Rangers will learn their Premier Sports Cup last-16 fate on Sunday when the seeded sides are drawn in Paisley. The Gers go into the draw as one of the top five finishers from last season’s Premiership, alongside Celtic and Hearts, and will be among the seeded teams for Sunday’s ceremony at St Mirren Park. The competition’s knockout stages kick off on August 15/16, giving Rangers a chance to chase silverware before the Premiership resumes.
Rangers ended last season in second place with 69 points from 33 games, one behind Hearts, and they’ll be aiming to add more trophies to Ibrox’s cabinets early in the campaign. Their recent form reads WWLLL, with a 2-0 win at Falkirk on May 16 sealing a two-game winning streak before the summer break. The Gers’ next fixture is a trip to Tynecastle to face Hearts on October 28, but first comes the Premier Sports Cup draw.
When is the Premier Sports Cup draw and how can I watch it?
The last-16 draw takes place on Sunday July 26, immediately after the St Mirren vs Dunfermline group-stage finale in Paisley. If the Paisley side avoid a penalty shoot-out for a bonus point, the draw should start around 5pm. The ceremony will be shown live on Premier Sports 1 and streamed on the Premier Sports Player, so fans can follow every pick from home.
Which teams are seeded and who could Rangers face?
Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Motherwell and Hibs all qualified automatically as the Premiership’s top five from last season. They’ll be joined by the three best group-stage winners to make up the 32-team hat. Rangers finished with a +35 goal difference, scoring 66 and conceding 31, so they’ll be among the seeded sides when the lots are pulled. The seeded teams will face unseeded opposition in the last 16, with ties scheduled for the weekend of August 15/16.
What’s at stake for Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup?
For Rangers, the Premier Sports Cup offers a route to Hampden and a chance to claim early-season silverware. The competition runs parallel to European qualifiers, which get under way next month for the Gers, so the cup provides a rare midweek window to blood young talent and rotate the squad. With European football looming, every extra fixture counts in manager Philippe Clement’s planning.
What comes next for Rangers after the draw?
Once the last-16 line-up is set, Rangers will turn their focus to the Premiership opener and the Champions League qualifiers. The Gers’ next league outing is a trip to Edinburgh on October 28, but the cup run could shape their squad depth before the title race heats up. The Premier Sports Cup draw is the first competitive draw Rangers will watch this season, and the outcome will shape their early schedule.
Rangers’ recent 5-2 win at Falkirk on May 16 capped a strong finish to the campaign, and the Gers will be hoping to carry that momentum into the cup. With Hearts leading the table, the race for the Premiership title is wide open, and every point will matter when the league restarts.
