The draw for the group stage of the 2018/19 Betfred Cup will be this afternoon and will be broadcast live on the SPFL's YouTube channel at 1.30pm.
The 40-team group stage includes the 38 SPFL clubs not involved in European competition plus Highland League winners Cove Rangers and Lowland League champions East Kilbride.
The draw will produce eight groups of five teams on a regionalised basis. The four north and four south groups will each be made up of a first seed, a second seed and three unseeded clubs, with seeding based on league positions at the end of season 2018/19.
The format sees all drawn group stage matches go straight to a penalty shoot-out, with the winners earning a bonus point in addition to the point given to each team for a draw.
The eight group winners and four best runners-up progress to the last 16 of the competition on the weekend of August 17/18, where they will be joined by holders Celtic and fellow European representatives Rangers, Kilmarnock and Aberdeen.
The full group stage fixture list, including BT Sport live TV selections, will be confirmed in due course, with ties to be played on the following dates:
Betfred Cup dates 2019/20
Group stage MD1 – Weekend of July 13/14, 2019
Group stage MD2 – Midweek of July 16/17, 2019
Group stage MD3 – Weekend of July 20/21, 2019
Group stage MD4 – Midweek of July 23/24, 2019
Group stage MD5 – Weekend of July 27/28, 2019
Second round – Weekend of August 17/18, 2019
Quarter-finals – Midweek of September 24-26, 2019
Semi-finals – Weekend of November 2/3, 2019
Final – Weekend of December 7/8, 2019
South section - first seeds
5 Motherwell
6 Livingston
7 Hamilton Academical
8 St Mirren
South section - second seeds
13 Ayr United
14 Morton
15 Partick Thistle
16 Dunfermline Athletic
South section - unseeded teams
29 Queen of the South
30 Falkirk
31 Airdrieonians
32 Dumbarton
33 Stranraer
34 Clyde
35 Edinburgh City
36 Annan Athletic
37 Queen's Park
38 Albion Rovers
39 Berwick Rangers
40 East Kilbride
