Swiss Challenge League
 | |
| Founded | 1898 as Swiss Serie B[1] 1933 as Nationalliga B[2] |
|---|---|
| Country | Switzerland |
| Other club(s) from | Liechtenstein |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Super League |
| Relegation to | Promotion League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Swiss Cup |
| Current champions | Grasshoppers (1st title) (2020–21) |
| Website | Official Site |
| Current: 2021–22 season | |
The Challenge League is the second-highest tier of the Swiss football league system and lower of two professional leagues in the country.[3] Ten teams play in the Challenge League; the winners of the league are promoted to the Super League, while the bottom-placed team is relegated to the Promotion League.
2021–22 clubs[]
| Team | Foundation | Hometown | Venue | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Aarau | 26/05/1902 |  Aarau |
Stadion Brügglifeld | 8.000 |
| SC Kriens | 01/07/1944 | Kriens |
Kleinfeld | 5.360 |
| FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy | 2001 | Lausanne |
Stade Olympique de la Pontaise | 8.500 |
| Neuchâtel Xamax FCS | 1912 | Neuchâtel |
Stade de la Maladière | 12.000 |
| FC Schaffhausen | 01/07/1896 | Schaffhausen |
LIPO Park Schaffhausen | 8.085 |
| FC Thun | 04/05/1898 | Thun |
Stockhorn Arena | 10.000 |
| FC Vaduz | 14/02/1932 |  Vaduz |
Rheinpark Stadion | 7.584 |
| FC Wil 1900 | 1900 | Wil |
Sportpark Bergholz | 6.010 |
| FC Winterthur | 01/07/1896 | Winterthur |
Schützenwiese | 9.450 |
| Yverdon-Sport FC | 1948 | Yverdon-les-Bains |
Stade Municipal | 6.600 |
Promotion/Relegation from 2020–21 season[]
- FC Vaduz (10th) was relegated from the Swiss Super League.
- Grasshopper Club Zürich was promoted to the Swiss Super League.
- FC Chiasso was relegated to the Promotion League.
- Yverdon-Sport FC was promoted from the Promotion League.
History[]
The league was named Nationalliga B until 2003 when it was restructured and changed to the "Challenge League."
During the Nationalliga B era, the top clubs were "promoted" into a round robin playoff with the lowest teams in the Nationalliga A to determine promotion and relegation. From 2003 to 2012, the second placed team entered a two-legged playoff against the 9th placed team in the Super League, with the winner playing in the higher division next season. In 2012, with the creation of the 1. Liga Promotion (later renamed Promotion League), the league was reduced to 10 teams in a 1-up 1-down promotion/relegation format, scrapping the playoff. The playoff was reintroduced in 2019.
Nationalliga B Era[]
1 FC Lugano and FC Lausanne-Sport went bankrupt which meant that no team was relegated due to their league position. FC Sion were not awarded a license for the 2003–04 season resulted in an extra team being promoted.
Challenge League Era[]
The league statistics of the Challenge League era:[4][5]
| 1Sion were admitted to the league on October 29, 2003, after the season had already begun which brought the number of teams in the division to 17. Only one club was relegated and two were promoted to extend the league to 18 clubs for the 2004–05 season. 2Baden were not relegated due to Servette being demoted to 1. Liga because of financial difficulties.
|
See also[]
- Sports league attendances
References[]
- ^ Swiss Serie B RSSSF
- ^ Swiss Football League - Nationalliga B RSSSF
- ^ "Live Sport und News". sport.ch. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
- ^ "Schweiz » Challenge League » Siegerliste" [Switzerland: Challenge League » List of champions] (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ^ "Schweiz » Challenge League 2015/2016 » 36. Spieltag" [Switzerland: Challenge League »2015–16] (in German). Weltfussball.de. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
External links[]
| Football in Switzerland | |||||
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| National teams |
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| League system |
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| Domestic cups |
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| Others | |||||
- Swiss Challenge League
- Sports leagues established in 1897
- Football leagues in Switzerland
- Second level football leagues in Europe
- Professional sports leagues in Switzerland