| 2008–09 ALBA Challenge Cup | |
| Country: | Scotland |
| Num Teams: | 30 |
| Defending Champions: | St Johnstone |
| Champions: | Airdrie United |
| Runner-Up: | Ross County |
| Matches: | 29 |
| Goals: | 87 |
| Prevseason: | 2007–08 |
| Nextseason: | 2009–10 |
The 2008–09 Scottish Challenge Cup, known as the ALBA Challenge Cup due to sponsorship reasons with MG Alba, was the 18th season of the competition, competed for by all 30 members of the Scottish Football League. The defending champions were St Johnstone, who defeated Dunfermline Athletic by 3–2 in the 2007 final.[1]
The competition was won by Airdrie United who defeated Ross County 3–2 on penalties following a 2–2 draw after extra time, the winning penalty was scored by Marc Smyth.[2]
| Round | First match date[3] | Fixtures | width=100 | Clubs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=left | First round | align=left | 26 July 2008 | 14 | 30 → 16 | |
| align=left | Second round | align=left | 12 August 2008 | 8 | 16 → 8 | |
| align=left | Quarter-finals | align=left | 7 September 2008 | 4 | 8 → 4 | |
| align=left | Semi-finals | align=left | 12 October 2008 | 2 | 4 → 2 | |
| align=left | align=left | 16 November 2008 | 1 | 2 → 1 |
The First round draw was conducted on 29 May 2008.[4] Holders St Johnstone were drawn against Ross County away from home.
Raith Rovers received a random bye to the second round.Source:
Greenock Morton received a random bye to the second round.Source:
The Second round draw was conducted on 30 July 2008.[5] Source:
The Quarter-final draw was conducted on 14 August 2008.[6]
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The Semi-final draw was conducted on 11 September 2008.[7]
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See main article: 2008 Scottish Challenge Cup Final.
The Partick Thistle v Airdrie United semi-final was shown live and the final was shown live on BBC Alba.[8]