Category: Current Football

106th Emperor’s Cup, Round One

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From Supporto! Kisarazu Joshi Support Diary.

It’s the Emperor’s Cup, Round One. This round includes 47 prefectural champions and 1 amateur seed. There are teams from J3, the JFL, regional and university leagues. The 24 winners will encounter teams from J1 or J2 in the next round.

Match No. 1: Atletico Suzuka (Tokai 1) [1 – 1] Basara Hyogo (Kansai 1) [Suzuka win on PK]
Match No. 2: Gainare Tottori (J3) [2 – 2] Roasso Kumamoto (J3) [Gainare win on PK]
Match No. 3: Tohoku Gakuin University (Tohoku Univ. 1) [1 – 3] Thespa Gunma (J3)
Match No. 4: Tochigi SC (J3) [2 – 0] Briobecca Urayasu (JFL)
Match No. 5: Reilac Shiga (J3) [2 – 1] Japan Soccer College (Hokushin’etsu 1)
Match No. 6: FC Tokushima (Shikoku) [1 – 0] Kawazoe Club (Kyushu)
Match No. 7: Giravanz Kitakyushu (J3) [1 – 2] Okinawa SV (JFL) Upset
Match No. 8: Belugarosso Iwami (Chugoku) [2 – 0] Nagasaki International University (Kysushu Univ. 2)
Match No. 9: Arterivo Wakayama (Kansai 1) [0 – 6] Azul Claro Numazu (JFL)
Match No. 10: Veroskronos Tsuno (Kyushu) [3 – 1] Kamatamare Sanuki (J3) Upset
Match No. 11: Verspah Oita (JFL) [3 – 0] Kochi United (J3) Upset
Match No. 12: Ryutsu Keizai University (Kanto 2) [1 – 2] Criacao Shinjuku (JFL)
Match No. 13: Senshu University (Kanto Univ. 2) [2 – 1] University of Tsukuba (Kanto Univ. 1) Upset
Match No. 14: Fukushima United (J3) [7 – 0] Oyama SC (Tohoku 1)
Match No. 15: Kanazawa Seiryo University (Hokushin’etsu Univ. 1) [1 – 4] Kyoto Sangyo University (Kansai Univ. 1)
Match No. 16: Yamanashi Gakuin University (Kanto Univ. 3) [1 – 0] Tokyo International University (Kanto 2) Upset
Match No. 17: FC Gifu (J3) [3 – 1] Toyama Shinjo (Hokushin’etsu 1)
Match No. 18: Kagoshima United (J3) [2 – 1] Renofa Yamaguchi (J3)
Match No. 19: SRC Hiroshima (Chugoku) [1 – 6] Maruyasu Okazaki (JFL)
Match No. 20: Nara Club (J3) [1 – 4] FC Osaka (J3)
Match No. 21: Ehime FC (J3) [2 – 1] International Pacific University (Chugoku Univ. 1)
Match No. 22: Grulla Morioka (JFL) [1 – 0] Sapporo University (Hokkaido Univ.)
Match No. 23: Nagano Parceiro (J3) [2 – 1] Fukui United (Hokushin’etsu 1)
Match No. 24: ReinMeer Aomori (JFL) [15 – 0] Akita University (Tohoku Univ. 2)

Also: Yokohama Football Film Festival

2026-27 League Cup, Round Two

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Dundee United versus Celtic earlier this year. Source.

It’s the Scottish League Cup, Round Two.

Kilmarnock 3 – 2 Ayr United (yesterday)
These two Ayrshire clubs met in Round 2 in 2014 and Ayr won.
Dundee United [0 – 4] Celtic
Dundee United have not beaten Celtic in the League Cup since 1988.
Dunfermline Athletic [1 – 2] Ross County Upset
These two have met in the League Cup only once before, in the 2022-23 group stage. The Staggies won.
Aberdeen [3 – 0] Dundee
The last time Dundee beat Aberdeen in this cup was in 2009.
Hibs [1 – 0] Partick Thistle (tomorrow)
These two last met in the League Cup in 1993 and Hibs won.
Hearts [6 – 2] Inverness CT (tomorrow)
ICT beat Hearts in the semi-finals in 2014.
Stenhousemuir [1 – 0] Motherwell (tomorrow) Upset
Stenny have not yet lost a match in 2026-27, league or cup. [And they still haven’t.]
Rangers [5 – 1] St Mirren (tomorrow)
St Mirren knocked Rangers out of the cup in 2020.

Other matches:
Mito HollyHock (14th) [1 – 1] Gamba Osaka (3rd)
Holstein Kiel (7th) 2 – 2 St Pauli (9th) (yesterday)
Dumbarton (8th) [0 – 3] Edinburgh City (10th)
Largs Thistle (5th) [3 – 0] Auchinleck Talbot (2nd) [This win puts Largs in 1st place in the Lowland League West.]
Easterhouse (14th) [1 – 3] Greenock Juniors (5th)
Invergordon (10th) [1 – 2] Formartine United (13th)
Greenock HSFP [3 – 3] Drumchapel Amateurs
Scrosoppi [13 – 0] Simcoe County Rovers
Saskatchewan Roughriders [19 – 26] Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Vancouver Rise [2 – 1] Halifax Tides [Halifax goal by Rhodes.]
Degerfors [3 – 0] Göteborg (tomorrow)
Forfar Farmington [2 – 1] Morton Women (tomorrow)
Inter Toronto [4 – 3] HFX Wanderers (tomorrow) [HFX goals by Arilla, Rampersad and Johnston.]

South Challenge Cup, R1 (selected matches):
Stoneyburn [1 – 3] Clydebank
Port Glasgow [0 – 4] Kilwinning Rangers
St Andrews United [4 – 1] Thorn Athletic
Neilston [3 – 2] Carluke Rovers

Mortonalia: East Kilbride manager Mick Kennedy has offered to sponsor one or more Morton players.

Historical matches:

Scottish Alliance, August 15, 1891:
Airdrieonians 1 – 1 Port Glasgow Athletic
Ayr 6 – 2 St Bernard’s
East Stirlingshire 1 – 2 Partick Thistle
Kilmarnock 5 – 1 Thistle
King’s Park 3 – 8 Northern

Scottish Federation, August 15, 1891:
Albion Rovers 7 – 2 Glasgow Wanderers
Clydebank 3 – 3 Burnbank Swifts
Hurlford 3 – 2 Royal Albert
Motherwell 1 – 3 Falkirk
Wishaw Thistle 6 – 0 Kilmarnock Athletic

Ayrshire League, August 15, 1891:
Annbank 4 – 0 Galston
Newmilns 4 – 2 Beith

Solar Eclipse Soccer

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The solar eclipse of July 11, 1991, and birds, photographed by Antonio Turok in Chiapas, Mexico. Source.

There’s a solar eclipse today in the North Atlantic. Greenland, Iceland, Portugal and Spain will experience total eclipse. The UK will get 91% of the shadow, which should cause football grounds to turn on their lights.

Midweek matches:

Scottish Challenge Cup league phase, matchday 1 (selected matches) (yesterday):
Clydebank 4 – 0 Hibs B
Dumbarton 1 – 3 Airdrieonians

Canadian Championship QF, leg 2 (yesterday):
Atlético Ottawa 3 – 3 Supra
Supra advance.

[W Canadian Championship QF:
Montreal Roses [0 – 1] Simcoe County Rovers Upset

2026 Leagues Cup league phase (yesterday):
Tigres UANL 1 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps (Tigres win on PK)

AFC Champions League Elite, preliminary stage (yesterday):
Gangwon 0 – 1 Gamba Osaka

UEFA Europa League QR3, leg 2:
Iberia 1999 2 – 1 Larne (yesterday)
Egnatia [5 – 1] Shamrock Rovers (tomorrow)
Rangers [1 – 1] Jagiellonia Białystok (tomorrow)
Hearts [1 – 1] Benfica (tomorrow)
Hearts, Larne, Rangers and Shamrock Rovers all drop to the Conference League.

UEFA Conference League QR3, leg 2 (tomorrow):
Shelbourne [2 – 2] Ajax
Motherwell [2 – 0] HJK
Shkëndija [0 – 0] Hibs
Gent [1 – 1] Göteborg
Midtjylland [3 – 2] Bohemians
Hibs and Motherwell advance. Bohemians, Göteborg and Shelbourne are out.

Other matches:
Carluke Rovers 1 – 2 Newmains United (yesterday)
Blackburn United 2 – 4 St Andrews United (yesterday)
Greenock HSFP 2 – 2 St Patricks FP (yesterday)
Scrosoppi 4 – 2 Vaughan Azzurri (yesterday)
Port Glasgow [3 – 1] Knightswood
Glasgow United [0 – 0] Greenock Juniors
Greenock HSFP [4 – 3] Port Glasgow Athletic (tomorrow)

Mortonalia: I had August 9th circled on the calendar as Ian Murray’s probable termination date, but he’s still in the job. Niall McGilp writes about Morton’s friendlies against English clubs here. Saturday’s loss marked the first time since 1959 that Stenhousemuir have defeated Morton twice in the same calendar year.

Crescents seen on West Street, Halifax, N.S., at 3:00 pm local time.

Gregor Buchanan

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Stenhousemuir’s captain Gregor Buchanan has played for Bathgate, Armadale, Airdrie, Dumbarton, St Mirren, Livingston, Morton (2018-19), Falkirk, Queen of the South, Dumbarton again and since 2023 Stenhousemuir, where he has been part of two promotions. Source.

Morton visit Ochilview Park, home to Stenhousemuir FC since 1890. That ground has also served as temporary lodgings for Stirling Albion, Falkirk, East Stirlingshire and Queen’s Park at various times.

Morton are eighth in the division, Stenny joint fourth. Morton have gone five games without a goal. The last time they did that was in 2022, if you put together the end of 2021-22 and the beginning of 2022-23.

Stenny’s manager is Marvin Bartley, who has been in the job since June, replacing Gary Naysmith who took off to Ayr United as soon as last season ended.

Morton have signed MacKenzie Carse, formerly of Queen’s Park, Coleraine and Stirling Albion.

[Stenhousemuir 2 – 0 Morton.]

Other Championship matches:
Partick Thistle 2 – 0 Livingston (yesterday)
Arbroath [0 – 0] Inverness CT
Dunfermline Athletic [1 – 1] Ayr United
Queen’s Park [1 – 2] Raith Rovers

Lowland League West:
Clydebank [3 – 2] Troon
Largs Thistle [1 – 0] Dalbeattie Star
So far in the 21st Century Dalbeattie Star have played in the South of Scotland League, the East of Scotland League, the South of Scotland League again, the Lowland League, the South of Scotland League a third time, and now the Lowland League West.

Other matches:
Clachnacuddin 1 – 0 Invergordon (August 5)
University of Stirling 4 – 2 St Andrews United (EoS Qualifying Cup R2) (August 5)
Scrosoppi 2 – 0 Burlington (yesterday)
Montreal Roses 0 – 1 Halifax Tides (yesterday) Goal by Benati.
Dumbarton [1 – 0] Clyde
Invergordon [3 – 0] Deveronvale
Greenock Juniors [3 – 2] Dalry Thistle
Saltcoats Victoria [2 – 6] Carluke Rovers
St Andrews United [1 – 4] Edinburgh University
Giffnock North [3 – 2] Greenock HSFP
Atlético Ottawa [2 – 1] HFX Wanderers [HFX goal by Arilla.]
Ti-Cats [24 -27] BC Lions
Göteborg [3 – 2] Kalmar (tomorrow)
St Pauli [1 – 1] Greuther Fürth (tomorrow)
Morton Women [2 – 1] Elgin City (tomorrow)

The J League begins:
Kashiwa Reysol [2 – 1] Mito HollyHock

2026-27 W Canadian Championship, QF:
Halifax Tides 2 – 3 Ottawa Rapid (August 3) Two goals for Rhodes.
Calgary Wild 4 – 0 CS Mont-Royal Outremont (August 5)

2026 Leagues Cup league phase:
Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 1 Atlante (August 4)
Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 3 Juárez (yesterday)

UEFA Champions League, 3QR, leg 1:
There’s no club from Scotland, Wales or any part of Ireland in this round.

UEFA Europa League, 3QR, leg 1:
Jagiellonia Białystok (Poland) 2 – 1 Rangers (August 6)
Larne 0 – 0 Iberia 1999 (Georgia) (August 4)
Shamrock Rovers 3 – 1 Egnatia (Albania) (August 4)
Benfica (Portugal) 6 – 1 Hearts (August 6)

UEFA Conference League, 3QR, leg 1 (August 6):
Hibs 2 – 1 Shkëndija (North Macedonia)
HJK (Finland) 1 – 1 Motherwell
Bohemians 0 – 2 Midtjylland (Denmark)
Ajax (Netherlands) 3 – 1 Shelbourne
Göteborg 0 – 1 Gent (Belgium)

The Concacaf Caribbean Cup group stage began this week. Let’s follow Group B, made up of three Jamaican teams and two from the Dominican Republic. Week 1:
Portmore United (Jamaica) 1 – 2 Salseco (Dominican) (August 4)
Cibao (Dominican) 0 – 0 Cavalier (Jamaica) (August 5)

Historical matches:

The Scottish League was founded in 1890. By 1891 there were so many clubs eager to get in on league action that two other national circuits were formed. Let’s follow the Scottish Alliance and the Scottish Federation through the 1891-92 season.

Scottish Alliance, August 8, 1891:
Northern 1 – 4 Linthouse
Partick Thistle 3 – 2 Ayr
St Bernard’s 2 – 4 King’s Park
Thistle 0 – 2 Airdrieonians

Scottish Federation, August 8, 1891:
Burnbank Swifts 7 – 1 Kilmarnock Athletic
Clydebank 1 – 1 Motherwell
Pollokshaws 5 – 4 Hurlford
Royal Albert 6 – 0 Glasgow Wanderers
Wishaw Thistle 6 – 2 Arthurlie

The Ayrshire League also began in 1891. Let’s follow them an aw:

Ayrshire League, August 8, 1891:
Galston 4 – 3 Mauchline

2026 Prefectural Championships

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SRC Hiroshima and supporters. Source.

This year Round One of the Emperor’s Cup has been shifted from May to August. Some prefectural associations have followed suit, moving their championships to late July or early August, but most kept to the traditional spring schedule.

April 19th:
36th Akita Prefecture General Soccer Championship Final:
North Asia University 1 – 3 Akita University
31st Shimane Prefecture Football Championship Final:
Bergarosso Iwami 4 – 0 Forza Hikawa
MIKASACUP All Hiroshima Football Championship Final Tournament – Final:
Fukuyama City FC 1-1 SRC Hiroshima (SRC won on PK)
46th Okayama Prefecture Football Championship Final:
Okayama University 0-2 International Pacific University

April 26th:
31st Annual Saitama Cup Final:
Josai University 1-3 Tokyo International University FC
30th Yamagata Prefecture Football Championship Final:
Oyama Soccer Club 7-0 Tohoku University of Community Service and Science
79th Aomori Prefecture Football Championship Final:
ReinMeer Aomori 4-0 Hachinohe Gakuin University

May 9th:
31st Chiba Prefecture Football Championship
Briobecca Urayasu Ichikawa 4-1 FC Grasion Tokatsu
31st Tokyo Football Tournament
Yokogawa Musashino FC 0-1 Criacão Shinjuku
AIFA 31st Aichi Prefecture Football Championship
FC Maruyasu Okazaki 1-1 FC Kariya (Maruyasu win on PK)
Kyoto FA Cup 2026 31st Kyoto Football Championship
Kyoto Sangyo University 2-1 Doshisha University
2026 (29th) Hyogo Prefecture Football Championship
FC Basara Hyogo 2-1 Kwansei Gakuin University

May 10th:
2026 HKFA 8th Hokkaido Football Championship
BTOP Hokkaido 0 – 1 Sapporo University Goal Plunderers
76th Iwate Prefecture Football Championship
Iwate Grulla Morioka 2-0 FC Ganju Iwate Kahoku Cup
30th Miyagi Prefecture Football Championship
Sendai University 0 – 1 Tohoku Gakuin University
29th Ibaraki Prefecture Football Championship
University of Tsukuba 1-2 Ryutsu Keizai University
31st Yamanashi Prefecture Amateur Football Championship Spring Tournament
Yamanashi Gakuin University 1-0 Yamanashi Gakuin University Pegasus
2026 Niigata Nippo Cup / Kyodo News Cup 31st Niigata Prefecture Football Championship
Niigata University of Health and Welfare 2-2 Japan Soccer College (Japan Soccer College win on PK)
31st Toyama Prefecture Football Championship
Toyama Shinjo Club 4-0 N-Style
2026 Fukui Prefecture Football Championship
Fukui United FC 2-1 Sakai Phoenix
2026 Shizuoka Prefecture Football Championship
Azul Claro Numazu 0-0 Honda FC (Azul Claro win on PK)
2026 Mie Prefecture Football Championship, 31st Edition
Veertien Mie 0-1 Atletico Suzuka
Nakata Foods Cup 31st Wakayama Prefecture Football Championship
FC Azul Wakayama 1-9 Arterivo Wakayama
2026 31st Tokushima Prefecture Football Championship
Yellow Monkeys 0-9 FC Tokushima
SFA 31st Saga Prefecture Football Championship
Brew Saga 0-1 Kawazoe Club
37th Nagasaki Prefecture Football Championship
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Nagasaki SC 1-2 Nagasaki International University
2026 Oita Prefecture Football Championship
Verspah Oita 3-0 J-Lease FC
MFA 30th Miyazaki Nichinichi Shimbun Flag MRT Cup Miyazaki Prefecture Football Championship
Veloskronos Tsuno 1-0 FC Nobeoka Agata

July 25th:
Fukushima Minpo Cup/NHK Cup 31st Fukushima Prefecture Football Championship
Fukushima United 7 – 0 Furukawa FC (including a goal by 59-year-old Kazuyoshi Miura. Story.)
41st Kagoshima Football Championship
Kagoshima United 1 – 0 NIFS Kanoya

July 26th:
69th Tottori Prefecture Football Championship
Gainare Tottori 2 – 0 Yonago Genki SC
31st Kagawa Prefecture Football Championship
Kamatamare Sanuki 4 – 0 Sonio Takamatsu
31st Kochi Prefecture Football Championship
Kochi United 4 – 0 Kochi University

July 29th:
55th Ishikawa Prefecture Football Championship
Zweigen Kanazawa 0 – 1 Kanazawa Seiryo University

August 1st:
NEZAS Cup 31st Tochigi Prefecture Football Championship
Tochigi SC 4 – 1 Tochigi City U-25
Reiwa 8 (2026) Gunma Prefecture Football Association President’s Cup
Thespa Gunma 2 – 0 Tonan Maebashi
31st Kanagawa Prefecture Football Championship
SC Sagamihara 0 – 1 Senshu University
31st Gifu Prefecture Football Championship
FC Gifu 11 – 0 FC Bombonera
31st Shiga Prefecture Football Championship
Reilac Shiga 1 – 0 Moriyama Samurai 2000
31st Nara Prefecture Football Championship
Nara Club 1 – 0 Ikoma FC Nara
Reiwa 8th Year Yamaguchi Prefecture Football Championship
Renofa Yamaguchi 6 – 1 Baleine Shimonoseki
2026 Ehime Prefecture Football Championship
Ehime FC 2 – 0 Revenirosso
2026 Fukuoka Prefecture Football Championship, 30th Edition
Giravanz Kitakyushu 3 – 2 Fukuoka University

August 2nd:
31st Nagano Prefecture Football Championship
Nagano Parceiro [2 – 0] Matsumoto Yamaga
2026 Osaka Football Championship, 31st Edition
FC Osaka [3 – 1] Tiamo Hirakata
The Times Cup OFA 31st Okinawa Prefecture Football Championship
Okinawa SV [3 – 0] FC Ryukyu
The Emperor’s Cup JFA 106th All Japan Football Championship Kumamoto Prefecture Representative Selection Match was cancelled following the July 28th Kumamoto earthquake and Roasso Kumamoto have been designated the Kumamoto representative.

Source.

PS Caledonia

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The life of a Clyde paddle steamer is nowhere near as tough as the life of a Greenock pedestrian underpass beautification scheme. Read about it.

The 2026-27 SPFL Championship begins. Morton embark on their twelfth consecutive season in this division. Since 1994 Morton has been the Championship’s most frequent member. (See below.)

There are three new teams this year: St Johnstone, Airdrie and Ross County are out; Livingston, Inverness CT and Stenhousemuir are in. Stenny have never played in the Championship before. The last time Inverness and Livingston were in the Championship together (2017-18) Dumbarton and Brechin were also in it. Dumbarton are now in League 2 and Brechin are in the Lowland League East.

Morton tend to do well in seasons ending in 6 and 7. They won promotion in 2006-07, 1986-87, 1966-67 and 1936-37. They finished second in the SFL in 1916-17, behind only Celtic. The last time they made the promotion playoffs was in 2016-17.

However, they finished dead last among Championship clubs in the League Cup group stage.

Morton are scoreless in their first four competitive matches of the season, a club record. The next worse start is 1998-99 when they went without a goal in their first three matches.

Today Morton host Partick Thistle. The last time Morton opened the league season with a match against Partick Thistle at Cappielow was August 10th, 1991. Morton won 2 – 1.

Partick’s manager is Mark Wilson, who has been in the job since February 2025. His record against Morton is 3 wins, 2 draws and 0 losses.

Partick Thistle’s Alex Samuel played for Morton in 2015-16, as did Robbie Crawford from 2022 to 2024. Goalkeeper Lewis Budinaukas made four appearances for Morton in 2024. Cale Loughrey is a former HFX Wanderer. Nobody on the present Morton squad has played for Partick.

Morton have signed 20-year-old goalkeeper Elyh Harrison on loan from Manchester United.

[Morton 0 – 1 Partick Thistle]

The other Championship matches:
Ayr United [2 – 0] Arbroath
Inverness CT [0 – 0] Dunfermline Athletic
Livingston [2 – 0] Queen’s Park
Raith Rovers [1 – 1] Stenhousemuir

Other matches:
Celtic B 6 – 1 Clydebank (July 28)
Carluke Rovers 2 – 2 East Kilbride YM (July 28)
Greenock High School Former Pupils AFC 4 – 2 Houston AFC (July 28)
Port Glasgow 3 – 0 Kilsyth Athletic (July 29)
Scrosoppi 7 – 2 North Toronto (yesterday)
St Pauli [2 – 2] Deportivo de A Coruña (friendly)
Stirling Albion [2 – 0] Dumbarton
Albion Rovers [0 – 2] Largs Thistle
Invergordon [1 – 2] Lossiemouth
Ashfield [0 – 3] Port Glasgow
Greenock Juniors [1 – 3] Yoker Athletic
Greenock HSFP [5 – 2] Plains AFC
Kello Rovers [1 – 4] Carluke Rovers
Calgary Stampeders [44 – 20] Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hokkaido Tokachi Sky Earth [4 – 0] Norbritz Hokkaido (tomorrow)
Göteborg [2 – 0] Degerfors (tomorrow) [Halfway through the season Göteborg are 13th out of 16.]
East Fife [6 – 0] Morton Women (tomorrow)
HFX Wanderers [0 – 0] Forge (tomorrow)

Video: Footy Adventures visits Largs Thistle.

Scottish Cup, preliminary round 1:
St Andrews United [1 – 0] Jeanfield Swifts
Whitletts Victoria [1 – 0] Sauchie Juniors
Hawick Royal Albert [1 – 2] Penicuik Athletic
Glenafton Athletic [0 – 0] Stonehaven [Stonehaven win on PK]
Shortlees Amateurs [2 – 3] Dundee North End
Shortlees are here as Scottish Amateur Cup holder, Dundee North End as Midlands League champion, Stonehaven as North of Scotland League champion. The rest are SFA members.

UEFA Champions League QR2, leg 2:
Hearts 0 – 2 Sturm Graz (July 28)
Red Star Belgrade 5 – 0 Larne (July 29)
Shamrock Rovers 2 – 1 Ararat-Armenia (July 28)
Hearts, Larne and Shamrock Rovers all drop to the Europa League.

UEFA Conference League QR2, leg 2 (all July 30):
HB 0 – 3 Motherwell
Hibs 4 – 1 Maleshiva
Kalju 2 – 1 Shelbourne
Coleraine 0 – 3 HJK
The New Saints 1 – 0 Flora
Ballkani 3 – 2 Bohemians
Derry City 0 – 1 Rijeka
Levadia 1 – 3 Göteborg
Bohemians, Göteborg, Hibs, Motherwell and Shelbourne advance. Coleraine, Derry City and The New Saints are out.

UEFA has voted to boycott the World Cup if FIFA proceeds with its plan to privatize the tournament.

Years in tiers since 1994:

That Was the Group Stage That Was

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Morton defeated Hibs to make it into the 1963-64 League Cup final. Source.

The League Cup group stage comes to a conclusion today.

Matchday Four was Tuesday. Morton were off that day, so I didn’t make a post about it. The scores were:
East Fife 3 – 1 Linlithgow Rose
Inverness CT 1 – 0 St Johnstone

Group F standings after Day Four:

Today Morton host Inverness Caledonian Thistle. ICT enter today’s game with 8 points, Morton with 0. No Championship side has ever finished the modern group stage with 0 points. Brechin finished with 2 points in 2017-18. Dumbarton finished with 2 in 2016-17 and with 1 in 2017-18.

ICT’s head coach is Scott Kellacher who has been in the role since October 2024. No one on the ICT squad has played for Morton. No one on the Morton squad has played for ICT. The last Morton player to score against ICT was Kirk Broadfoot, May 3rd, 2024.

ICT are newly promoted to the Championship, so today’s match will give Morton an idea of what they’re in for this coming season.

Last weekend 15-year-old Calan Burgess became the youngest-ever Morton first-team player when he subbed on at 78′.

This is an A Ton of Snow Championship League Cup Round One match.

Morton [0 – 1] Inverness CT
St Johnstone [1 – 1] East Fife [East Fife win on PK]

Group F final standings:

The Lowland League begins today, or rather the Lowland Leagues. There are now two parallel leagues, East with 16 teams and West with 17. The Lowland League East is made up of eleven of last season’s Lowland League clubs, plus Brechin City from the Highland League, Lochee United from the Midlands League, and Hill of Beath Hawthorn, Musselburgh Athletic and Dunipace from the East of Scotland League. The Lowland League West has only six of last season’s Lowland League clubs, plus Dalbeattie Star and Newton Stewart from the South of Scotland League, and nine West of Scotland League clubs. Let’s follow Clydebank and Largs Thistle, both of the Lowland League West.

Clydebank [4 – 2] Newton Stewart
Largs Thistle [2 – 0] Cumbernauld Colts
Now that they’re in the Lowland League Largs have had to give up their 2:00 pm starts, but they’ve managed to keep them in the South Challenge Cup and Scottish Communities Cup.

Other matches:
Unionville Milliken 1 – 2 Scrosoppi (July 22)
St Pauli 1 – 4 AFC Bournemouth (friendly) (yesterday)
Raith Rovers 0 – 1 Hearts (friendly) (yesterday)
HFX Wanderers 2 – 3 Supra (yesterday) HFX goals by Kachwele and Linder.
HFX Wanderers U21 1 – 2 Nottingham Forest Academy at Charlottetown (yesterday)
HFX Wanderers have acquired forward Adonijah Reid (formerly of Pacific FC and York United) from SC Jacksonville in exchange for Marcus Godinho.
Dumbarton [2 – 0] Cove Rangers
Fraserburgh [0 – 0] Invergordon
Greenock Juniors [3 – 0] Girvan
St Andrews United [6 – 1] Edinburgh South
St Patrick’s FP vs Greenock HS FPs AFC
Larkhall Thistle [2 – 1] Port Glasgow Juniors
Royal Albert [1 – 1] Carluke Rovers
Vancouver Rise [0 – 1] Halifax Tides [Goal by de Filippo.]
Sabas [0 – 5] Hokkaido Tokachi Sky Earth (tomorrow)
Sirius [4 – 1] Göteborg (tomorrow)
Scrosoppi [2 – 1] International FC (tomorrow)
Ti-Cats [18 – 31] Alouettes (tomorrow)

Daizen Maeda is headed for Ipswich Town.

2026-27 UEFA Champions League, 2QR, leg 1 (July 21):
Sturm Graz 4 – 0 Hearts
Larne 0 – 4 Red Star Belgrade
Ararat-Armenia 2 – 0 Shamrock Rovers

2026-27 UEFA Europa League, 2QR, leg 1 (July 23):
There’s no club from Scotland, Wales or either Ireland in this round.

2026-27 UEFA Conference League, 2QR, leg 1 (mostly July 23):
Motherwell 2 – 0 HB (Faroes)
Maleshiva (Kosovo) 2 – 0 Hibs
Shelbourne 5 – 2 Kalju (Estonia)
HJK (Finland) 5 – 0 Coleraine
Flora (Estonia) 1 – 0 The New Saints
Bohemians 2 – 1 Ballkani (Kosovo) (July 22)
Rijeka (Croatia) 1 – 0 Derry City
Göteborg 1 – 2 Levadia (Estonia)

Simo’s Gold

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Source.

Morton visit McDiarmid Park, home ground of St Johnstone FC, the latest Championship champions. Last season St Johnstone took three wins and a draw from Morton, outscoring them 12 to 1. The last time Morton defeated St Johnstone was in 2006.

Fortunately Josh McPake, who scored 3 goals against Morton, has moved on to Hearts. But Jamie Gullan, who scored 4, is still with them.

St Johnstone’s Jack Baird played for Morton in 2019-20 and from 2022 to 2025. Morgan Boyes played for Morton in 2024-25. Morton’s Michael O’Halloran played for St Johnstone from 2014 to 2016, in 2027-18, and from 2019 to 2023. Cammy MacPherson played for St Johnstone from 2021 to 2025. The last Morton player to score against St Johnstone was Eamonn Brophy, August 30th, 2025.

St Johnstone are managed by Simo Valakari who has been in the job since October 2024.

So far Morton have 0 points and 0 goals scored in the group stage. They must win their two remaining matches to come up to their worst-ever showing of 6 points earned in 2018-19, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2024-25.

The Group F matches:
St Johnstone [3 – 0] Morton
Linlithgow Rose [0 – 2] Inverness CT
East Fife are off.

Group F standings after these matches:

Other matches:
Ottawa Rapid 2 – 1 Halifax Tides (July 16) Goal by Cho.
CF Montreal 0 – 0 Toronto FC (MLS) (July 16)
Mito HollyHock 0 – 1 Tokushima Vortis (training match) (July 16)
Mito HollyHock 3 – 0 Miyazaki Sangyo Keizai University (training match) (July 16)
Göteborg 2 – 1 Brommapojkarna (yesterday)
Scrosoppi 1 – 0 Woodbridge Strikers (yesterday)
East Kilbride [5 – 3] Dumbarton
Clydebank [4 – 1] Irvine Meadow XI (friendly)
Port Glasgow [1 – 2] Partick Thistle YA (tournament)
Shortlees AFC [2 – 2] Greenock Juniors [Shortlees win on PK] (tournament)
Largs Thistle [2 – 1] Thorn Athletic (tournament)
Greenock HS FPs AFC [4 – 0] Rutherglen Glencairn AFC
St Andrews United [0 – 0] Cowdenbeath (friendly)
Wishaw [1 – 2] Carluke Rovers (friendly)
Argos [23 – 24] Ti-Cats
Cavalry [1 – 1] HFX Wanderers [Goal by Johnston.]
Sapporo FC [0 – 2] Hokkaido Tokachi Sky Earth (tomorrow)
Dalry Thistle [0 – 9] Port Glasgow (tournament) (tomorrow)
Greenock Juniors [1 – 2] Thorn Athletic (tournament) (Sunday)
Largs Thistle [1 – 0] Shortlees AFC (tournament) (Sunday)
HFX Wanderers U21 [1 – 2] Nottingham Forest Academy at Mount Pearl (tomorrow)

The Northern Super League is adding a team in Winnipeg.

West of Scotland Charity Cup final:
Auchinleck Talbot [1 – 0] Troon
This cup pits the 2025-26 West of Scotland Premier Division champion against the 2025-26 West of Scotland League Cup champion. Neither club is in the West of Scotland League anymore.

2026-27 UEFA Champions League, 1QR, leg 2 (July 14):
Shamrock Rovers 5 – 1 Floriana
Larne 2 – 1 Tre Fiori
The New Saints 1 – 2 Sabah
Shamrock Rovers and Larne advance. The New Saints drop directly to the Conference League.

2026-27 UEFA Europa League, 1QR, leg 2 (July 16):
Derry City 1 – 2 CSKA Sofia
Derry City drop to the Conference League.

2026-27 UEFA Conference League, 1QR, leg 2 (July 16):
St Joseph’s 0 – 0 Bohemians
RFS 2 – 0 Glentoran
Linfield 2 – 2 Kalju
Levadia Tallinn 5 – 0 Caernarfon Town
Ballkani 3 – 2 Connah’s Quay Nomads
FC Santa Coloma 3 – 0 Penybont
Bohemians advance. Caernarfon Town, Connah’s Quay Nomads, Glentoran, Linfield and Penybont are out.

World Cup final (tomorrow):
Spain [1 – 0] Argentina

Dick Campbell

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Dick Campbell as a younger man. Source.

It’s the League Cup group stage, matchday 2. Morton visit East Fife. This is the fixture that derailed Morton’s League Cup run two years ago. East Fife won that match 3 – 0 on a hat trick by Alan Trouten. Luckily Trouten is now with Benburb.

Unluckily East Fife’s manager is Dick Campbell. He has been managing football clubs since the 1980s and has earned promotion seven times with various clubs. By my count his record against Morton is 14 wins, 9 draws and 7 losses.

Also unluckily, Derek Gaston has joined East Fife from Stirling Albion. He was Morton’s go-to goalie in the 2010s, and has bedevilled them as an opposing goalkeeper. He personally knocked them out of last year’s Challenge Cup R2 when that match went to penalty kicks.

The last Morton player to score against East Fife was Robbie Muirhead, April 3rd, 2021.

Having lost to Linlithgow Saturday Morton must win all three remaining games to have a real chance of making it to Round Two.

Ian Murray’s record to date as Morton manager (including league, cup and friendly): 4W, 5D, 10L. Morton’s last win was March 28th.

The Group F matches:
East Fife [2 – 0] Morton
Linlithgow Rose [0 – 2] St Johnstone
ICT are off.

The Group F table after these matches:

Other matches:
Carluke Rovers 0 – 1 Lanark United (Clydesdale Cup) (yesterday)
Dunfermline Athletic [4 – 1] Dumbarton
Clydebank [2 – 0] Kilsyth Rangers (friendly)
Kilbirnie Ladeside [1 – 1] Largs Thistle [Kilbirnie win on PK] (friendly) (tomorrow)
Port Glasgow [4 – 0] Rutherglen Glencairn (friendly) (tomorrow)
University of Stirling vs St Andrews United (friendly) (tomorrow)

This is a good time to introduce the 2026-27 A Ton of Snow Championship League Cup, a made-up cup which uses actual match results to generate a Championship-only knockout tournament. All ten Championship clubs participate, and no one else.

The teams are ranked according to their 2025-26 league positions and paired up on the principle of highest versus lowest. Round One includes only the bottom four teams. All league matches, cup games and playoffs are eligible for use. Higher-ranked teams are not guaranteed home-field advantage.

Tie-breakers are, in order: 1) fewer red cards, 2) fewer yellow cards, 3) more corner kicks, 4) visitor. These rules take precedence over any other tie-breakers.

Once the finalists are known, the other eight teams embark on the Consolation Cup. Because there are usually just a few weeks left when this begins, the pairings are determined on the basis of which group of fixtures can be finished soonest.

If both cups reach a conclusion within the 2026-27 season the two cup-winners meet in the Super Cup, if this can be played by the end of the calendar year.

The matches are:

Round One:
Morton vs Inverness CT (July 25)
Ayr United vs Stenhousemuir (September 25)

Round Two:
Dunfermline Athletic vs Raith Rovers (August 29)
Arbroath vs Queen’s Park (September 25)
Livingston vs Morton or Inverness CT or Stenhousemuir (after September 25)
Partick Thistle vs Ayr United or Morton or Inverness CT (after September 25)

Semi-finals and final to be determined.

The 2026 Super Cup: Partick Thistle vs Arbroath (October 3)

Linlithgow Rose

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The people of Linlithgow celebrate victory in the 1965 Junior Cup. Source.

It’s the 2026-27 League Cup group stage. Linlithgow Rose visit Cappielow. This is the first ever competitive match between these two clubs.

Linlithgow were 2025-26 Lowland League champions, but they were denied a spot in the pyramid playoffs for lack of a bronze license. The SPFL has gotten serious about keeping substandard parks out of its circuit, having learned from Bonnyrigg Rose and their cambered pitch.

Linlithgow Rose are four-time winners of the Scottish Junior Cup. Last weekend they won the East of Scotland Cup, aka City Cup, beating The Spartans 3 – 0. Gordon Herd has been their manager since 2021.

Morton have signed Australian striker Jayden Gorman, late of Dubai FC. And 18-year-old midfielder Joey O’Toole from Jersey. [Sam Murdoch has been recalled from Annan Athletic.]

The objective in the group stage is to win your group, or else to be one of the three best second-place finishers, which usually involves earning 9 points with a good goal difference. In the present era Morton have advanced to the next round four times in ten attempts, twice without having beaten the group’s Premiership side.

Group F matches today:
Morton [0 – 1] Linlithgow Rose
Inverness CT [1 – 1] East Fife [ICT win on PK]
St Johnstone are off.

Group F standings after these matches:

Other matches: Oakley United 1 – 1 St Andrews United (friendly) (July 7)
Blantyre Victoria 3 – 1 Carluke Rovers (friendly) (July 8)
Irvine Victoria 0 – 0 Greenock Juniors (friendly) (July 8)
Largs Thistle 2 – 2 Kilmarnock U19 (friendly) (July 8)
HFX Wanderers 1 – 3 Toronto FC (friendly) (July 9) Because they’re both out of the Canadian Championship.
Kilsyth Rangers 4 – 1 Kilsyth Athletic (friendly) (yesterday)
Babelsberg [1 – 4] St Pauli (friendly)
Dumbarton [0 – 4] St Mirren (at Coatbridge)
Pumpherston [0 – 4] Carluke Rovers (friendly)
Broxburn Athletic [1 – 2] Clydebank (friendly)
Largs Thistle [3 – 1] Thornton Hibs (friendly)
Port Glasgow [3 – 3] Neilston (friendly)
Cambuslang Milan AFC [0 – 3] Greenock High School Former Pupils AFC
Scrosoppi [2 – 1] Sudbury Cyclones
Hokkaido Tokachi Sky Earth [2 – 1] BTOP Hokkaido (tomorrow)
Malmö [4 – 0] Göteborg (tomorrow)
Montreal Roses [1 – 0] Halifax Tides (tomorrow)
Ti-Cats [7 – 38] Saskatchewan Roughriders (tomorrow)

Stirlingshire Cup final (July 7):
Stenhousemuir 2 – 0 Alloa Athletic

Canadian Championship, QF, leg 1:
CS Saint-Laurent 1 – 1 Forge (July 8)
Vancouver Whitecaps 4 – 1 Cavalry (July 8)
Vancouver FC 1 – 2 CF Montréal (July 8)
Supra 3 – 1 Atlético Ottawa (July 8)

Canadian Championship, QF, leg 2:
CF Montréal [2 – 1] Vancouver FC (July 12) [CF Montréal advance.]
Forge [2 – 1] CS Saint-Laurent (July 12) [Forge advance.]
Cavalry [1 – 1] Vancouver Whitecaps (July 13) [Whitecaps advance.]
The Ottawa/Supra game will be played August 11.

CS Saint-Laurent’s captain is Cédric Toussaint, formerly of York United, Pacific FC and Grulla Morioka.

2026-27 UEFA Champions League, 1QR, leg 1 (July 7):
Floriana (Malta) 2 – 0 Shamrock Rovers
Tre Fiori (San Marino) 0 – 1 Larne
Sabah (Azerbaijan) 2 – 0 The New Saints

2026-27 UEFA Europa League, 1QR, leg 1 (July 9):
CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria) 3 – 2 Derry City

2026-27 UEFA Conference League, 1QR, leg 1 (mostly July 9):
Bohemians 2 – 0 St Joseph’s (Gibraltar)
Glentoran 1 – 2 RFS (Latvia)
Kalju (Estonia) 1 – 0 Linfield
Caernarfon Town 0 – 5 Levadia Tallinn (Estonia)
Connah’s Quay Nomads 0 – 0 Ballkani (Kosovo) (July 8)
Penybont 0 – 1 FC Santa Coloma (Andorra)