Scotland's Premier Sports Cup round of 16 draw takes place today, July 26, at Hampden Park, sorting the survivors of a brisk summer group stage into knockout ties (SPFL, via Facebook).

The competition — Scottish football's League Cup, rebranded under its sponsor's name — began with 40 clubs split into eight groups of five. Those 40 include the 37 SPFL clubs not involved in European competition plus three invited non-league sides: Brora Rangers, Brechin City, and Linlithgow Rose (SPFL). The group stage ran across four matchdays between July 11 and July 22, with games packed into weekends and midweeks.

Aberdeen and Ayr United were the group stage's perfectionists. Both won all four matches to finish on 12 points, Aberdeen topping Group A with a +9 goal difference and Ayr United leading Group G at +8 (SPFL). Aberdeen's campaign included a 4-1 win over Queen of the South on July 22, while Kelty Hearts edged Brora Rangers 3-2 the day before (SPFL).

Elsewhere, Ross County topped Group D with 11 points, finishing ahead of Dundee on 10 despite Dundee's superior goal difference (+11 to +8) — a reminder that in this format, points matter before goal difference. Inverness Caledonian Thistle took Group F with 11, while Stenhousemuir won Group E with 10. Dundee United needed goal difference to separate themselves from Montrose in Group B, both finishing on 9 points but United's +7 bettering Montrose's +3 (SPFL).

The format carries a quirk that rewards attacking play even in defeat: a bonus point for scoring three or more goals in a single match. That helps explain how Ross County reached 11 points from four games rather than a clean-sweep 12.

The last 16 brings together the eight group winners, the three best second-place finishers, and Scotland's five European representatives — the clubs who skipped the group stage entirely because they were busy on the continent (BBC Sport; SPFL). Those five — Celtic, Rangers, Hibernian, and two others — join as seeded teams alongside the three group winners with the strongest records.

Early confirmed ties from the draw include Rangers v Dunfermline, Arbroath v St Johnstone, Hibernian v Kilmarnock, and Ayr United v Dundee United (SPFL, via Facebook). For Ayr United, a perfect group stage now earns a crack at Dundee United — a side two tiers above them in the Scottish pyramid. That is the draw's appeal: summer form against established pedigree, lower-league grit against full-time squads, all in a one-leg knockout where one bad night ends it.

The five non-SPFL guest clubs provided their own colour. Linlithgow Rose picked up 3 points in Group F, while Brora Rangers and Brechin City both finished without a point (SPFL). For part-time clubs invited into a professional competition, the results tell their own story.

Group stage standings across all eight groups are now finalised on the SPFL's results page, with the draw live on Premier Sports.