October start-up with cup final planned for February

The Betfred Cup will begin in October with the final in February, the SPFL has confirmed.

Chief executive Neil Doncaster admitted that Covid-19 had made arranging the schedule more difficult than normal.

The group stages will start on October 6 and the next two rounds will take place before the end of the year.

The semi-finals will take place on January 23 and 24, with the final at Hampden Park on February 28.

Doncaster said: “Last season’s Betfred Cup was a hugely successful competition and we are looking forward to the same combination of excitement and passion this season.

“The process of scheduling the SPFL’s premier cup competition has been made much more difficult this year due to the disruption caused by Covid-19, but we are delighted to be in a position to confirm five uninterrupted rounds of fixtures once again.

“The innovations made to the competition in the last few seasons have proved to be a real winner with clubs and supporters alike.

“We are extremely grateful to our friends at Premier Sports,

Betfred and the Scottish FA for their flexibility in agreeing this season’s Betfred Cup schedule.

“We wish all the clubs the best of luck in their quest to reach next year’s final.”

All 42 members clubs have confirmed their participation in the tournament and the SPFL will be liaising with the Highland League and Lowland League about the possibility of their champions from last season, Brora Rangers and Kelty Hearts, also taking part in the competition.

The draw for the first round group stage fixtures will take place in due course, with the first games played on Tuesday October 6.

That will be followed by fixtures on Saturday October 10, Tuesday October 13, Tuesday November 10 and Saturday November 14.

Round two takes place on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November. The quarter-finals are scheduled for Tuesday 15, Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 December.

Celtic won last season’s final with a 1-0 win over Old Firm rivals Rangers at Hampden Park.

The Scottish Premiership will resume on August 1 with the lower leagues beginning in October.