Scottish Cup win is a huge carrot as champions set for guaranteed Euro group stage place in UEFA boost

This season’s Scottish Cup comes with the huge incentive of guaranteed European group stage football.

Scotland currently sits tenth in UEFA’s coefficient table and the Scottish Premiership winners are almost guaranteed automatic entry into the Champions League groups for the first time in a decade.

But there is a further boost with the massive carrot this season of the Scottish Cup winners going into the Europa League play off round.

Victory at that stage would see them into the group stage of UEFA’s second tier competition but even defeat would result in the consolation of a Conference League group stage place.

The Premiership started the season ranked 11th, and the top 12 nations see the champion of their national cup competition enter at the play-off round.

St Johnstone lifted the Scottish Cup last season but failed to reach the group after losing in the qualifiers of both the Europa League and Conference League after Scotland had started the campaign ranked 14th.

But if the Perth side were to repeat their Hampden heroics of last May then they couldn’t suffer the same fate.

And if the Scottish Cup winners have already qualified for Europe then the Cup winners’ place will then be allocated to the Scottish Premiership third placed side.

It means there is plenty up for grabs with Hearts currently five points clear in third and the big guns enter the Scottish Cup in next month’s fourth round.

Aberdeen were the last non-Old Firm side to reach the group stage in continental competition back in 2008.

That was the last time Scotland had three representatives beyond the qualifying stages but are firmly on course to end that lengthy wait.