The Scottish League Cup final will return to a November date for the first time since 1998, the SPFL confirmed today.
The move is part of a major overhaul of the competition that will see a group stage introduced and the first ties played earlier in July from next season.
The 80-game group stage will see 40 teams - the 38 league teams not involved in European competitions, plus the winners of the Highland and Lowland leagues - split into eight groups of five, playing each other in a round-robin format across four matchdays in July.
The eight group winners and four best runners-up will then join the four teams competing in Europe for the traditional knockout format, culminating in the final on Sunday, November 27, 2016.
The change is being introduced to accommodate a new three-week winter break to the SPFL after the New Year's fixtures, with clubs not due back in action until the weekend of January 21, 2017.
"We're very pleased to announce more of the key dates for the SPFL's league and cup competitions next season," said SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster.
"Significantly, the Scottish League Cup semi-finals and final will again be contested before the end of the year which we know is something a large number of supporters and stakeholders, including the media, were very keen on."
This year's Scottish League Cup final will be contested between Hibernian and Ross County on March 13.
