The tournament was won by Linfield for the 29th time and the 2nd consecutive season, defeating Glentoran 1–0 in the final at Windsor Park.[2][3]
For this edition, the format followed the same setup as the previous season; Section A clubs played each other twice and played three matches with Section B clubs (and vice versa for Section B clubs). Section C clubs played each other once and played four matches with Section D clubs (and vice versa for Section D clubs). The clubs that topped each section progressed to the semi-finals.[4]