The Scottish Cup

The Scottish Cup is open to clubs across the Scottish football system, including the 42 SPFL clubs, Highland League and Lowland League clubs, and qualifying clubs from regional, junior and amateur routes. The exact entry list and round structure can vary by season, but the competition is designed to bring together professional clubs and smaller clubs from across the Scottish pyramid.

The competition uses a single-elimination knockout format throughout. In the current format, ties are decided on the day: if a match is level after 90 minutes, extra time is played and, if needed, the winner is decided by a penalty shoot-out. The semi-finals and final are staged as neutral-venue matches at Hampden Park.

The competition was first held in 1873-74, just two years after the inaugural FA Cup, making it the second-oldest competition in association football. The trophy itself, made by Glasgow gold and silversmiths George Edward & Sons in 1873, is the oldest trophy in association football. The original trophy is displayed at the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park, while the winners receive a replica to keep in their trophy cabinet.

The competition begins in August with preliminary rounds for many of the smallest clubs and qualifying entrants. Highland League and Lowland League clubs join at the first round. The 10 Scottish League Two clubs enter at the second round. League One and Championship clubs enter at the third round. The 12 Scottish Premiership clubs enter at the fourth round in January, when the competition usually attracts its widest national attention.

From that point, the field has been reduced through several knockout rounds and the possibility of a major upset becomes part of the appeal. The draw determines home advantage for ordinary ties, with the club drawn first treated as the home club unless a neutral venue or other exception applies. The semi-finals and final are played at Hampden Park as neutral-venue matches.

There are no ordinary replays in the current rules. Drawn matches in every round go to extra time and then penalties if the score is still level, which makes each tie a one-match knockout contest.

The competition begins in August with the preliminary rounds and normally ends with the final in May. In the 2025-26 format, the first round was scheduled for late September, with later rounds spread across the season: the Premiership clubs entered in the fourth round in January, followed by the fifth round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

The final is played at Hampden Park in Glasgow, the national stadium of Scottish football. The current Hampden opened in 1903 and has hosted Scottish Cup finals regularly since the early 20th century, with the final settling there as its main home from 1925 apart from occasional moves and redevelopment periods. The match is one of the highest-profile sporting fixtures in Scotland each year.

Eligibility is based on Scottish FA membership, club licensing and qualifying routes from affiliated competitions. The field includes the 42 SPFL clubs, Highland League and Lowland League clubs, and a wider group of clubs from leagues and competitions such as the East of Scotland, West of Scotland, South of Scotland, Midlands, North of Scotland and North Caledonian routes, plus junior and amateur cup routes. The exact number of entrants varies by season and is set out in the Scottish FA's competition format for that year.

The one-match knockout format gives smaller clubs realistic opportunities to create memorable results, especially when they are drawn at home against bigger opposition. Several notable giant-killing moments stand out in the competition's history. Berwick Rangers, then in the second tier, knocked out Rangers in the first round of the 1967 competition. Inverness Caledonian Thistle, then in the First Division, beat Celtic in 2000 in a result that produced the famous newspaper headline 'Super Caley go ballistic, Celtic are atrocious'. Highland League club Brora Rangers knocked out Championship leaders Hearts in the 2020-21 competition.

The Scottish Cup winner normally receives Scotland's domestic cup place in the next UEFA Europa League. The exact entry round depends on UEFA's access list and Scotland's coefficient position for that season, so it is safer to describe the prize as a Europa League place rather than guaranteeing direct entry to a particular stage.

If the cup winner has already qualified for European competition through the Scottish Premiership, the place is reallocated through the relevant domestic and UEFA access-list rules. In practice, this usually benefits the highest-placed Premiership club that has not already qualified for Europe.

That European prize gives the Scottish Cup extra importance beyond the trophy itself. Because Celtic and Rangers often qualify for Europe through the league, the cup can also open or reshape the European route for clubs outside the Old Firm.

The Scottish Cup was established by the Scottish Football Association soon after the association was formed in March 1873. Sixteen clubs entered the inaugural competition, played in 1873-74, with Queen's Park beating Clydesdale 2-0 in the final at the original Hampden Park in Glasgow. The trophy presented at that final is still the competition's historic silverware today, which gives the Scottish Cup a distinctive place in football history.

The competition has not been uninterrupted, with breaks during the World Wars, but it has remained one of Scotland's defining football events for more than 150 years. The 1909 final between Rangers and Celtic ended in controversy after a second drawn match and crowd disorder; the trophy was withheld that year and not awarded. Since then, the cup has continued to produce major moments, from East Fife's 1938 win to Hibernian's 2016 final, St Johnstone's cup-double season in 2020-21, Aberdeen's 2025 final win, Celtic's 2026 win, and the recurring giant-killing runs that make the competition part of Scottish football's annual rhythm.