The SPFL has confirmed the seeding pots for the 2023-24 Viaplay Cup group stage draw.
The draw takes place on Thursday at 1pm and will be shown live by Viaplay Sports on Viaplay Xtra.
The draw will also be made available on the Viaplay YouTube channel and Viaplay Twitter page. It can also be watched live on the SPFL YouTube channel.
Aberdeen and the other four SPFL clubs who are taking part in European competition (Celtic, Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian) receive a bye to the knockout stages of the competition.
The group stage draw will involve the remaining 37 SPFL clubs from 2022/23, plus Highland League champions Brechin City and Lowland League champions The Spartans, who won promotion to the SPFL last month.
Cowdenbeath, who were relegated from cinch League 2 in 2022, have accepted an invitation to take the remaining space in this year’s first round group stage.
As was the case last season, there is no regionalised aspect to the group stage draw.
The 40 participating clubs will be split into five seeding pots based on final league placings in season 2022/23. One club from each pot will be drawn into the eight Groups A-H.
Seeding pots and club numbers
Pot 1
1 St Mirren
2 Motherwell
3 Livingston
4 St Johnstone
5 Kilmarnock
6 Ross County
7 Dundee United
8 Dundee
Pot 2
9 Ayr United
10 Queen’s Park
11 Partick Thistle
12 Greenock Morton
13 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
14 Raith Rovers
15 Arbroath
16 Hamilton Academical
Pot 3
17 Cove Rangers
18 Dunfermline Athletic
19 Falkirk
20 Airdrieonians
21 Alloa Athletic
22 Queen of the South
23 FC Edinburgh
24 Montrose
Pot 4
25 Kelty Hearts
26 Clyde
27 Peterhead
28 Stirling Albion
29 Dumbarton
30 Annan Athletic
31 East Fife
32 Forfar Athletic
Pot 5
33 Stenhousemuir
34 Stranraer
35 Bonnyrigg Rose
36 Elgin City
37 Albion Rovers
38 Brechin City
39 The Spartans
40 Cowdenbeath
The competition begins on the weekend of July 15-16, with further matchdays on July 18-19, July 22-23, July 25-26 and July 29-30.
The eight group winners and three best runners-up will join European entrants Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian in the last 16 of the competition on the weekend of August 19-20.
The SPFL has confirmed the seeding pots for the 23/24 #ViaplayCup Group Stage Draw, which takes place on Thursday, June 8 at 1pm.
You can watch live on @ViaplaySportsUK Xtra or on our YouTube channel.
— SPFL (@spfl) June 7, 2023
Viaplay Cup dates 2023-24
Group stage
MD1: Weekend of July 15-16, 2023
MD2: Midweek of July 18-19, 2023
MD3: Weekend of July 22-23, 2023
MD4: Midweek of July 25-26, 2023
MD5: Weekend of July 29-30, 2023
Second round
Weekend of August 19-20, 2023
Quarter-finals
Midweek of September 26-28, 2023
Semi-finals
Weekend of November 4-5, 2023
Final
Sunday December 17, 2023
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