The Scottish League Cup was instituted in 1946 and has been known by various different names for sponsorship reasons, including the Skol Cup, the CIS Cup, the Coca Cola Cup and most recently the Betfred Cup.
Subscription TV channel Premier Sports continue as tournament sponsor and exclusive broadcaster, but in their new guise of ‘Viaplay Sports’.
The format has been tinkered with throughout its history, this is the seventh season of a re-established sectional/group stage format, which was used for many years, but previously abandoned in 1984.
Forty clubs take part in the group stage – the 37 league clubs not involved in European competition, together with the Highland and Lowland League champions. After the Lowland League received an extra place last season, the Highland League have it this season and second placed Buckie Thistle participate.
One change to previous years is that regionalisation of the group stage, which was always quite haphazard, has been dispensed with.
The eight group winners and three best runners-up qualify for the last 16, where they are joined by European entrants Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Dundee United and Motherwell.
2022-23 COMPETITION (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22)
GROUP STAGE
- Group A: Aberdeen, Dumbarton, Peterhead, Raith Rovers, Stirling Albion
- Group B: Fraserburgh, Kilmarnock, Montrose, Partick Thistle, Stenhousemuir
- Group C: Alloa Athletic, Buckie Thistle, Dunfermline Athletic, East Fife, Ross County
- Group D: Bonnyrigg Rose, Clyde, Falkirk, Greenock Morton, Hibernian
- Group E: Airdrieonians, Arbroath, Cowdenbeath, FC Edinburgh, St Mirren
- Group F: Annan Athletic, Ayr United, Elgin City, Queen of the South, St Johnstone
- Group G: Albion Rovers, Cove Rangers, Inverness Caley Thistle, Kelty Hearts, Livingston
- Group H: Dundee, Forfar Athletic, Hamilton Accies, Queen’s Park, Stranraer
Saturday, July 9
- (A) Dumbarton 1-2 Stirling Albion
- (B) Fraserburgh 1-3 Kilmarnock
- (B) Stenhousemuir 1-2 Partick Thistle
- (C) Buckie Thistle 1-1(4-5p) Ross County
- (C) East Fife 0-2 Dunfermline Athletic
- (D) Greenock Morton 0-0(4-5p) Falkirk
- (D) Hibernian 5-0 Clyde
- (E) Cowdenbeath 0-3 Airdrieonians
- (E) St Mirren 0-1 Arbroath
- (F) Ayr United 0-0(4-3p) Elgin City
- (F) Queen of the South 2-3 Annan Athletic
- (G) Albion Rovers 2-3 Livingston
- (G) Kelty Hearts 0-1 Inverness Caley Thistle
- (H) Dundee 3-0 Hamilton Accies
- (H) Stranraer 2-5 Queen’s Park
Sunday July 10
- (A) Peterhead 0-2 Aberdeen – Premier Sports
Tuesday, July 12
- (B) Fraserburgh 2-4 Montrose
- (C) Alloa Athletic 1-1(6-5p) East Fife
- (C) Dunfermline Athletic 5-0 Buckie Thistle
- (D) Falkirk 1-0 Hibernian – Premier Sports
- (E) Airdrieonians 1-1(2-4p) FC Edinburgh
- (F) Ayr United 0-3 Queen of the South
- (F) St Johnstone 0-0(4-5p) Annan Athletic
- (G) Albion Rovers 1-2 Cove Rangers
- (G) Livingston 1-2 Inverness Caley Thistle
- (H) Hamilton Accies 5-2 Stranraer
- (H) Queen’s Park 4-1 Forfar Athletic (@ Ochilview Park)
Wednesday, July 13
- (A) Aberdeen 2-0 Dumbarton
- (A) Raith Rovers 6-0 Peterhead
- (B) Kilmarnock 1-1(4-5p) Partick Thistle – Premier Sports
- (D) Clyde 1-2 Bonnyrigg Rose (@ New Douglas Park)
- (E) Arbroath 3-0 Cowdenbeath
Saturday, July 16
- (A) Peterhead 0-2 Dumbarton
- (A) Raith Rovers 1-1(4-5p) Stirling Albion
- (B) Montrose 0-3 Kilmarnock
- (B) Stenhousemuir 3-0 Fraserburgh
- (C) Buckie Thistle 1-4 Alloa Athletic
- (C) Ross County 1-0 Dunfermline Athletic
- (D) Clyde 2-0 Greenock Morton (@ New Douglas Park)
- (E) Cowdenbeath 0-2 St Mirren
- (E) FC Edinburgh 1-3 Arbroath (@ Meadowbank Stadium)
- (F) Annan Athletic 4-0 Elgin City
- (F) Queen of the South 2-2 St Johnstone
- (G) Cove Rangers 1-2 Livingston
- (G) Kelty Hearts 0-2 Albion Rovers
- (H) Forfar Athletic 0-3 Hamilton Accies
- (H) Stranraer 0-3 Dundee
Sunday, July 17
- (D) Bonnyrigg Rose 1-4 Hibernian – Premier Sports
Tuesday, July 19
- (A) Dumbarton 0-0(2-3p) Raith Rovers
- (A) Stirling Albion 0-5 Aberdeen
- (B) Montrose 0-2 Stenhousemuir
- (B) Partick Thistle 2-0 Fraserburgh
- (C) Alloa Athletic 0-2 Ross County
- (C) East Fife 3-2 Buckie Thistle
- (E) Airdrieonians 2-0 St Mirren – Premier Sports
- (F) Annan Athletic 1-1(5-4p) Ayr United
- (F) Elgin City 2-4 St Johnstone
- (G) Cove Rangers 2-3 Kelty Hearts
- (G) Inverness Caley Thistle 4-0 Albion Rovers
- (H) Forfar Athletic 2-2 Stranraer
- (H) Queen’s Park 1-2 Dundee (@ Ochilview Park)
Wednesday, July 20
- (D) Bonnyrigg Rose 1-1(2-4p) Falkirk
- (D) Hibernian 1-1(1-3p) Greenock Morton – amended to 0-3, Hibs ineligible player
- (E) FC Edinburgh 3-0 Cowdenbeath (@ Meadowbank Stadium)
Saturday, July 23
- (A) Stirling Albion 3-0 Peterhead
- (B) Kilmarnock 4-1 Stenhousemuir
- (B) Partick Thistle 4-2 Montrose
- (C) Dunfermline Athletic 1-1(4-5p) Alloa Athletic
- (C) Ross County 7-0 East Fife
- (D) Falkirk 1-0 Clyde
- (D) Greenock Morton 3-1 Bonnyrigg Rose
- (E) Arbroath 3-0 Airdrieonians
- (E) St Mirren 3-1 FC Edinburgh
- (F) Elgin City 2-0 Queen of the South
- (F) St Johnstone 1-0 Ayr United
- (G) Inverness Caley Thistle 1-1(5-3p) Cove Rangers
- (G) Livingston 2-0 Kelty Hearts
- (H) Dundee 5-1 Forfar Athletic
- (H) Hamilton Accies 1-1(5-3p) Queen’s Park
Sunday, July 24
- (A) Aberdeen 3-0 Raith Rovers – Premier Sports
KNOCKOUT PHASE
Second Round
- Annan Athletic 1-4 Aberdeen (Aug 30)
- Dundee 3-0 Falkirk (Aug 30)
- Partick Thistle 1-0 Arbroath (Aug 30)
- Rangers 3-1 Queen of the South (Aug 30) – Premier Sports
- Heart of Midlothian 0-1 Kilmarnock (Aug 31)
- Livingston 1-2 Dundee United (Aug 31)
- Motherwell 4-0 Inverness Caley Thistle (Aug 31)
- Ross County 1-4 Celtic (Aug 31) – Premier Sports
Quarter Finals
- Kilmarnock 2-1 Dundee United (Oct 18) – Premier Sports
- Aberdeen 4-1 Partick Thistle (Oct 19)
- Motherwell 0-4 Celtic (Oct 19) – Premier Sports
- Rangers 1-0 Dundee (Oct 19) – Premier Sports
Semi Finals
- Celtic 2-0 Kilmarnock (Jan 14) – Viaplay Sports
- Rangers 2-1 Aberdeen (Jan 15, 3pm) – Viaplay Sports
Final (Feb 26)
- Rangers 1-2 Celtic (@ Hampden Park) – Viaplay Sports
Scottish Football Fixtures 