THE new SPFL season is set for a July kick-off but non Premiership clubs are set to play throughout this year's World Cup.

Earlier today, the governing body released key dates for the 2022/23 season, which will see all four divisions begin over the weekend of July 30-31.

With the World Cup in Qatar beginning on November 21, and running until December 18, the top flight will take a break after the 16th round of fixtures, on November 12-13, before resuming the weekend before Christmas.

However, clubs in the Championship, League One and League Two, including the Pars and Kelty Hearts, will continue to play throughout the tournament after they opted not to stop.

The final round of Championship fixtures will be played on May 5 2023, with League One and League Two concluding the following day, whilst the Premiership will finish on May 27-28. The Premiership play-off final will then be held on Thursday June 1 and Sunday June 4.

The group stage of the Premier Sports Cup will begin over the weekend of July 9-10, and conclude over the weekend of July 23-24, with matches up to the quarter-finals set to be played by the midweek of October 18-20.

Changes to the calendar mean that the semi-finals will be played on January 14-15 2023, with the Hampden showpiece slated for Sunday February 26.

The SPFL Trust Trophy - which has returned this season - will have its dates confirmed in due course.

Fixtures for the 2022/2023 season will be published in June.