Scottish League cup

The Scottish League Cup

The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Betfred Cup due to sponsorship reasons, is a knockout competition held annually for football clubs in Scotland. It was first introduced in 1946 and has continued to be a major event in Scottish football ever since.

The tournament is contested by all 42 clubs in the Scottish Professional Football League, divided into eight groups of five. Each team plays every other team in their respective group once, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the knockout stages. The final is typically held at Hampden Park in Glasgow and is a highly anticipated event among football fans across Scotland. The current champions are St Johnstone, who won the 2020-2021 competition.

History and Impact

The Scottish League Cup has a rich history, with some of the country’s most successful and iconic football clubs having won the competition multiple times. These include Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, and Hearts. The cup has also had a significant impact on Scottish football, providing teams with an opportunity to win silverware and gain European qualification.

In recent years, the competition has also been used to trial new rule changes, such as the introduction of penalty shootouts as a means of deciding drawn matches. Additionally, the League Cup has provided smaller clubs with the chance to go up against their more illustrious counterparts. This has led to some memorable giant-killing moments, such as Ross County’s shock victory over Celtic in the 2015-2016 tournament.