Scottish League Cup set to introduce group stage format

Scotland's winter break is set to be re-instated next season as part of a radical overhaul of the League Cup which will see teams competing in a group stage starting in July.

Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) officials say eight groups of five teams will play each other in a round-robin format, with a new bonus point system and the re-introduction of a two-weekend winter break for Premiership clubs in January - as the result of an earlier cup start - also new features.

The new 80-game group stage will involve all 38 teams not involved in UEFA qualifiers plus winners of this season's Highland League and Lowland League, meaning more summer football.

All drawn matches in the group stage will go straight to a penalty shoot-out with the winner awarded a bonus point, which the SPFL say is "designed to create greater excitement" around the matches and to increase the number of meaningful games in the groups.  

The eight group winners and four best runners-up progress to the second round, when they are joined by the four UEFA-qualifying clubs and the competition reverts to traditional knockout format.

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: "The new format of the Scottish League Cup marks an exciting new chapter for the competition and sees Scottish football leading the way with a number of innovations.

"Fans, the media and clubs alike have expressed a desire for competitive summer football which will be delivered from next July while the ground-breaking bonus point system should add incentive to teams and excitement for supporters."

The SPFL is also consulting with teams outside the top flight to establish whether they also favour a winter break in their respective divisions. In the semi-finals of this year's tournament, holders Celtic will face Ross County, while St Johnstone play Hibernian in January. 

Dumbarton chief executive Gilbert Lawrie says despite starting the season a week earlier, the proposed new format could offer a timely boost for Scottish football.

Speaking to Sky Sports News HQ he said: "I'm a fan of knockout tournaments but not so of group tournaments. But we'll give it a try and see how it goes.

"As a part-time team, we have players who can only go on holiday during the school holidays and there's a risk that you might have a certain number of players away on any one week.

"It's only an extra week on the programme so we'll give it a go and if it's good for Scottish football then I'm sure it will continue to grow."