The 2022–23 Scottish Cup was the 138th season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition.
The defending champions, Rangers, who beat Heart of Midlothian in the 2022 Scottish Cup final, were defeated by Celtic in the semi-finals. VAR was used for the first time in the tournament.Only games including Premiership clubs will feature VAR (excluding games held at Hampden). But some Premiership clubs have chosen not to use VAR as a result of the added cost.
Celtic lifted the trophy for the record-extending 41st time after defeating Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3–1 in the final to complete a domestic treble.
Calendar The calendar for the 2022–23 Scottish Cup was announced by the Scottish Football Association on 29 July 2022. Starting this season, replays were abolished after the preliminary round. From the first round, matches tied after 90 minutes will go to extra time, and if still tied, to penalty kicks. RoundOriginal dateNumber of fixturesClubsNew EntriesLeagues entering at this roundPreliminary round27 August 2022 24 126 → 1025046 licensed clubs and 4 qualifiersFirst round17 September 202230102 → 723418 Highland League teams 16 Lowland League teamsSecond round22 October 20222072 → 521010 League Two teamsThird round26 November 20222052 → 322010 Championship teams10 League One teamsFourth round21 January 20231632 → 161212 Premiership teamsFifth round11 February 2023816 → 8NoneQuarter-finals11 March 202348 → 4NoneSemi-finals29 & 30 April 202324 → 2NoneFinal3 June 202312 → 1None
Preliminary round The preliminary round took place on the weekend of 27 August 2022. In total, 50 clubs entered the competition at this stage. They were drawn into 24 ties, with two clubs receiving a bye to the first round.
Benburb, Bonnyton Thistle, Kilwinning Rangers, Rutherglen Glencairn, St Andrews United, Syngenta, and Tayport took part for the first time, along with Lochee United and Pollok who were qualifiers in previous seasons, having each gained their Club Licence.
Carnoustie Panmure (Midlands League champions), Drumchapel United (East, South and West of Scotland Cup-Winners Shield winners), Invergordon (North Caledonian League champions), and Tower Hearts (Amateur Cup winners) also qualified to take part in the competition for the first time.
Draw The draw for the preliminary round was made on 2 August 2022. Two clubs, except the four qualifiers (Carnoustie Panmure, Drumchapel United, Invergordon, or Tower Hearts), were eligible to receive a bye to the first round. Teams in bold advanced to the first round. East of Scotland LeagueWest of Scotland LeagueOthersPremier Division Blackburn United Broxburn Athletic Dundonald Bluebell Haddington Athletic Hill of Beath Hawthorn Jeanfield Swifts Linlithgow Rose Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale Musselburgh Athletic Penicuik Athletic Sauchie Juniors Tynecastle Vale of Leithen First Division Burntisland Shipyard Camelon Juniors Coldstream Dunbar United Dunipace Newtongrange Star Preston Athletic Whitehill Welfare Second Division Dalkeith Thistle Easthouses Lily Miners Welfare Hawick Royal Albert St Andrews United SyngentaPremier Division Auchinleck Talbot Clydebank Cumnock Juniors Darvel Irvine Meadow Kilwinning Rangers Pollok First Division Benburb Bonnyton Thistle Drumchapel United Rutherglen Glencairn Second Division Glasgow University Third Division Girvan Fourth Division Threave RoversCentral Scottish Amateur League Tower Hearts Midlands League Carnoustie Panmure Lochee United Tayport North Caledonian League Fort William Golspie Sutherland Invergordon South of Scotland League Newton Stewart St Cuthbert Wanderers Wigtown & Bladnoch
Jeanfield Swifts and Tynecastle received a bye to the first round.
Matches
Replays
First round The first round took place on the weekend of 17 September 2022. Along with the 26 teams advancing from the preliminary round, there were 34 new entries at this stage - 18 from the Highland Football League and 16 from the Lowland Football League. The draw for the first round was made on 29 August 2022 at 15:00.
Teams in bold advanced to the second round.
Highland LeagueLowland LeagueEast of Scotland LeagueWest of Scotland LeagueOtherBanks O' Dee Brechin City Brora Rangers Buckie Thistle Clachnacuddin Deveronvale Formartine United Forres Mechanics Fraserburgh Huntly Inverurie Loco Works Keith Lossiemouth Nairn County Rothes Strathspey Thistle Turriff United Wick AcademyBerwick Rangers Bo'ness United Broomhill Caledonian Braves Civil Service Strollers Cowdenbeath Cumbernauld Colts Dalbeattie Star East Kilbride East Stirlingshire Edinburgh University Gala Fairydean Rovers Gretna 2008 The Spartans Tranent Juniors University of StirlingPremier Division Broxburn Athletic Dundonald Bluebell Hill of Beath Hawthorn Jeanfield Swifts Linlithgow Rose Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale Musselburgh Athletic Sauchie Juniors Tynecastle First Division Camelon Juniors Dunbar United Dunipace Newtongrange Star Second Division SyngentaPremier Division Auchinleck Talbot Clydebank Cumnock Juniors Darvel Kilwinning Rangers Pollok First Division Benburb Drumchapel United Second Division Glasgow UniversityMidlands League Carnoustie Panmure Lochee United South of Scotland League Newton Stewart
Pollok's match against Huntly on 16 September 2022 was originally to be aired on BBC Scotland but the broadcaster pulled out citing an "exceptional demand" on their resources following the death of Elizabeth II.
Matches
Notes
Second round The second round took place on the weekend of 22 October 2022. Along with the 30 winners from the first round, there were 10 new entries at this stage - all from League Two. The draw for the second round was made on 18 September 2022 at 18:00, live on the Scottish Cup YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
Teams in bold advanced to the third round.
League TwoHighland LeagueLowland LeagueEast of Scotland LeagueWest of Scotland LeagueOtherAlbion Rovers Annan Athletic Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic Dumbarton East Fife Elgin City Forfar Athletic Stenhousemuir Stirling Albion StranraerBrechin City Buckie Thistle Formartine United Fraserburgh Turriff United Wick AcademyBo'ness United Broomhill Caledonian Braves Dalbeattie Star East Kilbride Gretna 2008 The Spartans University of StirlingPremier Division Hill of Beath Hawthorn Linlithgow Rose Sauchie Juniors First Division Camelon Juniors Dunbar United Dunipace Newtongrange StarPremier Division Auchinleck Talbot Cumnock Juniors Darvel Kilwinning Rangers Pollok First Division Benburb Drumchapel United Second Division Glasgow UniversityMidlands League Carnoustie Panmure
Matches
Third round The third round took place on the weekend of 26 November 2022. Along with the 20 winners from the second round, there were 20 new entries at this stage - all from League One and the Championship. The draw for the third round was made on 24 October 2022 at 16:00, live on the Scottish Cup YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
Teams in Italics were unknown at the time of the draw. Teams in bold advanced to the fourth round.
Dunipace were drawn against Championship club Cove Rangers (65 places above them), representing the biggest league position gap between two teams in the competition's history since the pyramid system was introduced. Drumchapel United's win over FC Edinburgh from League One (61 places above them) was also a record for the biggest league position gap for a lower ranked winning club.
+ChampionshipLeague OneLeague TwoTier 5OtherArbroath Ayr United Cove Rangers Dundee Greenock Morton Hamilton Academical Inverness Caledonian Thistle Partick Thistle Queen's Park Raith RoversAirdrieonians Alloa Athletic Clyde Dunfermline Athletic Edinburgh Falkirk Kelty Hearts Montrose Peterhead Queen of the SouthAlbion Rovers Dumbarton Elgin City Forfar Athletic Stenhousemuir Stirling AlbionHighland League Formartine United Fraserburgh Wick Academy Lowland League Broomhill East Kilbride University of StirlingEast of Scotland League Premier Division Hill of Beath Hawthorn Linlithgow Rose Sauchie Juniors West of Scotland League Premier Division Auchinleck Talbot Darvel Pollok East of Scotland League First Division Dunipace West of Scotland League First Division Drumchapel United
Matches
Fourth round The fourth round took place on the weekend of 21 January 2023. Along with the 20 winners from the third round, there are 12 new entries at this stage - all from the Premiership. The draw for the fourth round was made on 28 November 2022 following the Ayr United v Pollok match, live on BBC Scotland.
Teams in bold advanced to the fifth round. Queen's Park won 2–0 at Inverness in their fourth round match, but were expelled from the competition because they fielded an ineligible player.
+PremiershipChampionshipLeague OneLeague TwoOtherAberdeen Celtic Dundee United Heart of Midlothian Hibernian Kilmarnock Livingston Motherwell Rangers Ross County St Johnstone St MirrenArbroath Ayr United Cove Rangers Dundee Greenock Morton Hamilton Academical Inverness Caledonian Thistle Partick Thistle Queen's Park Raith RoversAlloa Athletic Dunfermline Athletic FalkirkDumbarton Elgin City StenhousemuirLowland League University of Stirling East of Scotland League Premier Division Linlithgow Rose West of Scotland League Premier Division Darvel West of Scotland League First Division Drumchapel United
Matches
Notes
B- Queen's Park fielded an ineligible player in their fourth round match against Inverness Caledonian Thistle and were removed from the competition. The match had originally finished 2–0 to Queen's Park.
Fifth round The fifth round took place on the weekend of 11 February 2023. The draw was made on 22 January 2023 and broadcast live across the Scottish Cup social channels.
Teams in Italics were unknown at the time of the draw.
Teams in bold advanced to the quarter-finals.
+PremiershipChampionshipOtherCeltic Dundee United Heart of Midlothian Kilmarnock Livingston Motherwell Rangers St MirrenAyr United Hamilton Academical Partick Thistle Inverness Caledonian Thistle Raith RoversLeague One Falkirk League Two Elgin City West of Scotland League Premier Division Darvel
Matches
Quarter-finals The quarter-finals took place on the weekend of 11 March 2023. The draw was made on 13 February 2023 and broadcast live across the Scottish Cup social channels.
+PremiershipChampionshipLeague OneCeltic Heart of Midlothian Kilmarnock RangersAyr United Inverness Caledonian Thistle Raith RoversFalkirk
Teams in Italics were unknown at the time of the draw.
Teams in bold advanced to the semi-finals.
Matches
Semi-finals The semi-finals took place on the weekend of 29 April 2023. The draw was made on 13 March 2023, following the Falkirk v Ayr United match live on BBC Scotland.
+PremiershipChampionshipLeague OneCeltic RangersInverness Caledonian ThistleFalkirk Teams in bold advanced to the Final.
Matches
Final
Broadcasting The Scottish Cup is broadcast by Viaplay Sports and BBC Scotland. Viaplay Sports has the first two picks of the fourth and fifth rounds, the quarter-finals as well as first pick of one semi-final and airs the final non-exclusively. BBC Scotland broadcast one match per round from the first round onwards and two matches per round from the fourth round to the quarter-finals, as well as one semi-final and the final.
The following matches were selected for live coverage on UK television: