The competition was established in 1947, under a format used by the Southern League Cup which operated as a regional tournament (national for its last season) during World War II. The Scottish League Cup was formed, operated by and named after the Scottish Football League (SFL), who continued to operate it after the top division clubs formed the Scottish Premier League (SPL) in 1998. The competition is now organised by the SPFL, the body formed by the merger of the SPL and SFL in 2013.
Bill Struth, with Rangers in 1946–47, was the first team manager to win the competition. This list gives details of the winning club and their manager in each season since then. Scot Symon, Jock Stein and Walter Smith are the most successful managers in the history of the competition, having each won 6 Scottish League Cups during their careers.