It was competed for by 32 clubs, which included the 30 members of the Scottish Football League, and for the first time the top two clubs of the Highland Football League.
The defending champions were Ross County, who defeated Queen of the South in the 2010 final but were knocked out in the first round by Third Division side Elgin City.
[1] The tournament winners were Falkirk, who defeated Hamilton Academical in the final with Darren Dods scoring the only goal of the match in the 2nd minute.
[2] Source: The Scottish Football League Source: The Scottish Football League Last updated: 9 August 2011Source: The Scottish Football League The quarter-final draw was conducted on 11 August 2011 at 2:00pm in a Ramsdens outlet in The Forge Shopping Centre, Glasgow.
[3] The draw for the semi-finals of the Challenge cup took place at 2:00 pm on 7 September 2011, at Hampden Park, Glasgow.