The next season of domestic action in the UAE is scheduled to kick-off with a reformatted Arabian Gulf Cup on September 4 after the Pro League Committee revealed its calendar on Tuesday for 2017/18.

For the first time since 2011/12, the top flight will drop down to 12 teams following last month’s shock merger of Al Shabab, Al Ahli – the AGC holders – and promoted Dubai CSC to create Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club.

This call has instantly impacted the nation’s secondary cup tournament. It will now be played out in two groups of six, with the top four from each meeting in the quarter-finals – previously, only the first two teams progressed from the pools to the semi-finals.

Elsewhere, the Arabian Gulf Cup between Arabian Gulf League winners Al Jazira and President’s Cup champions Al Wahda will take place on September 15 – a decision on venue is yet to be made.

The top-flight entertainment begins a day later, with all domestic play set to end on April 29 to give time for World Cup 2018 preparation.

Al Ain and their opponents will be the only teams to feature on September 4 because of the Boss’ commitments in the 2017 AFC Champions League’s quarter-finals. The rest of the participants will take to the field on September 8 and 9.

Another alteration for next term is the introduction of online ticket sales. This is viewed as an important method of increased revenue generation as the competition moves away from hard ticket sales.