Scottish League Cup

Lore & Background

The cup has its origins in a regional cup competition called the Southern League Cup which was introduced in 1940 when wartime restrictions led to a suspension of the Scottish Cup. The first official Scottish Football League Cup was contested during the 1946–47 season, when Rangers defeated Aberdeen in the final. The competition was very popular with supporters during the first few decades of its existence. From 1984–85 the tournament was revamped to a shorter, single elimination knock-out format. From that period Rangers became the dominant force in the competition, winning nine times in twelve years to increase their total to 20 before Celtic won their tenth in 1997–98. During the 1999–2000 competition, the semi-finals and final were moved to the springtime. For the 2016–17 season a pre-Christmas schedule was again adopted, although delayed springtime finals were played in 2020–21 (due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic) and 2022–23 (due to changes to accommodate the 2022 FIFA World Cup).

In Their Own Story

Rain lashed against the floodlights at Hampden Park, turning the turf into a slick, treacherous canvas under the glare of the floodlights. The roar from the Ibrox end was a physical force, vibrating through the stadium's foundations as extra time ticked away. In those dying, breathless minutes, the ball found its way to a winger driving forward with the weight of twenty-eight previous triumphs on his shoulders. A deflection off a defender sparked chaos in the box—a scramble of limbs and desperation—followed by a sudden, deafening silence before an eruption that drowned out the thunder overhead. The net rippled, the referee's whistle pierced the air, and the sea of blue exploded into pure ecstasy. Another piece of silverware secured, another chapter written in the endless saga of Rangers' domestic conquest.

Reader's Guide

Since the 2016–17 season, the League Cup has used a group phase format. The format has eight groups of five teams playing each other once in a round-robin format. The forty teams playing in the group stage consist of the 38 league clubs who are not participating in UEFA competitions, along with two teams from outside the league. In the group phase, three points are given for a win and one point for a draw. If matches are level after ninety minutes, a penalty shoot-out is held with the winning team gaining a bonus point. The groups are regionalised: there are four groups in the North section, and four in the South section, with three pots for each regional section – top seeds, second seeds, and unseeded clubs. Each group will consist of one top seed, one second seed, and three unseeded clubs. The eight group winners and three best runners-up progress into the second round, where they are joined by the five clubs participating in UEFA competitions. The tournament then adopts a single-elimination knockout format. There are no replays, which means all drawn matches are decided by extra time and a penalty shootout, if necessary. The semi-final matches are played on a neutral ground, determined by the location and size of supports involved. The final game is traditionally played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, though due to renovations some finals have been played at other venues, such as Celtic Park or Ibrox Stadium.

Did You Know?

• Rangers are the record holders of the cup, winning 28 times.
• St Mirren are the current holders, winning their 2nd title after beating Celtic 3–1 at Hampden Park on 14 December 2025.
• The trophy was donated by long-term Clyde and Scottish Football League chairman John McMahon on 15 January 1947.
• Until 1995, the winners of the Scottish League Cup were granted a place in the UEFA Cup, though this privilege was rarely invoked.