall.
- Partick Thistle won the last original tournament in 1993, beating Airdrie 4-3, but now play in the Championship and are excluded from this year's event.
- Group winners, runners-up and the best third-placed teams from three groups of four will advance to the knockout stage.
