The following is a summary of the 1996–97 season of competitive football in Switzerland.
Nationalliga A
Qualification phase
Championship group The first eight teams of the qualification phase competed in the Championship round. The teams took half of the points (rounded up to complete units) gained in the qualification as bonus with them.
Nationalliga B Qualification phase
Promotion/relegation group NLA/NLB The teams in the ninth to twelfth positions in Nationalliga A competed with the top four teams of Nationalliga B in a Nationalliga A/B promotion/relegation round.
Relegation group NLB/1. Liga The last eight teams of the qualification phase competed in the relegation group against relegation to the 1. Liga. The teams took half of the points (rounded up to complete units) gained in the qualification as bonus with them.
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1. Liga
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Promotion play-off Qualification round
Serrières win 4–3 on aggregate and continue to the finals.
Thun win 3–1 on aggregate and continue to the finals.
Tuggen win 8–1 on aggregate and continue to the finals.
SV Schaffhausen win 3–1 on aggregate and continue to the finals.
Final round
Thun win 2–1 on aggregate and are promoted to Nationalliga B.
4–4 on aggregate. SV Schaffhausen win on away goals and are promoted to Nationalliga B.
Relegation play-out First round
Bex continue to the final.
FC Dübendorf continue to the final.
Final round
Bex win 8–5 on aggregate. FC Dübendorf are relegated to 2. Liga.
Swiss Cup
Clubs that were playing in the European competitions were given a bye in round 4. The route of the finalists to the final: Round 4: Sion bye. Grenchen-Luzern 0–3 Round 5: FC Riehen-Sion 0–2. Lugano-Luzern 0–3. Round 6: Sion-Grasshopper Club 2–1. Monthey-Luzern 2–3. Quarter-finals: Sion-St. Gallen 5–0. Étoile Carouge-Luzern 0–6. Semi-finals: Sion-Fribourg 5–2. Luzern-FC Schaffhausen 2–1
Final
Swiss Clubs in Europe Grasshopper Club as 1995–96 Nationalliga A champions: 1996–97 Champions League qualifying round Sion as 1995–96 Swiss Cup winners: qualifying round of the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Xamax as third placed team in the league: qualifying round of the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Aarau as fourth placed team: qualifying round of the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Luzern: 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup Basel: 1996 UEFA Intertoto Cup Vaduz as 1995–96 Liechtenstein Cup winners: qualifying round of the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
Grasshopper Club Champions League
Qualifying round
Grasshopper won 6–0 on aggregate.
Group Stage / Group A
Table
Sion Cup Winners' Cup
Qualifying round
Sion won 4–2 on aggregate.
First round
Sion won 6–0 on aggregate.
Second round
Liverpool won 8–4 on aggregate.
Xamax UEFA Cup
Qualifaying round
Neuchâtel Xamax won 6–1 on aggregate.
First round
Neuchâtel Xamax won 2–1 on aggregate.
Second round
Helsingborg won 3–1 on aggregate.
Aarau UEFA Cup
Qualifaying round
Aarau won 4–2 on aggregate.
First round
Brøndby won 7–0 on aggregate.
Luzern Intertoto Cup
Group 6, matches
Table
Basel Intertoto Cup
Group 7, matches
Table
Vaduz Cup Winners' Cup
Qualifying round
2–2 on aggregate. Vaduz won 4–2 on penalties.
Round 1
Paris Saint-Germain won 7–0 on aggregate.
References
Sources Switzerland 1996–97 at RSSSF Switzerland Cup 1996–97 at RSSSF Cup finals at Fussball-Schweiz UEFA Intertoto Cup 1996 at RSSSF