 | |
| Founded | 1873; 152 years ago (1873) |
|---|---|
| Region | Scotland England (1 team) |
| Teams | 132 (2025–26) |
| Qualifier for | UEFA Europa League |
| Current champions | Aberdeen (8th title) |
| Most championships | Celtic (42 titles) |
| Website | scottishfa.co.uk |
 2025–26 Scottish Cup | |
TheScottish Football Association Challenge Cup,[1] commonly known as theScottish Cup[2][3] (Scottish Gaelic:Cupa na h-Alba), is an annualassociation football knock-out cup competition for men's football clubs in Scotland.[1] The competition was first held in1873–74. Entry is open to all 122 clubs with full membership of theScottish Football Association (SFA), along with up to eight other clubs who are associate members.[4] The competition is calledScottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup for sponsorship reasons.[5]
Although it is thesecond-oldest competition in association football history, after the EnglishFA Cup, the Scottish Cup trophy is the oldest in association football and is also the oldest national trophy in the world. It was first presented toQueen's Park, who won thefinal match of the inaugural tournament in March 1874.[4] The current holders areAberdeen, who won the tournament by defeatingCeltic on penalties in the2025 final.
The tournament starts at the beginning of the Scottishfootball season, in August.[6] The Scottish Cup Final is usually the last game of the season, taking place at the end of May.[6] Participating teams enter the tournament at different stages depending on theirleague ranking.[7] The lowest ranked clubs enter the tournament at the preliminary round whilst the highest ranked, those that compete in theScottish Premiership, enter at the fourth round stage in January.
The competition is aknock-out tournament.[1] In each round of games, the teams are paired at random, with the first team drawn listed as thehome team. Every game lasts 90 minutes plus any additionalstoppage time.[1] The winner of each game advances to the next round, whilst the loser is eliminated from the tournament. In prior seasons, if a game ended in adraw before the fourth round, the fixture was replayed at the home ground of the other team at a later date, before the fourth round.[6] If thereplay also ended in a draw, apenalty shoot-out took place to decide the winner. From the fourth round onwards, if the game ended in a draw there was no replay; 30 minutes ofextra time would be played, followed by a penalty shoot-out if there is still no winner.[1] Following a vote by the Scottish FA's member clubs in August 2022, it was decided that, for the 2022—23 competition, there would be no replays following the preliminary round, extra time and penalties will be used to decide the winner of drawn games from Round One onwards.[8]
The competition has a staggered entry system. For the2022–23 edition, the preliminary round is contested by 50 clubs. EighteenHighland League and sixteenLowland League clubs begin in the first round. TenScottish League Two clubs enter the second round.Scottish League One andScottish Championship clubs start in the third round, while 12Scottish Premiership clubs enter in the fourth round.[9]
Any club that is a full or associate member of theScottish Football Association (SFA) is entitled to compete in the tournament.[1] Full members qualify automatically, which includes every team that plays in theScottish Professional Football League (SPFL),Highland League, andLowland League. Between 1895 and 2007, clubs that were SFA members but not competitors in the country's professional football leagues could only qualify for the tournament through theScottish Qualifying Cup.[10]
Clubs which are not full members of the SFA may still qualify for the tournament by winning one of the six leagues at tier 6 in theScottish football league system (East,Midlands,North Caledonian,North Region,South,West) or theEast, South and West of Scotland Cup-Winners Shield. Clubs that are members of theScottish Junior Football Association (SJFA) have been able to qualify since2007 by winning theScottish Junior Cup.[10] And, since2015, the winners of theScottish Amateur Cup are also eligible to qualify.[11]
Players that are registered with a competing club are eligible to play, however, cannot represent more than one club during the same tournament.[1] Each club nameseleven players and up to sevensubstitutes before every match.[1] In order to play in the final match, a player must have also been registered to compete in the semi-final round for the same club.[1] If a club fields a player that is not registered, the club may beexpelled from the tournament.[1][12]
Before the semi-final and final rounds, the venue of each match is determined when the fixtures are drawn; the first club drawn in a fixture is named the home team and chooses the venue for the match, usually its ownhome ground.[1] In the event of a game ending in a draw, the venue for the replay is the home ground of the second club drawn.[1] The semi-final ties are played at aneutral venue;[1] usuallyHampden Park in Glasgow.[13] On occasions when Hampden has been unavailable, such as when it was being renovated in the late 1990s and when it was being transformed into an athletics stadium for the2014 Commonwealth Games, the semi-finals have been hosted atCeltic Park andIbrox Stadium, also in Glasgow.[13][14]
Hampden Park also usually hosts the final match of the tournament.[1] The venue – across three sites in close proximity bearing the name – has hosted the majority of finals including the first in1874. Other venues that have hosted the final in the tournament's early years areHamilton Crescent,Kinning Park andthe first Cathkin Park; all in Glasgow (although just outside the city boundaries at the time). The last game of the1896 tournament is the only final that has been hosted outside Glasgow when rivals Heart of Midlothian andHibernian played atNew Logie Green in Edinburgh.[15] Hampden Park has held world and European records for the highest attendance, some of which were recorded at Scottish Cup games. The1937 final played betweenAberdeen andCeltic attracted a crowd of 147,365 spectators[4][16] which was a world record for a national cup final and remains a European record.[4]
AsScotland is a member of theUnion of European Football Associations (UEFA), the winner of the Scottish Cup qualifies to compete in European-wide competitions organised by UEFA. Between 1960 and 1998, the Scottish Cup winners qualified for theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup along with winners of other domestic cup competitions across Europe before it was abolished.[17] The Scottish Cup winners now qualify to compete in the following season'sUEFA Europa League (formerly known as theUEFA Cup).[18] It is possible for the Scottish Cup winners to have already qualified for a UEFA competition through their league ranking in theScottish Premiership. In this scenario, the qualification spot passes to the highest ranked team in that competition not yet qualified, rather than to the Scottish Cup runners-up.[19][20] Until 2014, the Scottish Cup runners-up qualified for European competition if the cup winners had also qualified for theChampions League.[20]
The Scottish Football Association was founded in 1873 and the Scottish Cup was created as an annual competition for its members.[21] The first Scottish Cup match took place on 18 October 1873 whenRenton defeatedKilmarnock 2–0 in the first round.[22] In its early years, the competition was dominated byQueen's Park who won the final 10 times in the first twenty years.[23]Vale of Leven,Dumbarton and Renton were also successful during this period.[4] In 1885, the record margin of victory in the tournament was recorded whenArbroath defeatedBon Accord36–0 in a first round match.[4][23] It was also the highest scoring professional football game recorded in history.
.jpg)
The Scottish Cup trophy is the oldest national trophy and also the oldest association football trophy in the world.[24][25] It was made bysilversmith Martin Hall & Co in London in 1873 and has been presented to the winners of the tournament since 1874.[25] The solidsilver trophy is 50 cm (1 ft 8 in) in height and weighs 2.25 kg (72 ozt).[23] The original trophy is displayed at theScottish Football Museum atHampden Park.[26] It is removed once each year to be cleaned and presented to the tournament winners.[27] After the presentation ceremony, the trophy is returned to the museum.[28] A replica of the original trophy is given to the tournament winners after the ceremony and is also used for promotional purposes.[26]
A total of 34 clubs have appeared in the final, of whom 25 have won the competition.[29] The most successful club in terms of wins and appearances in the final isCeltic, with 42 wins from 62.[30]Rangers andCeltic have finished runners-up on more occasions than any other club with 19 defeats in the final.[30] The most recent winner is Aberdeen, who defeatedCeltic in the2025 final.[30]
| Club | Wins | Last final won | Runners-up | Last final lost | Total final appearances[note 1][31] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | 42 | 2024 | 19 | 2025 | 62 |
| Rangers | 34 | 2022 | 19 | 2024 | 54 |
| Queen's Park | 10 | 1893 | 2 | 1900 | 12 |
| Aberdeen | 8 | 2025 | 9 | 2017 | 17 |
| Heart of Midlothian | 8 | 2012 | 9 | 2022 | 17 |
| Hibernian | 3 | 2016 | 12 | 2021 | 15 |
| Kilmarnock | 3 | 1997 | 5 | 1960 | 8 |
| Vale of Leven | 3 | 1879 | 4 | 1890 | 7 |
| St Mirren | 3 | 1987 | 3 | 1962 | 6 |
| Clyde | 3 | 1958 | 3 | 1949 | 6 |
| Dundee United | 2 | 2010 | 8 | 2014 | 10 |
| Motherwell | 2 | 1991 | 6 | 2018 | 8 |
| Third Lanark | 2 | 1905 | 4 | 1936 | 6 |
| Falkirk | 2 | 1957 | 3 | 2015 | 5 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 2 | 1968 | 3 | 2007 | 5 |
| Renton | 2 | 1888 | 3 | 1895 | 5 |
| St Johnstone | 2 | 2021 | — | — | 2 |
| Dumbarton | 1 | 1883 | 5 | 1897 | 6 |
| Dundee | 1 | 1910 | 4 | 2003 | 5 |
| Airdrieonians (1878) | 1 | 1924 | 3 | 1995 | 4 |
| East Fife | 1 | 1938 | 2 | 1950 | 3 |
| Greenock Morton | 1 | 1922 | 1 | 1948 | 2 |
| Partick Thistle | 1 | 1921 | 1 | 1930 | 2 |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 1 | 2015 | 1 | 2023 | 2 |
| St Bernard's | 1 | 1895 | — | — | 1 |
| Hamilton Academical | — | — | 2 | 1935 | 2 |
| Ross County | — | — | 1 | 2010 | 1 |
| Queen of the South | — | — | 1 | 2008 | 1 |
| Gretna | — | — | 1 | 2006 | 1 |
| Albion Rovers | — | — | 1 | 1920 | 1 |
| Raith Rovers | — | — | 1 | 1913 | 1 |
| Cambuslang | — | — | 1 | 1888 | 1 |
| Thornliebank | — | — | 1 | 1880 | 1 |
| Clydesdale | — | — | 1 | 1874 | 1 |
Clubs that win the Scottish Cup can complete a domestic "double" by becomingScottish league champions in the same season. Only three clubs have won both competitions in the same season.[32] Celtic have completed the domestic league and Scottish Cup double on 21 occasions, followed by Rangers on 18.[32] The only other Scottish club to achieve this feat was Aberdeen, in1983–84.[32] Since the creation of theScottish League Cup in 1947, clubs can complete a domestictreble by also winning this tournament in the same season. Celtic have achieved this feat on eight occasions, a world record achieved in 2023.[32] Celtic won four consecutive domestic trebles ("quadruple treble") in 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 and 2019–20. No team had previously won consecutive trebles.
Some clubs have become renowned for eliminating higher ranked clubs from the tournament despite being underdogs.Division Two clubEast Fife won the tournament in1938 by defeatingDivision One clubKilmarnock, the first team from outside the top-tier of league football to win the trophy. East Fife had previously reached the final in1927 after eliminating three higher ranked clubs in the preceding rounds.[33]Hibernian became the second tier-two side to win the cup as they defeatedRangers, who were also then in the second tier, in the2016 final. Only one other club from outside the top-tier of league football has won the competition;non-leagueQueen's Park defeatedCeltic in the1893 final.[note 2] Several other clubs have reached the final whilst competing outside the top tier of league football, but were defeated:Dumbarton, Kilmarnock,Airdrieonians,Falkirk (twice),Gretna,Queen of the South,Ross County,Heart of Midlothian andInverness Caledonian Thistle.
In the rounds before the final, some notable shocks have occurred. In 1959,Dundee were eliminated by Highland League clubFraserburgh despite havingScotland internationals in their squad.[34][35] A season later,Eyemouth United reached the quarter-finals after defeating two higher league clubs.[36] In 1967,Berwick Rangerseliminated defending champions Rangers in the first round.[37]
Celtic's shock defeat by First Division club Inverness Caledonian Thistle in2000 led to the famous[38] newspaper headline "Super Caley go ballistic, Celtic are atrocious".[38] In the2020–21 competition,Highland League clubBrora Rangers knocked outChampionship leaders Heart of Midlothian, who had been runners-up in each of the two previous seasons.[39] Cup holdersSt Johnstone were knocked out byLeague Two (fourth tier) clubKelty Hearts in2021–22.[40]
Drumchapel United of theWest of Scotland First Division, a seventh tier league in theScottish pyramid, defeatedLeague One side (third tier)Edinburgh in the2022–23 edition.[41] This was the biggest statistical cup shock in the history of the competition, with 62 places separating the teams in the leagues at the time.[41] Later in that season, West of Scotland Premier Division (sixth tier) sideDarvel knocked out Premiership clubAberdeen, with 56 places separating the two teams.[42][43]
In2025, Rangers were eliminated in the Fifth round by mid-table second tier Queen's Park after a 1–0 defeat atIbrox Stadium. It was the first time in Rangers' history that they lost a home tie to a lower division team, as well as the first time since 1967 that they had been eliminated by a lower division rival. Queen's Park had not defeated theirhistoric Glasgow rivals in any competition since 1948, and had not won a Scottish Cup meeting since 1882.[44][45][46]
Other results regarded as shocks includeStenhousemuir's win against Aberdeen in 1995,[34] andAlbion Rovers' defeat ofMotherwell in 2013.[47]
The Scottish Cup has beensponsored several times since the first organisation backed the tournament in 1983. The sponsor has been able to determine the name of the competition.[48] There have been five sponsors since 1983 as well as several name changes within the duration of each sponsorship. The competition relies on revenue earned from these agreements although it ran without a title sponsor for over 100 years until the late 1980s.[49]
| Period | Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1873–1982 | No sponsor | Scottish Cup |
| 1983–88 | Scottish Health Education Group | Scottish Cup[48][49] |
| 1988–89 | No sponsor | Scottish Cup |
| 1989–2007 | Tennent Caledonian Breweries | Tennent's Scottish Cup[50] |
| 2007–08 | No sponsor | Scottish Cup |
| 2008–10 | Scottish Government | Homecoming Scottish Cup in 2008–09[51] and the Active Nation Scottish Cup in 2009–10[52] |
| 2010–11 | No sponsor | Scottish Cup |
| 2011–20 | William Hill | William Hill Scottish Cup[53][54] |
| 2020–23 | No sponsor | Scottish Cup |
| 2023–present | Scottish Gas | Scottish Gas Men's Scottish Cup[5] |
The Scottish Health Education Group was the first organisation to sponsor the Scottish Cup in 1983 with the largest sponsorship package in Scottish football at the time, worth around £200,000.[55] The partnership was praised for the promotion of a healthy lifestyle linked with football.[49] The deal ended in 1989 whenTennent Caledonian Breweries won the sponsorship rights. Tennent's association with the tournament raised the debate about alcohol sponsorship within sports following the riots at the1980 Scottish Cup Final which resulted in the sale of alcohol being banned at Scottish sporting events.[49] Despite this controversy, the partnership was largely successful and lasted 18 years until 2007. The SFA received around £25 million over the duration of the sponsorship deal.[48] TheScottish Government in association with businessmanWillie Haughey sponsored the Scottish Cup between 2008 and 2010. The2008–09 competition was known as the Homecoming Scottish Cup to promote Scotland's year of homecoming and tourism.[51] The2009–10 competition was known the Active Nation Scottish Cup to promote a healthy living through football.[52]Carling was an additional sponsor between 2010 and 2014 as the competition's official beer.[56]
Scottish Cup matches are currently broadcast live by bothBBC Scotland in Scotland andPremier Sports across the rest of the United Kingdom.[57]
BBC Radio Scotland provide radio coverage including several full live commentaries with additional commentaries broadcast on Radio Scotland's local frequencies. Radio broadcasting rights are also held byBBC Radio nan Gàidheal andBBC Radio 5 Live also carry some games.
The Scottish FA sells overseas rights separately from their domestic contract. In Australia, the Scottish Cup is broadcast exclusively byNetwork 10,Paramount+.[58] In the United States, the tournament is broadcast byESPN.[59]
The Scottish Cup Final is one of several events reserved for live broadcast in Scotlandterrestrial television under theOfcom Code on Sports and Other Listed and Designated Events.[60][61]
