Top seeds Hibs in Premier Sports Cup draw - full details

The draw for the group stages of the 2024/25 Premier Sports Cup takes place tomorrow.

Hibs will find out the identity of their Premier Sports Cup group opponents tomorrow, as they pay the price for missing out on European football with a busy summer fortnight of domestic fixtures. The still-managerless Easter Road side are among the top seeds for a competition involving all 42 SPFL clubs, and two Highland League teams – Buckie and Brechin – as well as Lowland League champions East Kilbride.

The five Scottish Premiership teams involved in UEFA club competitions are given a bye straight into the round of 16 for the revamped League Cup. They’ll be joined by the eight group winners and five best runners-up from a mini-league format now established as a competitive icebreaker for the new campaign.

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Hibs, who finished eighth in the Scottish Premiership, are joined in Pot 1 by Dundee, Aberdeen, Motherwell, St Johnstone, Ross County, relegated Livingston and newly-crowned Championship title winners Dundee United. All will kick off as favourites to win their groups.

Clubs will be playing for record prize and TV money, following last week’s announcement of a £3.5 million pay-out for the season 2024-26 competition. The new fund, an increase of almost 15 per cent on last year, will guarantee every competing team at least £30,000 – and reward the winners with a whopping £400,000.

With potential opponents ranging from Inverness to Stranraer, Hibs – and their supporters – will be looking for a group that doesn’t drag them all over Scotland in a quickfire round of just four fixtures (two home and two away) before progressing to the knock-out stage. The first games will be played on the weekend of July 13/14, with final group stage games scheduled for the weekend of July 27/28.

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Here are the full pots for the draw, which begins at 1 pm tomorrow:

Pot 1: Dundee, Aberdeen, Hibernian, Motherwell, St Johnstone, Ross County, Livingston, Dundee United

Pot 2: Raith Rovers, Partick Thistle, Airdrieonians, Greenock Morton, Dunfermline Athletic, Ayr United, Queen’s Park, Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Pot 3: Arbroath, Falkirk, Hamilton Academical, Alloa Athletic, Montrose, Cove Rangers, Kelty Hearts, Queen of the South

Pot 4: Annan Athletic, Stirling Albion, Edinburgh City, Stenhousemuir, Peterhead, The Spartans, Dumbarton, East Fife

Pot 5: Forfar Athletic, Elgin City, Bonnyrigg Rose, Clyde, Stranraer, East Kilbride, Buckie Thistle, Brechin City