Premier Sports Cup draw: Falkirk and Stenhousemuir to learn group stage opponents

The draw will take place at 1pm and will be shown live on the SPFL’s YouTube channel. It will also be broadcast by competition sponsors Premier Sports via their X account.

With five SPFL clubs again taking part in UEFA competitions next season – Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Kilmarnock and St Mirren – the group stage draw will involve the remaining 37 SPFL clubs from 2023/24, plus Highland League champions Buckie Thistle and Lowland League champions East Kilbride.

The third additional place for 2024/25 will be taken by Highland League runners-up Brechin City.

As has been the case for the previous two seasons, there is no regionalised aspect to the group stage draw.

The 40 participating clubs will be split into five seeding pots based on final league placings in season 2023/24.

One club from each pot will be drawn into the eight Groups A-H. The eight group winners and three best runners-up will the European representatives in the last 16 stage.

This year’s competition – which was won by Rangers last term – begins on the weekend of July 13/14, with further group stage matchdays on July 16/17, July 20/21, July 23/24 and July 27/28.

The SPFL last week announced record prize and TV money of over £3.5 million for the 2024/25 Premier Sports Cup – an increase of 14 per cent on the 2023/24 competition.

Next season’s cup winners will pocket £400,000 while each participating club will receive at least £30,000.

Last term saw both Falkirk and Stenhousemuir fail to make it past the group stages despite both tallying up a decent points total respectively in their groups.

Who can Stenny and Falkirk get?

The SPFL has confirmed that the pots have been configured as follows, with club numbers assigned for the draw:

Pot 1: 1 Dundee, 2 Aberdeen, 3 Hibernian, 4 Motherwell, 5 St Johnstone, 6 Ross County, 7 Livingston, 8 Dundee United.

Pot 2: 9 Raith Rovers, 10 Partick Thistle, 11 Airdrieonians, 12 Greenock Morton, 13 Dunfermline Athletic, 14 Ayr United, 15 Queen’s Park, 16 Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Pot 3: 17 Arbroath, 18 Falkirk, 19 Hamilton Academical, 20 Alloa Athletic, 21 Montrose, 22 Cove Rangers, 23 Kelty Hearts, 24 Queen of the South.

Pot 4: 25 Annan Athletic, 26 Stirling Albion, 27 Edinburgh City, 28 Stenhousemuir, 29 Peterhead, 30 The Spartans, 31 Dumbarton, 32 East Fife.

Pot 5: 33 Forfar Athletic, 34 Elgin City, 35 Bonnyrigg Rose, 36 Clyde. 37 Stranraer, 38 East Kilbride, 39 Buckie Thistle, 40 Brechin City.