United was a founding member of the Scottish Premier League (SPL) in 1998, and was ever-present in the competition until it was abolished in 2013 to make way for the SPFL structure.

[14] United won the Scottish Cup for the first time in 1994 under McLean's successor Ivan Golac, but were relegated in 1995, before returning to the Premier Division a year later.

Following a number of board changes, the club was purchased from McLean in 2002 by former Morning Noon and Night co-founder and chief executive Eddie Thompson.

[15] A lifelong United fan, Thompson invested heavily in the team in a bid to compete with significant spending which had developed following the formation of the Scottish Premier League, however little progress was made until Craig Levein became manager in 2006.

On 21 June 2020, the club announced that they were parting ways with manager Robbie Neilson, who agreed a deal to return to newly relegated side Heart of Midlothian.

Prior to the start of the Premiership season, Dundee United hired Tranmere Rovers manager Micky Mellon to replace Neilson, and began their campaign at home to Tayside rivals St Johnstone, drawing 1–1.

In their first season back in the top flight United finished in 9th place, whilst also making a Scottish Cup semi final appearance, losing to Hibernian.

[18] Courts first season as Dundee United manager saw the team finish 4th, their highest position since 2014, and qualify to play in the third qualification round of the 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League.

[21] United continued to play poorly throughout the season, leading to the departure of two managers as the club faced an unexpected relegation battle.

[23] Ross was succeeded by Liam Fox, first on an interim basis and then as full-time head coach after a win against Livingston in the League Cup.

[24] Fox was in charge of the club until February where after a horror show against fellow relegation rivals Ross County United lost 4–0, resulting in the second managerial departure in the same season.

[27] United entered the split knowing that a couple more victories would all but secure their top-flight status for another season but became only the second side to go a post-split campaign without picking up a single point and were consigned to relegation back to the Championship after a 3–2 loss away at Motherwell on the final day.

United suffered a shock 1–0 defeat at Ainslie Park[31] before losing once again to Partick Thistle in their first home match in the group stage.

[37] The atmosphere at Tannadice was beginning to sour, as after a 2–0 home defeat to Airdrie the jeers and boos rained from the stands at the players and manager.

[38] United managed to gain form towards the end of the season, after a near halfway line goal from Louis Moult against Inverness secured a draw to put the Tannadice side clear of Raith by 1 point.

When founded as Dundee Hibernian, they had followed the example of other clubs of similar heritage by adopting the traditionally Irish colours of green shirts and white shorts.

By the time the club became Dundee United in 1923, the colours had been changed to white shirts and black shorts as they sought to appeal to a wider cross-section of the community.

Rover began a two-year deal early in time for the 1994 Scottish Cup final, sponsoring the club until the end of the 1995–96 season.

The most recent proposal was put forward as part of Scotland's bid to jointly host the UEFA Euro 2008 championship,[49] with several clubs seeking to benefit from a new stadium.

[58][59] Due to United's failure to gain promotion back to the Scottish Premiership over the previous seasons and growing mistrust of the club chairman and owner, 2018–19 saw the lowest average attendance of the decade.

The match itself became one of fierce competition due to the domestic and European success the two sides achieved in the late 1970s and 1980s under the stewardship of United's Jim McLean and Aberdeen's Alex Ferguson.

The rivalry between Dundee United and Rangers has become a significant fixture in Scottish football in recent times, marked by competitive intensity and off-the-pitch drama.

Key moments, such as Dundee United's 1994 Scottish Cup final victory over Rangers, and various contentious league matches, heightened tensions.

[8] Under Jim McLean's management, the club won the Premier Division title for the only time, in 1982–83, resulting in European Cup football the following season.

[65] When the club reached the 1994 Scottish Cup Final, manager Ivan Golac dismissed talk of the hoodoo, even though opponents Rangers were strong favourites to complete a domestic treble in the 1993–94 season.

[65] United broke the supposed hoodoo and won the Scottish Cup for the first time when Craig Brewster's goal gave them a 1–0 win.

Dundee United won their next major trophy in 2010, under the guidance of manager Peter Houston, when First Division side Ross County were defeated 3–0 in the 2010 Scottish Cup Final.

The club's first experience of Europe came in 1966–67 season when, helped by a clutch of Scandinavian players, United defeated Inter-Cities Fairs Cup holders FC Barcelona both home and away.

[67] Dundee United are famous for having a 100% record against FC Barcelona in European fixtures (4 wins out of 4 matches), and remain the only British team to have achieved this feat.

Additionally, two goalkeepers – Pat Onstad (Canada) and Kémoko Camara (Guinea) – were both capped while at Tannadice yet never played a first-team game for United.