The Challenge League football championship: a total of ten teams fight for promotion to the Swiss top flight year after year.

The most important in a nutshell

• • Since 2003, the Challenge League has been fighting for the title.
  • Previously, the league was called NLB.
  • These are the ten teams of the 2022/23 – Season .

In 36 rounds, the ten teams of the Challenge League compete against each other to crown the best team of the – Season . Here is an overview of the teams:

FC Aarau

FC Aarau is fighting for promotion back to the Super League. The club, founded in May 1902, won the Challenge League title in the 2013/14 – Season . As a result, Aarau was promoted to the highest Swiss football league. After two – Season s, the club was already relegated again.

The players of FC Aarau. – keystone

FC Aarau has won the Swiss championship title three times and the Challenge League title once since its founding.

Trainer: Stephan Keller Stadium: Stadium Brügglifeld, Aarau Challenge League title: 1 (2012/13)Greatest achievements: 3x Swiss Champion

FC Lausanne-Sport

FC Lausanne-Sport was founded in 1896 and is one of the traditional clubs in the country.

St. Gallen’s Kwadwo Duah, right, scores to make it 1-0 against Lausanne goalkeeper Thomas Castella. Lausanne has already been relegated to the Challenge League. – keystone

After the first-time 2003, the club went bankrupt and restarted in the 2nd division interregional. In 2012, 2017 and 2020, the Vaudois were relegated to the Super League. In the 2021/22 – Season , Lausanne had to bite the bullet again and go to the Challenge League.

In May, Vaud present their new coach Ludovic Magnin.

Challenge League adventure: Ludovic Magnin, new coach of FC Lausanne-Sportim Stade de la Tuiliere in Lausanne. (KEYSTONE/Jean-Christophe Bott) – keystone

Trainer: Ludovic Magnin (since 2022)
Stadium: Stade de la Tuilière
Best placement Challenge League: 1st place (2011/12, 2016/17, 2019/20)
Greatest achievements: 7x Swiss Champion (1913, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1944, 1951, 1965). 9x Swiss Cup Winner (1935, 1939, 1944, 1950, 1962, 1964, 1981, 1998, 1999).

Neuchâtel Xamax

Until the 2019/20 – Season , the team from Neuchâtel still played in the highest Swiss division. There, the team managed to win the Swiss championship title three times in history.

Raphaël Nuzzolo of Neuchâtel Xamax in action. – keystone

In the modern era, the team around Raphaël Nuzzolo managed to win the title in the second highest Swiss football league twice. After the 9th place in the last – Season , the Neuchâtel team wants to show a reaction.

Trainer: Andrea Binotto
Stadium: Stade de la Maladière
Challenge League title: 2 (last 2017/18)
Greatest achievements: 3x Swiss Champion

FC Schaffhausen

FC Schaffhausen was founded in 1896 – at an entertainment evening on the Munot – as the “Football Club Viktoria”. It is one of the oldest Swiss football clubs. There are only eight clubs still in existence today that were founded earlier.

FC Schaffhausen’s Augustin Gonzalez in action. – keystone

In the 2010/11 – Season , a low point in the club’s history followed for Schaffhausen with relegation to the 1. Liga. In the 2012/13 – Season , FCS succeeded in being promoted back to the Challenge League.

Trainer: Hakan Yakin
Stadium: Wefox Arena Schaffhausen
Challenge League title: 1 (2003/04)

Greatest success: Promotion NLA (1954/55)

Stade Lausanne-Ouchy

FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy was formed on July 1, 2000 from the merger of FC Stade Lausanne and FC Ouchy. The club is based in the Lausanne neighborhood of Ouchy. Lausanne-Ouchy has been playing in the Challenge League since 2019.

Zachary Hadji celebrates his goal in the Challenge League. – keystone

In 2015 and 2016, Lausanne missed out on promotion to the Promotion League. At the third attempt, promotion was achieved after victories against AC Bellinzona and Lancy FC. Two years later, the club was promoted to the second highest division.

Trainer: Meho Kodro

Stadium: Stade Olympique de la Pontaise

Best placement: 3rd place (2020/21)

Greatest success: Promotion to the Challenge League

FC Thun Bernese Oberland

FC Thun Oberland was founded in 1898. The club managed to qualify for the Uefa Champions League in 2005 and later reached the sixteenth final of the Europa League. In 1955 and 2019 they were in the national cup final.

FC Thun Berner Oberland players celebrate a goal. – Keystone

Since 2020, FC Thun has been playing in the Challenge League. Previously, they held since 2011 in the top Swiss football league. In 2010, the Thun managed two years after the relegation from the Super League the promotion again.

Trainer: Mauro Lustrinelli
Stadium: Stockhorn Arena
Challenge League title: 1 (2009/10)

Greatest success: Champions League qualification (2005/06)

FC Vaduz

As a member of the Liechtenstein and Swiss Football Associations, FC Vaduz belongs to two umbrella organizations at once. Founded in 1932, the football club has been playing in the Challenge League again since the 2021/2022 – Season .

FC Vaduz players cheer in the Challenge League. – Keystone

Promotion to Switzerland’s highest division in 2020 was followed by direct relegation. Previously, the Liechtenstein team played at the top from 2014 to 2017. FC Vaduz is the 47-time cup winner of Liechtenstein.

Trainer: Alessandro Mangiarratti
Stadium: Rhine Park Stadium
Challenge League title: 2 (last 2013/14)

Greatest achievements: 48x Liechtensteiner Cup / Multiple Super League participation

FC Wil

FC Wil was founded in 1900. In the 2001/02 – Season , the club from St.Gallen even managed to be promoted to the highest division. In 2004, Wil won the Swiss Cup, but at the same time was relegated to the second highest league, where the eastern Swiss have been playing ever since.

The players of FC Wil. – Wil – FC Wil

Some famous coaches started their career at FC Wil or made a stopover there. Among others Christian Gross from 1988 to 1993 or Hanspeter Latour and Marcel Koller around the turn of the millennium.

Trainer: Brunello Iacopetta
Stadium: Bergholz Sports Park
Best placement: 3rd place
Greatest achievements: Cup victory (2004) / Promotion NLA (2001/02)

AC Bellinzona

AC Bellinzona has been in existence since 1904. In 1948, the Ticino team won its only Swiss championship title to date. In addition, Bellinzona has reached the Cup Final three times, without winning any of them.

AC Bellinzona on their way to the Challenge League, here in the PL top match against Breitenrain. – Keystone

In 2013, Bellinzona went bankrupt and made a fresh start in the 2nd division regional. The Ticino club will now return to the Challenge League for the 2022/23 – Season .

Trainer: David Sesa
Stadium: Stadio Comunale
Best placement Challenge League: 1st place
Greatest achievements: 1x Swiss Champion (1948)

Yverdon Sport FC

The club was founded on 1 July 1948 by a merger of FC Yverdon, FC Concordia and the club White Star. The football club from the French-speaking part of Switzerland was promoted to the highest Swiss league for the third time in 2005. However, this was followed by direct relegation again.

Yverdon-Sport after the victory against FC Zurich in the Swiss Cup. – Keystone

In the 2016/2017 – Season , the team succeeded in being promoted to the Promotion League as 1st division champions. This was followed by promotion to the Challenge League in 2021.

Trainer: Marco Schällibaum
Stadium: Stade Municipal
Challenge League title: 1 (2004/05)
Greatest achievements: 3x promotion to Super League

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