Sky Sports Cup: A New Phase

An explainer on the new format of the Sky Sports Cup, the Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup, which introduces a league phase from next season. SWPL managing director Fiona McIntyre and former Scotland captain Rachel Corsie front the announcement, whose stated aims are increased jeopardy and more fixtures for clubs outside European competition. Each club will play four league-stage matches, two home and two away, in late July and early August before the SWPL and SWPL2 seasons begin; a drawn game gives both teams a point, with a penalty shootout deciding a bonus point. The Swiss-style first round involves 14 clubs, the ten SWPL2 sides plus the four lowest-ranked SWPL teams, with eight progressing. The second round adds the previous season’s third to sixth-placed SWPL clubs before a straight knockout.