Scottish clubs to compete for Premier Sports Cup

Raith Rovers and Friday’s opponents Hearts met in the League Cup this season (Pic: Bill Murray/SNS Group)

The SPFL has struck a sponsorship deal with Premier Sports that will see the subscription channel sponsor the Scottish League Cup for the next two seasons.

The competition will be rebranded the ‘Premier Sports Cup’ after the broadcaster put up additional investment, replacing the Betfred Cup as it has been known for the past five years after the deal with the betting firm ended.

In addition, Premier Sports have extended the term of their broadcast contract by a further two years meaning they now have exclusive rights to the League Cup until at least the end of season 2026/27.

Neil Doncaster, Chief Executive of the SPFL: “The first season’s coverage of the competition by Premier Sports has been a tremendous success, with St Johnstone FC lifting the cup for the first time in their history.

Premier Sports replaced BT Sport as the League Cup’s broadcaster last year and has also held Scottish Cup rights since season 2019/20.

Richard Webb, Premier Sports Director of Operations said: “We are delighted to be broadening our partnership with the SPFL and further investing in Scottish football with the extension of our current exclusive League Cup rights.

"We have developed a strong presence in Scotland with coverage of both Cup competitions so it feels like a natural step to strengthen our commitment to the game by also becoming the title sponsor of the League Cup.

"We look forward to bringing fans the biggest games and best moments from the ‘Premier Sports Cup’ for the next six years.”

Next season’s Premier Sports Cup will get underway on July 10 with the start of first-round group stage.