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.
This season, subscription TV channel Premier Sports have taken over as tournament sponsor.
The format has been tinkered with throughout its history, this is the sixth 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. A ballot was used to determine the last place, with East Kilbride of the Lowland League getting lucky against Highland League Fraserburgh.
The eight group winners and three best runners-up qualify for the last 16, where they are joined by European entrants Rangers, Celtic, Hibernian, Aberdeen and cup holders St Johnstone.
2021-22 COMPETITION (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21)
GROUP STAGE
- Group A: Heart of Midlothian, Inverness Caley Thistle, Peterhead, Cove Rangers, Stirling Albion
- Group B: Dundee United, Arbroath, East Fife, Elgin City, Kelty Hearts
- Group C: Ross County, Dundee, Forfar Athletic, Montrose, Brora Rangers
- Group D: Livingston, Raith Rovers, Alloa Athletic, Cowdenbeath, Brechin City
- Group E: Hamilton Accies, Ayr United, Falkirk, Albion Rovers, Edinburgh City
- Group F: Motherwell, Queen of the South, Airdrieonians, Annan Athletic, Queen’s Park
- Group G: Kilmarnock, Greenock Morton, Clyde, Stranraer, East Kilbride
- Group H: St Mirren, Dunfermline Athletic, Stenhousemuir, Partick Thistle, Dumbarton
Friday, July 9
- (B) Kelty Hearts 0-1 Dundee United – Premier Sports
- (E) Edinburgh City 0-1 Hamilton Accies
Saturday, July 10
- (A) Cove Rangers 2-3 Stirling Albion
- (A) Peterhead 0-2 Heart of Midlothian
- (B) Elgin City 0-1 Arbroath
- (C) Montrose 3-0 Brora Rangers
- (D) Brechin City 0-3 Livingston
- (D) Cowdenbeath 0-1 Raith Rovers
- (E) Albion Rovers 0-0(4-2p) Ayr United
- (F) Airdrieonians 1-1(4-5p) Annan Athletic
- (F) Queen of the South 0-1 Queen’s Park
- (G) East Kilbride 0-2 Kilmarnock
- (H) Partick Thistle 2-4 Dunfermline Athletic
- (C) Forfar Athletic wo-scr Ross County – Forfar awarded 3-0 win
- (G) Stranraer wo-scr Greenock Morton – Stranraer awarded 3-0 win
- (H) Dumbarton scr-wo St Mirren – St Mirren awarded 3-0 win
Tuesday, July 13
- (A) Heart of Midlothian 3-0 Cove Rangers – Premier Sports
- (A) Inverness Caley Thistle 2-0 Peterhead
- (C) Dundee 4-0 Brora Rangers
- (C) Forfar Athletic 0-0(5-4p) Montrose
- (D) Alloa Athletic 0-1 Cowdenbeath
- (D) Raith Rovers 4-0 Brechin City
- (E) Ayr United 3-0 Edinburgh City
- (E) Falkirk 5-1 Albion Rovers
- (F) Annan Athletic 1-3 Queen of the South
- (G) Clyde 1-0 Stranraer
- (G) Greenock Morton 0-0(5-4p) East Kilbride
- (H) Dumbarton 1-2 Stenhousemuir
- (H) St Mirren 1-0 Dunfermline Athletic
Wednesday, July 14
- (B) Arbroath 2-0 East Fife
- (B) Dundee United 6-1 Elgin City
- (F) Queen’s Park 0-1 Motherwell (@ Firhill Stadium) – Premier Sports
Saturday, July 17
- (A) Inverness Caley Thistle 2-2(2-3p) Stirling Albion
- (A) Peterhead 3-1 Cove Rangers
- (B) Dundee United 1-0 Arbroath
- (B) Kelty Hearts 3-0 East Fife
- (C) Brora Rangers 0-1 Forfar Athletic
- (D) Alloa Athletic 2-1 Livingston
- (D) Cowdenbeath 3-2 Brechin City
- (E) Albion Rovers 1-1(5-4p) Edinburgh City
- (E) Falkirk 1-2 Hamilton Accies
- (F) Motherwell 3-2 Queen of the South
- (F) Queen’s Park 0-0(3-4p) Airdrieonians (@ Firhill Stadium)
- (G) Clyde 1-2 Kilmarnock
- (G) Stranraer 1-0 East Kilbride
- (H) Dunfermline Athletic 5-1 Dumbarton
- (H) Stenhousemuir 1-2 Partick Thistle
Sunday, July 18
(C) Ross County scr-wo Dundee – Premier Sports– Dundee awarded 3-0 win
Tuesday, July 20
- (A) Cove Rangers 3-1 Inverness Caley Thistle
- (A) Stirling Albion 0-2 Heart of Midlothian
- (B) East Fife 0-1 Dundee United
- (B) Elgin City 1-3 Kelty Hearts
- (D) Brechin City 1-0 Alloa Athletic
- (E) Hamilton Accies 0-1 Ayr United
- (F) Annan Athletic 1-2 Queen’s Park
- (G) East Kilbride 2-2(2-4p) Clyde
- (G) Kilmarnock 1-1(4-3p) Greenock Morton
- (H) Partick Thistle 2-0 Dumbarton
- (H) Stenhousemuir 1-3 St Mirren
(F) Airdrieonians P-P Motherwell– Premier Sports– now Weds, July 21
Wednesday, July 21
- (C) Brora Rangers 0-1 Ross County
- (C) Montrose 0-2 Dundee
- (D) Livingston 0-0(6-5p) Raith Rovers
- (F) Airdrieonians 2-0 Motherwell – Premier Sports
(E) Edinburgh City wo-scr Falkirk– Edinburgh City awarded 3-0 win
Saturday, July 24
- (A) Stirling Albion 3-1 Peterhead
- (B) Arbroath 3-2 Kelty Hearts
- (B) East Fife 2-3 Elgin City – artificial
- (C) Dundee 5-2 Forfar Athletic
- (C) Ross County 4-1 Montrose
- (D) Livingston 3-1 Cowdenbeath – artificial
- (D) Raith Rovers 0-0(5-4p) Alloa Athletic – artificial
- (E) Hamilton Accies 2-2(6-5p) Albion Rovers – artificial
- (F) Motherwell 2-0 Annan Athletic
- (F) Queen of the South 4-1 Airdrieonians – artificial
- (G) Kilmarnock 2-1 Stranraer – artificial
- (G) Greenock Morton 2-1 Clyde
- (H) Dunfermline Athletic 4-1 Stenhousemuir
(E) Ayr United wo-scr Falkirk– Ayr United awarded 3-0 win
Sunday, July 25
- (A) Heart of Midlothian 1-0 Inverness Caley Thistle – Premier Sports (5.15pm)
- (H) St Mirren 2-0 Partick Thistle – Premier Sports
KNOCKOUT PHASE
Second Round
- Rangers 5-0 Dunfermline Athletic (Aug 13) – Premier Sports
- Ayr United 1-1(3-4p) Dundee United (Aug 14)
- Dundee 1-0 Motherwell (Aug 14)
- Livingston 1-1(4-3p) St Mirren (Aug 14)
- Arbroath 2-2(2-3p) St Johnstone (Aug 15)
- Celtic 3-2 Heart of Midlothian (Aug 15) – Premier Sports
- Hibernian 2-0 Kilmarnock (Aug 15)
- Raith Rovers 2-1 Aberdeen (Aug 15) – Premier Sports
Quarter Finals
- Dundee 0-2 St Johnstone (Sept 22) – Premier Sports
- Rangers 2-0 Livingston (Sept 22) – Premier Sports
- Celtic 3-0 Raith Rovers (Sept 23) – Premier Sports
- Dundee United 1-3 Hibernian (Sept 23) – Premier Sports
Semi Finals
- Celtic 1-0 St Johnstone (Nov 20 @ Hampden Park) – Premier Sports
- Rangers 1-3 Hibernian (Nov 21 @ Hampden Park) – Premier Sports
Final
- Celtic – Hibernian (Dec 19 @ Hampden Park) – Premier Sports
Scottish Football Fixtures 