Format
The competition is for IFA Premiership and IFA Championship clubs, and uses a knock-out system. Eighteen Championship teams enter in the first round, with the remaining eleven given a bye to the second round, where they are joined by the twelve Premiership clubs and the nine winners from the first round. From there on, the competition has a third round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final.
Each round consists of a single match. In the event that the scores are level, extra time is played, and if the teams are still level, there is a penalty shoot-out. The semi-finals are played at neutral venues. The final, generally, is played at Windsor Park.
The final has been broadcast live on television since the 2005–06 season.
Read more about this topic: Irish League Cup