Martin ONeill Appointed As Celtic Football Club Permanent Manager On One-Year Contract

Celtic have confirmed Martin O'Neill as permanent manager on a one-year deal, with an optional extra year, after a strong interim spell in the 2025-26 season that delivered the Scottish Premiership title, the Scottish Cup and a domestic double for Celtic on a tense final day.

The 74-year-old stepped in twice as interim during 2025-26, first after Brendan Rodgers departed and later when Wilfried Nancy was dismissed following a brief tenure, with Celtic turning to O'Neill on both occasions to steady results and keep the club in contention across all domestic competitions.

Across the 2025-26 league campaign, O'Neill guided Celtic to 19 wins from 23 Scottish Premiership matches, with two draws and two defeats, and the team won all seven league fixtures under O'Neill in the title run-in, including a decisive final-day meeting against direct rivals Hearts.

Celtic also lifted the Scottish Cup under O'Neill, beating Dunfermline in the showpiece match to secure the domestic double and reinforce Celtic's control in Scottish football, achievements that helped persuade Celtic to award a permanent contract rather than search externally for a different manager.

Including O'Neill's earlier spell in charge of Celtic between 2000 and 2005, the manager has overseen 211 Scottish Premiership fixtures, winning 174 with 21 draws and 16 defeats, and among managers with at least 20 league matches, O'Neill holds the highest average points per game at 2.57 and the best win rate at 82.5%.

"It is once again a great privilege for me to continue as Celtic manager, O'Neill told the club website."

"Last season will live long in all our memories and to be part of that success has in a big way whetted the appetite to work again for more days like those and bring our supporters those moments. We know of course that Celtic can never rest on past success so we are now aiming to drive forward together in the coming season as we aim to deliver again for the club and our fans."

Celtic underlined the appointment on social media, posting confirmation of O'Neill's new role and contract terms on 11 June 2026, alongside a statement of satisfaction from Celtic Football Club regarding the agreement between club and manager and the decision to include an additional one-year option.

With O'Neill installed on a permanent basis after delivering a league and cup double, Celtic move into the next campaign with a manager who has a proven record in the Scottish Premiership era and a stated desire to keep Celtic competing for trophies for club and supporters.