2022–23 Scottish League Cup

The 2022–23 Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup (until the semi-finals)/ Viaplay Cup (final) for sponsorship reasons, was the 77th season of Scotland's second-most prestigious football knockout competition. Celtic were the defending champions. They retained the title to win the competition for a 21st time.^[1]

2022–23 Scottish League Cup

Premier Sports Cup logo
Tournament details
Country	Scotland
Dates	9 July 2022 – 26 February 2023
Teams	45
Defending champions	Celtic
Final positions
Champions	Celtic (21st title)
Runners-up	Rangers
Tournament statistics
Matches played	95
Goals scored	296 (3.12 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	5 players (4 goals)
← 2021–22 2023–24 →

Schedule

Round	First match date	Fixtures	Clubs
Group stage	9 July 2022[2]	80	45 → 16
Second round	30 August 2022[2]	8	16 → 80
Quarter finals	18 October 2022[2]	4	8 → 4
Semi finals	14 January 2023[2]	2	4 → 2
Final	26 February 2023[2]	1	2 → 1

Format

The format for the 2022–23 competition was similar to the previous six seasons; however, this season the group stage was not regionalised.^[2] The competition began with eight groups of five teams. The five clubs initially competing in the UEFA Champions League (Celtic and Rangers), Europa League (Heart of Midlothian) and Europa Conference League (Dundee United and Motherwell) qualifying rounds received a bye to the second round. The group stage consisted of 40 teams: all remaining teams that competed across the SPFL in 2021–22, and the 2021–22 Highland Football League champions (Fraserburgh) and runners-up (Buckie Thistle), and the 2021–22 Lowland Football League champions (Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic).^[2]

The winners of each of the eight groups, as well as the three best runners-up, progressed to the second round (last 16). At this stage, the competition reverted to the traditional knock-out format. The three group winners with the highest points total and the European entrants were seeded.

Bonus point system

The traditional point system of awarding three points for a win and one point for a draw was used; however, for each group stage match that finished in a draw, a penalty shoot-out took place, with the winner being awarded a bonus point.^[3]

Group stage

Main article: 2022–23 Scottish League Cup group stage

The teams were seeded according to their final league positions in 2021–22 and drawn into eight groups, with each group comprising one team from each pot. The draw for the group stage took place on 25 May 2022 and was broadcast live on FreeSports & the SPFL YouTube channel.^[2]

Group A

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		ABE	STI	RAI	DUM	PET
1	Aberdeen	4	4	0	0	0	12	0	+12	12	Qualification for the second round		—	—	3–0	2–0	—
2	Stirling Albion	4	2	1	0	1	6	7	−1	8			0–5	—	—	—	3–0
3	Raith Rovers	4	1	1	1	1	7	4	+3	6			—	1–1p	—	—	6–0
4	Dumbarton	4	1	0	1	2	3	4	−1	4			—	1–2	0–0p	—	—
5	Peterhead	4	0	0	0	4	0	13	−13	0			0–2	—	—	0–2	—

Source: ^[4]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.^[5]

Group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		PAR	KIL	STE	MON	FRA
1	Partick Thistle	4	3	1	0	0	9	4	+5	11	Qualification for the second round		—	—	—	4–2	2–0
2	Kilmarnock	4	3	0	1	0	11	3	+8	10			1–1p	—	4–1	—	—
3	Stenhousemuir	4	2	0	0	2	7	6	+1	6			1–2	—	—	—	3–0
4	Montrose	4	1	0	0	3	6	11	−5	3			—	0–3	0–2	—	—
5	Fraserburgh	4	0	0	0	4	3	12	−9	0			—	1–3	—	2–4	—

Source: ^[6]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.^[5]

Group C

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		ROS	DNF	ALL	EFI	BUC
1	Ross County	4	3	1	0	0	11	1	+10	11	Qualification for the second round		—	1–0	—	7–0	—
2	Dunfermline Athletic	4	2	0	1	1	8	2	+6	7			—	—	1–1p	—	5–0
3	Alloa Athletic	4	1	2	0	1	6	5	+1	7			0–2	—	—	p1–1	—
4	East Fife	4	1	0	1	2	4	12	−8	4			—	0–2	—	—	3–2
5	Buckie Thistle	4	0	0	1	3	4	13	−9	1			1–1p	—	1–4	—	—

Source: ^[7]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.^[5]

Group D

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		FAL	GMO	HIB	BON	CLY
1	Falkirk	4	2	2	0	0	3	1	+2	10	Qualification for the second round		—	—	1–0	—	1–0
2	Greenock Morton	4	2	0	1	1	6	3	+3	7			0–0p	—	—	3–1	—
3	Hibernian	4	2	0	0	2	9	5	+4	6			—	0–3[a]	—	—	5–0
4	Bonnyrigg Rose	4	1	0	1	2	5	9	−4	4			1–1p	—	1–4	—	—
5	Clyde	4	1	0	0	3	3	8	−5	3			—	2–0	—	1–2	—

Source: ^[9]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.^[5]
Notes:

1. Greenock Morton were awarded a technical 3−0 win over Hibernian, who fielded an ineligible player. The match had originally finished 1–1, with Greenock Morton securing the bonus point following a 3–1 win on penalties.^[8]

Group E

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		ARB	AIR	STM	EDI	COW
1	Arbroath	4	4	0	0	0	10	1	+9	12	Qualification for the second round		—	3–0	—	—	3–0
2	Airdrieonians	4	2	0	1	1	6	4	+2	7			—	—	2–0	1–1p	—
3	St Mirren	4	2	0	0	2	5	4	+1	6			0–1	—	—	3–1	—
4	Edinburgh	4	1	1	0	2	6	7	−1	5			1–3	—	—	—	3–0
5	Cowdenbeath	4	0	0	0	4	0	11	−11	0			—	0–3	0–2	—	—

Source: ^[10]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.^[5]

Group F

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		ANN	QOS	STJ	AYR	ELG
1	Annan Athletic	4	2	2	0	0	8	3	+5	10	Qualification for the second round		—	—	—	p1–1	4–0
2	Queen of the South	4	2	1	0	1	9	5	+4	8			2–3	—	p2–2	—	—
3	St Johnstone	4	2	0	2	0	7	4	+3	8			0–0p	—	—	1–0	—
4	Ayr United	4	1	0	1	2	4	5	−1	4			—	0–3	—	—	3–0[a]
5	Elgin City	4	0	0	0	4	2	13	−11	0			—	0–2	2–4	—	—

Source: ^[12]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.^[5]
Notes:

1. Ayr United were awarded a technical 3−0 win over Elgin City, who fielded an ineligible player. The match had originally finished 0–0, with Ayr United securing the bonus point following a 4–3 win on penalties.^[11]

Group G

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		ICT	LIV	COV	ALB	KEL
1	Inverness Caledonian Thistle	4	3	1	0	0	8	2	+6	11	Qualification for the second round		—	—	p1–1	4–0	—
2	Livingston	4	3	0	0	1	8	5	+3	9			1–2	—	—	—	2–0
3	Cove Rangers	4	1	0	1	2	6	7	−1	4			—	1–2	—	—	2–3
4	Albion Rovers	4	1	0	0	3	5	9	−4	3			—	2–3	1–2	—	—
5	Kelty Hearts	4	1	0	0	3	3	7	−4	3			0–1	—	—	0–2	—

Source: ^[13]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.^[5]

Group H

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		DND	HAM	QPA	FOR	STR
1	Dundee	4	4	0	0	0	13	2	+11	12	Qualification for the second round		—	3–0	—	5–1	—
2	Hamilton Academical	4	2	1	0	1	9	6	+3	8			—	—	p1–1	—	5–2
3	Queen's Park	4	2	0	1	1	11	6	+5	7			1–2	—	—	4–1	—
4	Forfar Athletic	4	1	0	0	3	5	12	−7	3			—	0–3	—	—	3–0[a]
5	Stranraer	4	0	0	0	4	4	16	−12	0			0–3	—	2–5	—	—

Source: ^[14]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.^[5]
Notes:

1. Forfar Athletic were awarded a technical 3−0 win over Stranraer, who fielded an ineligible player. The match had originally finished 2–2, with Forfar Athletic securing the bonus point following a 5–3 win on penalties.^[8]

Best runners-up

Pos	Grp	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	B	Kilmarnock	4	3	0	1	0	11	3	+8	10	Qualification for the second round
2	G	Livingston	4	3	0	0	1	8	5	+3	9
3	F	Queen of the South	4	2	1	0	1	9	5	+4	8
4	H	Hamilton Academical	4	2	1	0	1	9	6	+3	8
5	A	Stirling Albion	4	2	1	0	1	6	7	−1	8
6	C	Dunfermline Athletic	4	2	0	1	1	8	2	+6	7
7	D	Greenock Morton	4	2	0	1	1	6	3	+3	7
8	E	Airdrieonians	4	2	0	1	1	6	4	+2	7

Source: ^[15]
Rules for classification: 1) goal difference, 2) goals scored, 3) away goals scored, 4) matches won, 5) away matches won, 6) drawing of lots.^[5]

Knockout phase

Second round

Draw and seeding

Celtic, Dundee United, Heart of Midlothian, Motherwell and Rangers entered the competition at this stage, due to their participation in UEFA club competitions.^[2]

The draw took place on 24 July 2022, following the Aberdeen v Raith Rovers match.^[16]

Teams in bold advanced to the quarter-finals.

Seeded	Unseeded
Aberdeen Arbroath† Celtic Dundee† Dundee United Heart of Midlothian Motherwell Rangers	Annan Athletic** Falkirk* Inverness Caledonian Thistle† Kilmarnock Livingston Partick Thistle† Queen of the South* Ross County

Notes

• † denotes teams playing in the Championship.
• * denotes team playing in League One.
• ** denotes team playing in League Two.

Matches

Annan Athletic v Aberdeen

30 August 2022	Annan Athletic	1–4 (a.e.t.)	Aberdeen	Annan
19:45	Swinglehurst 81'	[17]	Besuijen 55', 105' Duk 97' Clarkson 117'	Stadium: Galabank Attendance: 1,538 Referee: Steven McLean

Dundee v Falkirk

30 August 2022	Dundee	3–0	Falkirk	Dundee
19:45	Cameron 55' Ashcroft 80' Robinson 90' (pen.)	[18]		Stadium: Dens Park Attendance: 3,195 Referee: Colin Steven

Partick Thistle v Arbroath

30 August 2022	Partick Thistle	1–0	Arbroath	Glasgow
19:45	Fitzpatrick 83'	[19]		Stadium: Firhill Stadium Attendance: 1,960 Referee: John Beaton

Rangers v Queen of the South

30 August 2022	Rangers	3–1	Queen of the South	Glasgow
19:45	Ure 10' Arfield 24', 86'	[20]	Connelly 17'	Stadium: Ibrox Stadium Attendance: 30,569 Referee: David Dickinson

Heart of Midlothian v Kilmarnock

31 August 2022	Heart of Midlothian	0–1	Kilmarnock	Edinburgh
19:45		[21]	Cameron 21'	Stadium: Tynecastle Park Attendance: 11,071 Referee: Don Robertson

Livingston v Dundee United

31 August 2022	Livingston	1–2	Dundee United	Livingston
19:45	Guthrie 78'	[22]	Fletcher 15' Harkes 34'	Stadium: Almondvale Stadium Attendance: 1,497 Referee: David Munro

Motherwell v Inverness Caledonian Thistle

31 August 2022	Motherwell	4–0	Inverness Caledonian Thistle	Motherwell
19:45	Van Veen 9', 38' (pen.), 67' (pen.) Devine 26' (o.g.)	[23]		Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 3,982 Referee: Kevin Clancy

Ross County v Celtic

31 August 2022	Ross County	1–4	Celtic	Dingwall
19:45	Iacovitti 68'	[24]	McGregor 21' Giakoumakis 25' Maeda 73' Forrest 90'	Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 4,801 Referee: Willie Collum

Quarter-finals

The draw took place on 31 August 2022, following the Ross County v Celtic match.^[25]

Matches

Kilmarnock v Dundee United

18 October 2022	Kilmarnock	2–1	Dundee United	Kilmarnock
19:45	Lafferty 8' (pen.) Armstrong 73'	[26]	Middleton 10'	Stadium: Rugby Park Attendance: 5,144 Referee: Kevin Clancy

Motherwell v Celtic

19 October 2022	Motherwell	0–4	Celtic	Motherwell
18:15		[27]	Abada 44', 56' Hatate 60' Furuhashi 76'	Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 8,370 Referee: Don Robertson

Aberdeen v Partick Thistle

19 October 2022	Aberdeen	4–1	Partick Thistle	Aberdeen
19:45	Duk 16' Holt 31' (o.g.) Coulson 35' Duncan 85'	[28]	Brownlie 53'	Stadium: Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 9,323 Referee: David Munro

Rangers v Dundee

19 October 2022	Rangers	1–0	Dundee	Glasgow
20:15	Davis 10'	[29]		Stadium: Ibrox Stadium Attendance: 37,107 Referee: Willie Collum

Semi-finals

The draw took place on 19 October 2022, following the Rangers v Dundee match.^[30] VAR was used for the first time in the tournament when it was introduced at the semi-final stage.^[31]

Matches

Celtic v Kilmarnock

14 January 2023	Celtic	2–0	Kilmarnock	Glasgow
17:30	Maeda 18' Giakoumakis 90+5'	[32]		Stadium: Hampden Park Attendance: 45,787 Referee: Willie Collum

Rangers v Aberdeen

15 January 2023	Rangers	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Aberdeen	Glasgow
15:00	Jack 61' Roofe 94'	[33]	Miovski 41'	Stadium: Hampden Park Attendance: 47,562 Referee: Nick Walsh

Final

Main article: 2023 Scottish League Cup final (February)

26 February 2023

15:00

Rangers	1–2	Celtic
Morelos 64'	Report	Furuhashi 44', 56'

Hampden Park, Glasgow

Attendance: 49,529

Referee: Nick Walsh

Media coverage

The domestic broadcasting rights for the competition are held exclusively by Premier Sports, who will broadcast between 12 and 16 live matches per season, as well as highlights.^[34]

The following matches were broadcast live on UK television:

Round	Date	Match
Group stage	10 July 2022	Peterhead v Aberdeen[35]
	12 July 2022	Falkirk v Hibernian[35]
	13 July 2022	Kilmarnock v Partick Thistle[35]
	17 July 2022	Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic v Hibernian[35]
	19 July 2022	Airdrieonians v St Mirren[35]
	24 July 2022	Aberdeen v Raith Rovers[35]
Second round	30 August 2022	Rangers v Queen of the South[36]
	31 August 2022	Ross County v Celtic[36]
Quarter-finals	18 October 2022	Kilmarnock v Dundee United[37]
	19 October 2022	Motherwell v Celtic[37]
		Rangers v Dundee[37]
Semi-finals	14 January 2023	Celtic v Kilmarnock[38]
	15 January 2023	Rangers v Aberdeen[38]
Final	26 February 2023	Rangers v Celtic[39]

Top goalscorers

Rank[40]	Player	Club	Goals
1	Vicente Besuijen	Aberdeen	4
	Conor Sammon	Alloa Athletic
	Alex Jakubiak	Dundee
	Oli Shaw	Kilmarnock
	Jonah Ayunga	St Mirren
6	21 players		3