The Promotion League, named the Hoval Promotion League for sponsorship reasons, is the third tier of the Swiss football league system. Eighteen clubs compete in the league, playing each other twice over course of the season. The champions are promoted to the second tier, the Challenge League, while the bottom two teams are relegated to the 1st League Classic.
The league forms the semi-professional bridge to amateur football.
Overview Eighteen teams play each other twice, once home and once away, for a total of 34 games. The season begins in August and ends in May, interrupted through a winter break from late November to early March.
The team finishing in first place—subject to license requirements of professional football—will be promoted to the division above, in turn the last-placed team of the second division will be relegated for the following season. Similarly, the bottom two teams are relegated to the fourth tier and replaced respectively.
It is the highest league in Switzerland that permits participation of reserve teams.
History The league was introduced as the 1. Liga Promotion beginning with the 2012–13 season as part of a restructuring that saw the Challenge League reduced from 16 to 10 teams. This was done to decrease the competitive gap between it and the Super League by converting it to a purely professional league. The Promotion League would therefore serve as the semi-professional link to amateur football. The 1. Liga was consequently renamed to 1. Liga Classic, before reverting again in 2013 when the former adopted its current name. For its maiden season, six teams were relegated from the Challenge League, while the rest joined from the division below. In March 2020, the ongoing season was canceled after 17 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020–21 season suspended until further notice.
The league was expanded to 18 teams for the 2022–23 season and the number of allowed U21 teams is unrestricted.
Clubs Current season
Club CantonLocationStadium CapacityFC Basel IIBaselStadion Rankhof Youth Campus Basel7,000 1,000FC BavoisBavoisStade de Peupliers1,000FC Biel-BienneBiel/BienneTissot Arena5,200FC Breitenrain BernBernSpitalacker1,500SC BrühlSt. GallenPaul-Grüninger-Stadion4,200FC BulleBulleStade de Bouleyres5,000SC ChamChamStadion Eizmoos1,800FC Grand-SaconnexLe Grand-SaconnexStade du Blanché1,000FC KreuzlingenKreuzlingenEC Technik Remu Arena1,200SC KriensKriensStadion Kleinfeld5,360FC Lausanne-Sport IILausanneStade du Bois-Gentil3,500FC Lugano IILuganoCornaredo Stadium6,330FC Luzern IILucerneSwissporarena Allmend Sud16,800 2,000FC ParadisoParadisoCampo Pian Scairolo1,000FC SchaffhausenSchaffhausenBerformance Arena8,200Vevey-SportsVeveyStade de Copet5,000BSC Young Boys IIBernStadion Wankdorf32,000FC Zürich IIZurichSportplatz Heerenschürli1,120
League champions The following teams have won the league: Season ClubAs 1. Liga Promotion2012–13FC Schaffhausen2013–14 FC Le MontAs Promotion League2014–15Neuchâtel Xamax2015–16Servette FC2016–17FC Rapperswil-Jona2017–18SC Kriens2018–19Stade Lausanne Ouchy2019–20None2020–21Yverdon-Sport FC2021–22AC Bellinzona2022–23FC Luzern II2023–24Étoile Carouge FC2024–25FC Rapperswil-Jona2025–26SC Kriens
References
External links
1. Liga Promotion tables & results at soccerway.com