# 2024–25 Scottish League Cup

The 2024–25 Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 79th season of Scotland's second-most prestigious football knockout competition. Rangers were the defending champions, but they lost 4–5 on penalties to Celtic in the final.

## Schedule

| Round | First match date | Fixtures | Clubs |
| Group stage | 13 July 2024 | 80 | 45 → 16 |
| Second round | 17 August 2024 | 8 | 16 → 80 |
| Quarter-finals | 21 September 2024 | 4 | 8 → 4 |
| Semi-finals | 2 November 2024 | 2 | 4 → 2 |
| Final | 15 December 2024 | 1 | 2 → 1 |

## Format

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 Kilmarnock) and Conference League (St Mirren) received a bye to the second round. The group stage consists of 40 teams: all remaining teams that competed across the SPFL in 2023–24, the 2023–24 Highland Football League champions (Buckie Thistle) and runners-up (Brechin City), and the 2023–24 Lowland Football League champions (East Kilbride).
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. In addition, for each group stage match that finishes in a draw, a penalty shoot-out took place, with the winner being awarded a bonus point.

## Group stage

The teams were seeded according to their final league positions in 2023–24 and drawn into eight groups, with each group comprising one team from each pot. The draw for the group stage took place on 29 May 2024 and was broadcast live on the Premier Sports and SPFL YouTube channels.

### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ABE | AIR | QOS | EKB | DUM |
| 1 | Aberdeen | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | +14 | 12 | Qualification for the second round | — | 2–1 | — | — | 6–0 |
| 2 | Airdrieonians | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 9 | Qualification for the second round | — | — | 2–0 | 8–0 | — |
| 3 | Queen of the South | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 | 6 | | 0–3 | — | — | — | 2–0 |
| 4 | East Kilbride | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 16 | −14 | 2 | | 0–4 | — | 1–3 | — | — |
| 5 | Dumbarton | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 1 | | — | 3–4 | — | 1–1p | — |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FAL | DUN | AYR | STE | BUC |
| 1 | Falkirk | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 9 | Qualification for the second round | — | 2–0 | — | 4–0 | — |
| 2 | Dundee United | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 9 | Qualification for the second round | — | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | — |
| 3 | Ayr United | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 9 | | 1–0 | — | — | — | 3–2 |
| 4 | Stenhousemuir | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 3 | | — | — | 1–4 | — | 4–0 |
| 5 | Buckie Thistle | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 17 | −12 | 0 | | 1–5 | 2–5 | — | — | — |

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | HIB | QPA | PET | KEL | ELG |
| 1 | Hibernian | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 9 | Qualification for the second round | — | 5–1 | 4–0 | — | — |
| 2 | Queen's Park | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 5 | +11 | 9 | Qualification for the second round | — | — | — | 6–0 | 4–0 |
| 3 | Peterhead | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 6 | | — | 0–5 | — | — | 4–2 |
| 4 | Kelty Hearts | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 4 | | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | — | — |
| 5 | Elgin City | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | −11 | 2 | | 0–5 | — | — | p1–1 | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | DND | ANN | ARB | ICT | BON |
| 1 | Dundee | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | +16 | 12 | Qualification for the second round | — | 3–1 | — | 6–0 | — |
| 2 | Annan Athletic | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 | | — | — | — | 1–0 | 2–2p |
| 3 | Arbroath | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 5 | | 0–2 | 0–3 | — | — | — |
| 4 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 4 | | — | — | 0–0p | — | 3–0 |
| 5 | Bonnyrigg Rose | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 2 | | 1–7 | — | 0–1 | — | — |

### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SPA | LIV | FOR | DNF | COV |
| 1 | The Spartans | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 9 | Qualification for the second round | — | — | 1–0 | 0–3 | — |
| 2 | Livingston | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 9 | | 0–1 | — | — | 1–0 | — |
| 3 | Forfar Athletic | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 6 | | — | 0–2 | — | — | 3–0 |
| 4 | Dunfermline Athletic | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | | — | — | 0–2 | — | 1–2 |
| 5 | Cove Rangers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 3 | | 0–5 | 0–2 | — | — | — |
* ↑ Forfar Athletic were awarded a technical 3−0 win over Cove, who fielded an ineligible player. The match had originally finished 1–1, with Forfar securing the bonus point following a 3–1 win on penalties.

### Group F

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | STJ | ALL | EFI | GMO | BRE |
| 1 | St Johnstone | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 9 | Qualification for the second round | — | — | 5–1 | 2–0 | — |
| 2 | Alloa Athletic | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 8 | | 3–2 | — | p0–0 | — | — |
| 3 | East Fife | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 7 | | — | — | — | 3–0 | 4–0 |
| 4 | Greenock Morton | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 6 | | — | 2–1 | — | — | 1–0 |
| 5 | Brechin City | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 | | 1–2 | 1–3 | — | — | — |

### Group G

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MOT | PAR | MON | CLY | EDI |
| 1 | Motherwell | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 | Qualification for the second round | — | 0–0p | — | — | 3–0 |
| 2 | Partick Thistle | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 8 | | — | — | 3–2 | 2–3 | — |
| 3 | Montrose | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | | 1–1p | — | — | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Clyde | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 6 | | 1–3 | — | 0–1 | — | — |
| 5 | Edinburgh City | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 16 | −15 | 0 | | — | 0–6 | — | 0–5 | — |

### Group H

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ROS | RAI | HAM | STI | STR |
| 1 | Ross County | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 12 | Qualification for the second round | — | 2–1 | — | 3–0 | — |
| 2 | Raith Rovers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 8 | | — | — | p1–1 | — | 2–1 |
| 3 | Hamilton Academical | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | | 1–2 | — | — | 0–0p | — |
| 4 | Stirling Albion | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 4 | | — | 0–3 | — | — | p2–2 |
| 5 | Stranraer | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 1 | | 1–3 | — | 0–3 | — | — |

### Best runners-up

| Pos | Grp | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | C | Queen's Park | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 5 | +11 | 9 | Qualification for the second round |
| 2 | A | Airdrieonians | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 9 | Qualification for the second round |
| 3 | B | Dundee United | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 9 | Qualification for the second round |
| 4 | E | Livingston | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 9 | |
| 5 | G | Partick Thistle | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 8 | |
| 6 | H | Raith Rovers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 8 | |
| 7 | F | Alloa Athletic | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 8 | |
| 8 | D | Annan Athletic | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 | |

## Knockout phase
### Second round
#### Draw and seeding

Celtic, Rangers, Heart of Midlothian, Kilmarnock and St Mirren entered the competition at this stage, due to their participation in UEFA club competitions.
Teams in bold advanced to the quarter-finals.
| Seeded | Unseeded |
| Aberdeen Celtic Dundee Heart of Midlothian Kilmarnock Rangers Ross County St Mirren | Airdrieonians Dundee United Falkirk Hibernian Motherwell Queen's Park St Johnstone The Spartans |

#### Matches
### Draw

The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 18 August 2024 following the Celtic v Hibernian match live on Premier Sports 1.
Teams in bold advanced to the semi-finals.
| Premiership | Championship | League Two |
| Aberdeen Celtic Dundee Dundee United Motherwell Rangers | Falkirk | The Spartans |

#### Matches
### Draw

The draw for the semi-finals took place on 22 September 2024 following the Celtic v Falkirk match live on Premier Sports 1.
Teams in bold advanced to the final.
* Aberdeen
* Celtic
* Motherwell
* Rangers

#### Matches
### Final
## 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. 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.
The following matches will be broadcast live:
| Round | Date | Match |
| Group stage | 13 July 2024 (Matchday 1) | Falkirk v Dundee United (streamed) Elgin City v Hibernian (streamed) Bonnyrigg Rose v Dundee (streamed) Brechin City v St. Johnstone (streamed) Motherwell v Edinburgh City (streamed) Stranraer v Ross County (streamed) Queen of the South v Aberdeen |
| Group stage | 16 July 2024 (Matchday 2) | Dundee United v Stenhousemuir (streamed) Arbroath v Dundee (streamed) Dunfermline Athletic v Forfar Athletic (streamed) Montrose v Motherwell (streamed) Hibernian v Queen's Park |
| Group stage | 20 July 2024 (Matchday 3) | East Kilbride v Aberdeen (streamed) Kelty Hearts v Hibernian (streamed) St. Johnstone v Greenock Morton (streamed) Clyde v Motherwell (streamed) Ross County v Raith Rovers (streamed) Dundee United v Ayr United |
| Group stage | 23 July 2024 (Matchday 4) | Buckie Thistle v Dundee United (streamed) Dundee v Annan Athletic (streamed) Alloa Athletic v St. Johnstone (streamed) Hamilton Academical v Ross County (streamed) Partick Thistle v Clyde (streamed) Aberdeen v Airdrieonians |
| Group stage | 27 July 2024 (Matchday 5) | Aberdeen v Dumbarton (streamed) Hibernian v Peterhead (streamed) Dundee v Inverness CT (streamed) St. Johnstone v East Fife (streamed) Ross County v Stirling Albion (streamed) |
| Group stage | 28 July 2024 (Matchday 5) | Motherwell v Partick Thistle |
| Second Round | 17 August 2024 | Aberdeen v Queen's Park (streamed) Falkirk v Heart of Midlothian (streamed) Dundee v Airdrieonians (streamed) The Spartans v Ross County (streamed) Rangers v St. Johnstone |
| Second Round | 18 August 2024 | Dundee United v St. Mirren (streamed) Motherwell v Kilmarnock (streamed) Celtic v Hibernian |
| Quarter-Finals | 20 September 2024 | Motherwell v Dundee United (streamed) |
| Quarter-Finals | 21 September 2024 | Aberdeen v The Spartans (streamed) Rangers v Dundee |
| Quarter-Finals | 22 September 2024 | Celtic v Falkirk |
| Semi-Finals | 2 November 2024 | Celtic v Aberdeen |
| Semi-Finals | 3 November 2024 | Motherwell v Rangers |
| Final | 15 December 2024 | Celtic v Rangers |