Football has had a place in Scottish history since the Middle Ages, but it was only around 1424 that the football as we know it seems to have emerged. The earliest reference is when it was outlawed by King James I, possibly because it was believed to be a disruption to the military training.

Scottish football has come a long way since then, and is now considered one of the country’s most popular sports. Founded in 1873, Scotland has the second oldest national football association - the Scottish Football Association (SFA) - after England's FA. The SFA is the main organising body for Scottish football, with members consisting of clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations. The SFA is responsible for the operation of the national Scottish football team, the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup (known as the Scottish Cup) and other duties related to football.

The Scottish professional league consists of four tiers and is run by the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). The leagues include the Scottish Highland Football League, the Scottish Lowland Football League, East of Scotland League, South of Scotland League and the North Caledonian League – the last three administered by the Scottish Football Association. The SPFL football league consists of 42 teams - 12 teams in the Scottish Premiership (top tier), and 10 in each of the lower three tiers - Scottish Championship, Scottish League One and Scottish League Two.

The Scottish Cup is an annual football knock-out cup competition open to all 98 clubs with full membership of the SFA, along with up to eight other clubs who are associate members. This is the oldest national trophy in the world and was first presented to Queen’s Park in 1874.

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