Scotland will be fielding at least four teams in European competition next season, and Hibernian would join Celtic, Rangers, Motherwell and Queen of the South if they qualify through the Intertoto Cup.

The team that finishes fourth in The SPL, the following season, is likely to take the guaranteed fifth spot with the Intertoto Cup being replaced by an additional qualifying round in the Uefa Cup.

“The Uefa Cup will start in June and participation is mandatory, whereas the Intertoto had previously been voluntary,” SPL secretary Iain Blair said.

“If a team don’t want to start their season in June or early July, they no longer have a choice.”

The Intertoto Cup has not proved popular in Scotland with only Partick and Hibs, on two previous occasions, entering since it began in 1995.