Scottish League Cup: When is the draw? Who will be involved? When do Hearts and Hibs enter?

The season may have just finished but already there will be something to anticipate for the upcoming campaign with the draw for the Scottish League Cup, or Viaplay Cup, group stages.

When is the draw?

The draw will take place at 1pm on Thursday, June 7 and be broadcast live by tournament sponsors Viaplay.

Who will be in it?

Viaplay will broadcast the group-stage draw live on Thursday at 1pm. Picture: SNS

The group stages consist of 40 clubs, making up eight groups of five. These are the 37 teams who took part in the SPFL last season and are not involved in European competition this summer. Spartans will be included as winners of the Lowland League. The same goes for Highland League champions Brechin City, while Cowdenbeath accepted an “invite” to take up the vacant place.

They finished 15th in the Lowland League after being relegated from the SPFL the season before. In previous years, the vacant place has rotated between the Highland and Lowland League teams who finished second, East Kilbride and Buckie Thistle. Had that pattern continued, Stirling University would have been next in line to be invited.

When do the group-stage matches take place?

There are five match-days in the group stages which will take place as follows: weekend of July 15/16; midweek of July 18/19; weekend of July 22/23; midweek of July 25/26, and weekend of July 29/30.

When do Hearts and Hibs enter the competition?

Hearts and Hibs, along with Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen, will enter at the second round stage with matches due to be played on August 19 and 20.

When is the final?

The final takes place on Sunday, December 17, 2023 as the competition moves back to a pre-Christmas time slot following a change last term due to the mid-season break for the World Cup in Qatar.

How did Hearts and Hibs perform last year?

Hibs were eliminated in the group stages having lost to Falkirk and Greenock Morton, with the latter being because they fielded an ineligible player. Hearts were knocked out of the second round by Kilmarnock.