2025–26 Scottish League Cup

The 2025–26 Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the 80th season of Scotland's second-most prestigious football knockout competition. Celtic are the defending champions.

2025–26 Scottish League Cup

Premier Sports Cup logo
Tournament details
Country	Scotland
Dates	11 July – 14 December 2025
Teams	45
Defending champions	Celtic
Tournament statistics
Matches played	80
Goals scored	268 (3.35 per match)
Attendance	116,383 (1,455 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)	John Robertson (6 goals)
← 2024–25 2026–27 → All statistics correct as of 27 July 2025.

Schedule

Round	First match date	Fixtures	Clubs
Group stage	12 July 2025[1]	80	45 → 16
Second round	16 August 2025[1]	8	16 → 80
Quarter-finals	20 September 2025[1]	4	8 → 4
Semi-finals	1 November 2025[1]	2	4 → 2
Final	14 December 2025[1]	1	2 → 1

Format

The competition begins with eight groups of five teams.^[2] In addition, the five clubs initially competing in the UEFA Champions League (Celtic and Rangers), Europa League (Aberdeen and Hibernian) and Conference League (Dundee United) receive a bye to the second round. The group stage consists of 40 teams:

• all remaining teams that competed across the SPFL in 2024–25,
• the 2024–25 Highland Football League champions (Brora Rangers) and runners-up (Brechin City), and
• the 2024–25 Lowland Football League champions (East Kilbride).^[2]

The winners of each of the eight groups, as well as the three best runners-up, progress to the second round, where they are joined by the five teams given byes (last 16; 8 + 3 + 5). At this stage, the competition reverts to the traditional knock-out format. The three group winners with the highest points total and the European entrants are seeded.

Bonus point system

Three points are awarded for a win and one point for a draw. In addition, in each group stage match that finishes in a draw, there is a penalty shoot-out, with the winner being awarded a bonus point.^[3]

Group stage

Main article: 2025–26 Scottish League Cup group stage

The teams were seeded according to their final league positions in 2024–25 and drawn into eight groups, with each group comprising one team from each pot. The draw for the group stage took place on 28 May 2025 and was broadcast live on the Premier Sports and SPFL YouTube channels.^[4]

Group A

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		FAL	COV	QPA	SPA	BRE
1	Falkirk	4	3	1	0	0	14	1	+13	11	Qualification for the second round		—	—	3–1	4–0	—
2	Cove Rangers	4	2	0	1	1	5	2	+3	7			0–0p	—	—	1–0	—
3	Queen's Park	4	2	0	0	2	9	6	+3	6			—	2–1	—	—	5–0
4	The Spartans	4	2	0	0	2	4	6	−2	6			—	—	2–1	—	2–0
5	Brechin City	4	0	0	0	4	0	17	−17	0			0–7	0–3	—	—	—

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

Group B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		PAR	ROS	STR	QOS	EDI
1	Partick Thistle	4	4	0	0	0	11	2	+9	12	Qualification for the second round		—	—	2–0	2–0	—
2	Ross County	4	2	0	1	1	11	4	+7	7			1–3	—	—	—	8–0
3	Stranraer	4	1	1	1	1	2	3	−1	6			—	p1–1	—	1–0	—
4	Queen of the South	4	1	0	0	3	4	4	0	3			—	0–1	—	—	4–0
5	Edinburgh City	4	0	1	0	3	1	16	−15	2			1–4	—	p0–0	—	—

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

Group C

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		ALL	AIR	DND	MON	BON
1	Alloa Athletic	4	4	0	0	0	7	3	+4	12	Qualification for the second round		—	—	1–0	2–1	—
2	Airdrieonians	4	3	0	0	1	8	4	+4	9			2–3	—	—	—	3–0
3	Dundee	4	2	0	0	2	8	3	+5	6			—	0–1	—	5–0	—
4	Montrose	4	1	0	0	3	6	10	−4	3			—	1–2	—	—	4–1
5	Bonnyrigg Rose	4	0	0	0	4	2	11	−9	0			0–1	—	1–3	—	—

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

Group D

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		STM	AYR	ARB	FOR	ANN
1	St Mirren	4	3	0	1	0	12	4	+8	10	Qualification for the second round		—	2–1	—	—	8–2
2	Ayr United	4	3	0	0	1	14	3	+11	9			—	—	4–0	3–0	—
3	Arbroath	4	1	1	0	2	6	5	+1	5			p0–0	—	—	—	6–0
4	Forfar Athletic	4	1	1	0	2	3	6	−3	5			1–2	—	1–0	—	—
5	Annan Athletic	4	0	0	1	3	4	21	−17	1			—	1–6	—	1–1p	—

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

Group E

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		HOM	DNF	DUM	HAM	STI
1	Heart of Midlothian	4	4	0	0	0	16	1	+15	12	Qualification for the second round		—	4–1	4–0	—	—
2	Dunfermline Athletic	4	3	0	0	1	9	5	+4	9			—	—	—	2–1	2–0
3	Dumbarton	4	2	0	0	2	2	8	−6	6			—	0–4	—	—	1–0
4	Hamilton Academical	4	1	0	0	3	3	7	−4	3			0–4	—	0–1	—	—
5	Stirling Albion	4	0	0	0	4	0	9	−9	0			0–4	—	—	0–2	—

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

Group F

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		STJ	RAI	ICT	EKB	ELG
1	St Johnstone	4	4	0	0	0	15	2	+13	12	Qualification for the second round		—	3–1	—	—	8–0
2	Raith Rovers	4	2	0	0	2	13	9	+4	6			—	—	5–1	2–4	—
3	Inverness Caledonian Thistle	4	2	0	0	2	9	8	+1	6			0–1	—	—	—	2–0
4	East Kilbride	4	2	0	0	2	11	12	−1	6			1–3	—	2–6	—	—
5	Elgin City	4	0	0	0	4	2	19	−17	0			—	1–5	—	1–4	—

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

Group G

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		MOT	GMO	CLY	STE	PET
1	Motherwell	4	3	1	0	0	8	3	+5	11	Qualification for the second round		—	3–0	—	—	2–1
2	Greenock Morton	4	3	0	0	1	10	5	+5	9			—	—	3–0	3–0	—
3	Clyde	4	1	1	1	1	6	8	−2	6			2–2p	—	—	p2–2	—
4	Stenhousemuir	4	1	0	1	2	3	6	−3	4			0–1	—	—	—	1–0
5	Peterhead	4	0	0	0	4	4	9	−5	0			—	2–4	1–2	—	—

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

Group H

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		KIL	LIV	EFI	KEL	BRO
1	Kilmarnock	4	3	0	1	0	7	0	+7	10	Qualification for the second round		—	1–0	4–0	—	—
2	Livingston	4	3	0	0	1	10	2	+8	9			—	—	—	6–0	2–0
3	East Fife	4	2	0	0	2	5	6	−1	6			—	1–2	—	—	3–0
4	Kelty Hearts	4	1	1	0	2	4	7	−3	5			p0–0	—	0–1	—	—
5	Brora Rangers	4	0	0	0	4	0	11	−11	0			0–2	—	—	0–4	—

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

Best runners-up

Pos	Grp	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	D	Ayr United	4	3	0	0	1	14	3	+11	9	Qualification for the second round
2	H	Livingston	4	3	0	0	1	10	2	+8	9
3	G	Greenock Morton	4	3	0	0	1	10	5	+5	9
4	E	Dunfermline Athletic	4	3	0	0	1	9	5	+4	9
5	C	Airdrieonians	4	3	0	0	1	8	4	+4	9
6	B	Ross County	4	2	0	1	1	11	4	+7	7
7	A	Cove Rangers	4	2	0	1	1	5	2	+3	7
8	F	Raith Rovers	4	2	0	0	2	13	9	+4	6

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

Knockout phase

Second round

Draw and seeding

Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibernian and Dundee United enter the competition at this stage, due to their participation in UEFA club competitions.^[2]

The draw for the second round was made following the St Mirren v Ayr United match on 27 July 2025, and broadcast live on Premier Sports 1.^[7]

Teams in bold advanced to the quarter-finals.

Seeded	Unseeded
Aberdeen Celtic Dundee United Heart of Midlothian Hibernian Partick Thistle Rangers St Johnstone	Alloa Athletic Ayr United Falkirk Greenock Morton Kilmarnock Livingston Motherwell St Mirren

Matches

Celtic v Falkirk

15 August 2025	Celtic	v	Falkirk	Glasgow
19:45				Stadium: Celtic Park

Greenock Morton v Aberdeen

16 August 2025	Greenock Morton	v	Aberdeen	Greenock
15:00				Stadium: Cappielow

Partick Thistle v Ayr United

16 August 2025	Partick Thistle	v	Ayr United	Glasgow
15:00				Stadium: Firhill Stadium

St Johnstone v Motherwell

16 August 2025	St Johnstone	v	Motherwell	Perth
15:00				Stadium: McDiarmid Park

St Mirren v Heart of Midlothian

16 August 2025	St Mirren	v	Heart of Midlothian	Paisley
15:00				Stadium: St Mirren Park

Rangers v Alloa Athletic

16 August 2025	Rangers	v	Alloa Athletic	Glasgow
17:45				Stadium: Ibrox Stadium

Kilmarnock v Dundee United

17 August 2025	Kilmarnock	v	Dundee United	Kilmarnock
15:00				Stadium: Rugby Park

Livingston v Hibernian

17 August 2025	Livingston	v	Hibernian	Livingston
15:00				Stadium: Almondvale Stadium

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.^[8] Premier Sports further announced they would stream up to 25 additional games from the group stage on their website. The broadcaster will also broadcast all games live from the second round onwards, either streamed or televised, subject to blackout rules.^[9]

The following matches will be broadcast live:

Round	Date	Match
Group stage	12 July 2025 (Matchday 1)	Arbroath v St Mirren (streamed) Brechin City v Falkirk (streamed) Brora Rangers v Kilmarnock (streamed) Clyde v Motherwell (streamed) Dundee v Airdrieonians (streamed) East Kilbride v St Johnstone (streamed) Heart of Midlothian v Dunfermline Athletic[10]
	15 July 2025 (Matchday 2)	Forfar Athletic v St Mirren (streamed) Hamilton Academical v Heart of Midlothian (streamed) Motherwell v Peterhead (streamed) Kilmarnock v Livingston (16 July 2025)[10]
	19 July 2025 (Matchday 3)	Alloa Athletic v Dundee (streamed) St Mirren v Annan Athletic (streamed) Inverness Caledonian Thistle v St Johnstone (streamed) Stenhousemuir v Motherwell (streamed) Livingston v Brora Rangers (streamed) Stirling Albion v Heart of Midlothian[10]
	22 July 2025 (Matchday 4)	Falkirk v Queen's Park (streamed) Kelty Hearts v Kilmarnock (streamed) Partick Thistle v Queen of the South (streamed) St Johnstone v Raith Rovers (streamed) Motherwell v Greenock Morton Heart of Midlothian v Dumbarton (23 July 2025) (streamed)[10]
	26 July 2025 (Matchday 5)	Dundee v Montrose (streamed) Falkirk v The Spartans (streamed) Kilmarnock v East Fife (streamed) Livingston v Kelty Hearts (streamed) Ross County v Partick Thistle (streamed) St Johnstone v Elgin City (streamed) St Mirren v Ayr United (27 July 2025)[10]
Second round	15 August 2025	Celtic v Falkirk[11]
	16 August 2025	Greenock Morton v Aberdeen (streamed) Partick Thistle v Ayr United (streamed) St Johnstone v Motherwell (streamed) St Mirren v Heart of Midlothian (streamed) Rangers v Alloa Athletic[11]
	17 August 2025	Kilmarnock v Dundee United (streamed) Livingston v Hibernian (streamed)