The Scottish Premier League (SPL) is the top league in Scotland, and consists of a single division of 12 teams. It has existed since 1998 (before then the top league was the Premier Division of the Scottish Football League).
The Scottish Cup is the world's second oldest national cup competition, first contested in 1873 and only being predated by the English FA Cup. It is a pure knockout tournament with single matches, with replays being held if the first match is a tie.
All 12 Scottish Premier League clubs automatically enter the tournament, as do all Scottish Football League clubs. A number of non-league clubs participate by virtue of having qualified through one of two regionalised qualifying cups, or since 2007-08 by having won the Scottish Junior Cup or one of the three regionalised Junior leagues. The final is usually played at Hampden Park.
The Scottish League Cup is open to members of the SPL and SFL, and has been contested since 1947.
The Cup has its origins in a regional cup competition called the Southern League Cup which was introduced in 1940 when wartime restrictions led to a suspension of the Scottish FA Cup. This tournament was largely regional and did not involve all of the teams who comprised the Scottish Football League prior to the outbreak of war.
Scottish League football now consists of four tiers with a total of 42 clubs - the Premier League with 12 clubs and Divisions One, Two and Three each with 10 clubs. Each team plays the other sides in their division four times during the season, twice at home and twice away.