Football Club Lugano is a Swiss professional football club based in Lugano. The club was refounded as AC Lugano in 2004 as a result of relegation and the financial situation of FC Lugano, which was founded in 1908. In 2008, the club reverted to its original name, FC Lugano. They play at the AIL Arena. They have played in what is now the Swiss Super League during the periods of 1922–53, 1954–60, 1961–63, 1964–76, 1979–80, 1988–97, 1998–02, and from 2015 until present.

History

Football Club Lugano was formed on 28 July 1908 under the leadership of then-president Ernesto Corsini. Promotion to the highest Swiss Super League came for the first time in 1922, and after several years of relegations and promotions, the team won its first Swiss Cup in 1931. The following decade, FC Lugano was able to win 3 national titles (1938, 1941 and 1949).

For the first fifty years of its existence, Lugano played at the Campo Marzio – which opened on 13 September 1908 – but its success prompted the city to build a new stadium, and so on 26 August 1951, the Cornaredo Stadium was inaugurated, which has a capacity of 15,000.

In 1968, Lugano won the Swiss Cup and hence the team participated in the Cup Winners' Cup. Two years later the team took part in the UEFA Cup.

In 1993, Lugano won its third Cup against Grasshoppers, later participating in the Cup Winners' Cup, in which it reached second qualifying round. In the 1995–96 season, Lugano participated in the UEFA Cup, eliminating Jeunesse Hautcharage in the first round and Inter Milan in the second.

The club was declared bankrupt in 2003 and forcibly removed from the league. Due to the bankruptcy, the team was renamed AC Lugano and fielded under-21 players, having been forced to sell or release the senior team to pay off the club's debts. In 2004, the club merged with Malcantone Agno, and it was decided that Lugano would re-enter the Swiss football system in the Swiss Challenge League. Morotti Joseph, the president of Malcantone Agno, was entrusted with the leadership of the new club.

In 2007, the company was bought by a group led by Giambattista Pastorello. Luido Bernasconi became the new president. On 4 June 2008, the club's centenary year, the general meeting of shareholders voted on a name change. The historical name of Football Club Lugano was reinstated. In 2015 FC Lugano was promoted to the Swiss Super League.

On 18 August 2021, it was announced that American billionaire and owner of the Chicago Fire FC, Joe Mansueto, had purchased FC Lugano and that the Fire and FC Lugano were to work together as sister clubs. On 1 September 2021, assistant coach Mattia Croci-Torti took over coaching duties at the club, replacing Abel Braga. The first season under new ownership would immediately prove successful, as they were able to win their first title after 29 years, winning the 2021–22 Swiss Cup. A year later, they failed to defend the cup title, losing 2–3 in the exciting final to Swiss champions Young Boys.

The 2025–26 season has been the last played at Cornaredo stadium. Following its conclusion, FC Lugano relocates to the newly built AIL Arena, situated next to the existing stadium, which is scheduled for demolition.

European record Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate 1968–69 European Cup Winners' Cup First round Barcelona 0–1 0–3 0–4 1971–72 UEFA Cup First round Legia Warsaw 1–3 0–0 1–3 1993–94 European Cup Winners' Cup Qualifying round Neman Grodno 5–0 1–2 6–2 First round Real Madrid 1–3 0–3 1–6 1995–96 UEFA Cup Preliminary round Jeunesse Esch 4–0 0–0 4–0 First round Inter Milan 1–1 1–0 2–1 Second round Slavia Prague 1–2 0–1 1–3 2001–02 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round Shakhtar Donetsk 2–1 0–3 2–4 2002–03 UEFA Cup Qualifying round FK Ventspils 1–0 0–3 1–3 2017–18 UEFA Europa League Group G Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1–0 1–2 3rd FCSB 1–2 2–1 Viktoria Plzeň 3–2 1–4 2019–20 UEFA Europa League Group B Dynamo Kyiv 0–0 1–1 4th Copenhagen 0–1 0–1 Malmö FF 0–0 1–2 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League Third qualifying round Hapoel Be'er Sheva 0–2 1–3 1–52023–24 UEFA Europa League Play-off round Union Saint-Gilloise 0–1 0–2 0–3 UEFA Europa Conference League Group D Club Brugge 1–3 0–2 4th Bodø/Glimt 0–0 2–5 Beşiktaş 0–2 3–22024–25 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round Fenerbahçe 3–4 1–2 4–6UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round Partizan 2–2 1–0 3–2 Play-off round Beşiktaş 3–3 1–5 4–8 UEFA Europa Conference League League Phase HJK 3–0 – 6th Mladá Boleslav – 1–0 TSC – 1–4 Gent 2–0 – Legia Warsaw – 2–1 Pafos 2–2 – Round of 16 Celje 5–4 0–1 5–5 2025–26 UEFA Europa League Second qualifying round CFR Cluj 0–0 0–1 0–1 UEFA Conference League Third qualifying round Celje 0–5 4–2 4–72026–27UEFA Conference LeagueSecond qualifying round Dukagjini1–05–16–1Third qualifying round NSÍ2–02–24–2Play-off round Maccabi Tel Aviv2–11–13–2

Players Current squad

Out on loan

Honours Swiss Super League Champions (3): 1937–38, 1940–41, 1948–49 Runners-up (6): 1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46, 1994–95, 2000–01, 2023–24 Swiss Cup Winners (4): 1930–31, 1967–68, 1992–93, 2021–22 Runners-up (7): 1942–43, 1951–52, 1970–71, 1991–92, 2015–16, 2022–23, 2023–24 Swiss Challenge League Winners (4): 1960–61, 1963–64, 1987–88, 2014–15 Runners-up (5): 1978–79, 1997–98, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2013–14 Swiss Super League Fair Play Awards (1): 2021–22

Former coaches

1937–41: József Winkler 1947–50: Béla Volentik 1951–52: Tullio Grassi 1952–53: Béla Volentik 1953–55: Béla Sárosi 1957–58: Ragnar Larsen 1959–60: Tullio Grassi 1962–63: György Sárosi 1970–71: Albert Sing 1971–73: Otto Luttrop 1973–74: Otto Luttrop 1974–75: Alfredo Foni 1976–77: Alfredo Foni 1977–79: Oscar Massei 1979–80: Istvan Szabo 1980–81: Antun Rudinski 1983–85: Otto Luttrop 1992–94: Karl Engel 1997–98: Karl Engel 1999: Enzo Trossero 1999–2000: Giuliano Sonzogni 2002–03: Pierluigi Tami 2004–05: Vladimir Petković 2007–10: Simone Boldini 2010–11: Marco Schällibaum 2011–12: Francesco Moriero 2012–13: Raimondo Ponte 2013: Sandro Salvioni 2013–15: Livio Bordoli 2015–16: Zdeněk Zeman 2016: Andrea Manzo 2016–17: Paolo Tramezzani 2017–18: Pierluigi Tami 2018: Guille Abascal 2018–19: Fabio Celestini 2019–21: Maurizio Jacobacci 2021: Abel Braga 2021–present: Mattia Croci-Torti

Coaching staff

Position NameOwner Joe MansuetoChairman Philippe RegazzoniCEO Martin BlaserChief Sports Officer Sebastian PlezerChief People & Culture Officer Emanuela FuocoChief Financial Officer Michele CampanaChief Marketing & Communications Officer Andrea RubertiChief Revenue Officer Giovanni Di StefanoMedia & Corporate Relations Marzio MelliniTeam coordinator Riccardo RigamontiHead coach Mattia Croci-TortiAssistant coaches Piercesare Gallo Saverio ValentiniGoalkeeper coach Enrico RossiFitness coach Mirko AntonelliMatch analyst Salvatore ColucciPerformance coach Andrea GiudiciTeam doctors Dr. Giuseppe Montini Dr. Giampaolo Golinucci Physiotherapists Nicolò Giovanninni Vittorio Silvestri Francesco Vialli Pietro Simonetti

References

External links