League Cup (Northern Ireland) 2025/26

The Northern Ireland Football League Cup, currently known as the BetMcLean Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a secondary domestic knockout competition in Northern Ireland football. Administered by the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) since 2013, the tournament sits as the third-most prestigious trophy in the country, trailing only the NIFL Premiership and the Irish Cup. It is restricted to member clubs from the top three tiers: the NIFL Premiership, the NIFL Championship, and the NIFL Premier Intermediate League.

The competition was founded in 1987 by the Irish League, the predecessor to the NIFL. In its current season, 38 clubs participate in a straight knockout format with no group stages. Entry begins with the 14 Premier Intermediate League clubs in the Preliminary Round, while the 16 highest-ranked teams from the Premiership and Championship are seeded in the First Round to avoid early clashes. All matches are decided by extra time and penalties if necessary, with no replays. The winner does not receive a European qualification berth.

Linfield holds the record for the most titles with 13 victories. Glentoran and Cliftonville are tied for second place with seven titles each. Other winners include Coleraine, Crusaders, Portadown, Ballymena United, Ards, Glenavon, Bangor, Lisburn Distillery, and Dungannon Swifts. In the 2024–25 season, Cliftonville defeated Glentoran 1–0 in the final. The current holder is Linfield, who won the 2025–26 edition.

Administration changes have seen the competition renamed from the Irish League Cup to the Northern Ireland Football League Cup in 2013. Previously it carried names such as the Roadferry Freight Cup, Wilkinson Sword Cup, Coca-Cola Cup, Co-operative Insurance Cup, Irn-Bru Cup, WASP Solutions Cup, and JBE Cup. The tournament was created primarily to generate revenue and provide additional fixtures for league clubs.