The competition was contested by the 38 member clubs of the Northern Ireland Football League, commencing on 19 August 2023 with the preliminary round and concluding with the final on 10 March 2024.
[1] Linfield were the defending champions after defeating Coleraine 2–0 in the 2023 final to win the competition for a record 11th time.
This season, Linfield successfully retained the cup following a 3–1 victory over second-tier side Portadown in the final.
The competition was open to the 38 members of the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL).
The league tier of each club at the time of entering the competition is listed in parentheses.
The top 16 league clubs from the previous season were seeded in this round in order to avoid drawing each other.