St Mirren beat Celtic at Hampden in December to lift the trophy for a second time
Published May 27, 2026 • Source: bbc.com
Premier Sports Cup holders St Mirren will meet Scottish Cup runners-up Dunfermline Athletic, Cove Rangers, League 2 champions East Kilbride and Dumbarton in the group phase of next season's competition.
Falkirk, who finished sixth on their return to the Premiership, face Ayr United, local rivals Alloa Athletic, Stranraer and Edinburgh City after the draw for the group stage, which begins on 11/12 July and finishes on 25/26 July.
Championship winners St Johnstone are in the same section as Greenock Morton, League 1 champions Inverness Caledonian Thistle, East Fife and Lowland League champions Linlithgow Rose.
Highland League champions Brora Rangers are in the same group as Aberdeen, Queen's Park, Queen of the South and Kelty Hearts.
Brechin City, who were runners-up behind Brora, are in a group with three Championship clubs - relegated Livingston, Partick Thistle and promoted Stenhousemuir - along with local rivals Forfar Athletic.
There will be three derbies in Group B, in which Dundee United are joined by Arbroath and Montrose, along with The Spartans and Stirling Albion.
Top-flight Dundee are joined in their group by two sides relegated from the Championship - Airdrieonians and Ross County - along with Clyde and Annan Athletic.
Finally, Premiership side Kilmarnock are paired with Raith Rovers, Peterhead, Hamilton Academical and Elgin City.
The eight group winners and three best runners-up will join European participants â Celtic, who lost to St Mirren in last season's final, Heart of Midlothian, Rangers, Motherwell and Hibernian â in the last 16 on the weekend of 15/16 August.
The quarter-finals will be played on the weekend of 12/13 September, with the semi-finals scheduled for the weekend of 31 October and 1 November and the final on 13 December.
Premier Sports Cup group stage
Group A
Aberdeen
Queen's Park
Queen of the South
Kelty Hearts
Brora Rangers
Group B
Dundee United
Arbroath
Montrose
The Spartans
Stirling Albion
Group C
St Mirren
Dunfermline Athletic
Cove Rangers
East Kilbride
Dumbarton
Group D
Dundee
Airdrieonians
Ross County
Clyde
Annan Athletic
Group E
Livingston
Partick Thistle
Stenhousemuir
Forfar Athletic
Brechin City
Group F
St Johnstone
Greenock Morton
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
East Fife
Linlithgow Rose
Group G
Falkirk
Ayr United
Alloa Athletic
Stranraer
Edinburgh City
Group H
Kilmarnock
Raith Rovers
Peterhead
Hamilton Academical
Elgin City