The Camanachd Cup is the premier shinty competition. Established in 1896, the prestigious trophy is awarded annually. The final is the pinnacle of the dedication, skill and passion displayed in Scotland’s most historic sport.

The national competition is a highly contested and culminates in the showpiece final played every September.

The winning captain is presented with the prestigious trophy, upon which a shinty player is crafted in silver – based on the Kingussie legend Jock Dallas. The original trophy was retired after the 2023 final at 127 years old, and has been replaced by a replica to preserve its status in shaping the history of the sport. The original trophy now resides in the renovated Inverness Castle, with the new trophy making its debut in the 2024 final. The man of the match in the final is presented with the Albert Smith Medal by the Smith family, with the most recent award going to Ruaridh Anderson of Kingussie.

Newtonmore hold the record for the most final wins, with the most recent of their 35 triumphs coming in 2025 after a famous Badenoch Derby victory over Kingussie. The second most successful team are Kingussie, who defeated Lovat 3-2 at An Aird to lift their 3rd consecutive, and 26^th overall title. Kyles Athletic are the third most successful club in the competition with 21 wins, whilst the domination of the competition by Fort William in the mid 2000’s places them in fourth with 6 wins.

Until 1983, the final was competed for on a north-south basis, until an open draw was implemented, leading to the first ever all north final in 1984, as eternal rivals Newtonmore and Kingussie met each other in the final for the first of 7 times.

The location of the final rotates annually; the 2024 final took place at An Aird in Fort William, whilst the Bught Park in Inverness, Mossfield Park in Oban, and The Dell in Kingussie also play host to the final. The final is broadcast every year on BBC Scotland, a partnership spanning back to 1958 when TV cameras first covered the Camanachd Cup Final. The 1976 edition was broadcast on the BBC’s “Grandstand” sports programme, then watched by millions weekly.

The 2026 final will take place at Mossfield Stadium in Oban.