2018–19 Scottish Challenge Cup
The 2018–19 Scottish Challenge Cup, known as the IRN-BRU Cup due to sponsorship reasons, was the 28th season of the competition. The tournament took on a similar format from the previous season with the addition of two teams from England's National League entering the competition for the first time. This took the total number of participating clubs to 58.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Scotland |
| Teams | 58 |
| Defending champions | Inverness Caledonian Thistle |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Ross County |
| Runner-up | Connah's Quay Nomads |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 56 |
| Goals scored | 172 (3.07 per match) |
| Attendance | 37,300 (666 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Blair Henderson (6 goals) |
Thirty teams from the Scottish Championship, Scottish League One and Scottish League Two competed, along with four teams from the Highland Football League (one eliminated in preliminary round) and four from the Lowland Football League (one eliminated in preliminary round). In addition to this, Under-21 teams of the clubs competing in the Scottish Premiership were represented. This was the third edition with two clubs from both Northern Ireland's NIFL Premiership and the Welsh Premier League and was the second time that two teams from the League of Ireland entered. A new change was the addition of two entrants from the English National League (fifth tier).
Inverness Caledonian Thistle were the defending champions after they beat Dumbarton 1–0 in the 2018 final, but they were eliminated in the first round by Dunfermline Athletic.
Ross County won the competition for the third time, defeating Connah's Quay Nomads 3–1 in the final.