The Challenge League (known as the Dieci Challenge League for sponsorship reasons) is the second-highest tier of the Swiss football league system and lower of two professional leagues in the country. 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.
Overview The Challenge League is played over 36 rounds from the end of July to May, with a winter break from mid-December to the first week of February. Each team plays each other four times, twice at home and twice away, in a round-robin.
The bottom team will be relegated to the Promotion League and replaced by the respective champion for the next season. The club finishing in 2nd place will compete against the ninth-placed team of the Super League in a promotion play-off over two games, home and away, for a spot in the succeeding tournament.
History
+ Previous names Years German French Italian 1898–1922 Serie B 1922–1930 Serie Promotion 1930–31 Zweite Liga 2e Ligue Seconda Lega 1931–1944 Erste Liga 1e Ligue Prima Lega 1944–2003 Nationalliga B Ligue Nationale B Lega Nazionale B 2003–present2008–092012–20212021–present Challenge LeagueDosenbach Challenge Leaguebrack.ch Challenge Leaguedieci Challenge League
Serie B and Serie Promotion
The Serie B was first carried out in 1898. In the year before, Genevan newspaper La Suisse Sportive organized the first unofficial Swiss Championship, where the Coupe Ruinart was awarded to Grasshopper Club Zürich. The first Serie B was competed for this same cup. The final game was held between Cantonal Lausanne, FC Bern, and Vereinigte St. Gallen, with Cantonal Lausanne beating first FC Bern 2-0 and then Vereinigte St. Gallen 3-2 to win the championship. In the 1900-01 season, Serie B winner Fortuna Basel were the first team to be promoted to the Serie A. In the following two seasons, the second teams of Grasshopper Club Zürich and FC Zürich won the Serie B and thus no teams were promoted. The Serie B was held under this name until 1922. However, records of these times are spotty at best.
In 1922, the league was renamed to Serie Promotion and was split into three regions East, West, and Central with each region further subdivided into two groups. The respective regional group winners played a final game and the three regional champions qualified for the final round. While won the first Serie Promotion, all three participants of the final round were promoted to the Serie A. In the following seasons, regional Serie B champions played relegation/promotion playoffs against the last placed of the regional leagues in the Serie A. This format would persist until the 1929–30 season.
Starting in 1930, both Serie A and B were renamed to First and Second League, respectively, and in the season after the Second League become the First League (as the previous First League became known as the National League). These name changes came as a push to create the aforementioned National League, which no longer would be split into regional groups. This reorganization was finally realized for the 1933–34 season, however the First League maintained regional groups. The league was split into a western and eastern group, except in the 1939/40 season where five regional groups were created due to the World War.
National League B Era
Starting with the 1944–45 season, the National League B (NLB) was created. Fourteen teams, the top seven teams of both groups in the 1943–44 season, minus champions AC Bellinzona, plus the relegated FC Luzern, would participate in the inaugural season. Initially, the top two of the league were promoted, while the bottom two were relegated. In the 1976–77 season, the number of teams was increased to sixteen. After the number of teams was reverted in 1979, the number of teams was increased again in 1981. This increase was also mirrored by the National League A.
For the 1986–87 season, playoffs between the top four of the NLB and the bottom four of the NLA were played, with only two of them getting promoted, as the NLA would reduce the number of teams to twelve for the next season. At the same time the NLB was increased to 24 teams, split once again into two regional groups. Furthermore, the seasons were also split into two stages: a qualifying stage and promotion/relegation stage. During the promotion/relegation stage, the bottom four teams of the NLA would be joined by the top six of both groups. These sixteen teams were once again split into two groups and the top two of both groups would gain promotion to the NLA. For relegation, the bottom six teams of either group were shuffled into two groups, where the bottom two of both groups are relegated to the First League.
The number of teams in the NLB was reduced to 20 in 1993 and further reduced to 16 in 1994. Starting with the 1995–96 season, the NLB was once again reunited and slimmed down to twelve teams. The promotion/relegation and relegation playoffs would also no longer be split into two groups. Both playoffs would be played in a round-robin group with eight teams, with the top four promoted/remaining in the NLA and NLB, respectively. Bottom four would be relegated/remain in the NLB or First League, respectively.
Challenge League Era At the beginning of the 21st century, further format changes to the top Swiss leagues were suggested. Starting with the 2003-04 season, the league was renamed to Challenge League. Unlike the top league, the Super League, the Challenge League did not have a title sponsor at first, until the 2008-09 season which was named the Dosenbach Challenge League. The league would again be without a title sponsor for the following four season. Between 2013 and 2021, it was named brack.ch Challenge League and since the 2021–22 season it is called the dieci Challenge League.
The number of participants has fluctuated since the renaming of the league. Initially, the Challenge League had 17 participants, but in the following season it was increased to 18. To make the league more attractive to viewers, it was reduced again to 16 participants in 2008 and then further down to ten in 2012. This last reduction came as a result of the creation of the Promotion League. Similarly, the number of teams relegated and promoted to and from the former First League (later Promotion League) had also fluctuated. With the new Promotion League, it has been a simple 1-up 1-down promotion/relegation format between Challenge League and Promotion League.
Promotion to the Super League had also been restructured along with the name changes. The old promotion/relegation playoffs were scrapped and replaced with the simpler 1-up 1-down format. Between 2003 and 2012, the second placed team of the Challenge League would also play a two-legged promotion/relegation playoff against the second-to-last team of the Super League. This playoff was dropped in 2012 and later reintroduced for the 2018–19 season.
Clubs Current season
Team Foundation Hometown Venue Capacity FC Aarau 1902-05-26 Aarau Stadion Brügglifeld 8,000 AC Bellinzona 1904 Bellinzona Stadio Comunale 5,000 Étoile Carouge 1904-07-01 Carouge Stade de la Fontenette 3,600 Neuchâtel Xamax 1912 Neuchâtel Stade de la Maladière 12,000Rapperswil-Jona 1928 Rapperswil Stadion Grünfeld 2,500 Stade Lausanne Ouchy 1901 Lausanne Stade Olympique 15,850 Stade Nyonnais 1905 Nyon Stade de Colovray 7,200 FC Vaduz 1932-02-14 Vaduz Rheinpark Stadion 7,584 FC Wil 1900 Wil Sportpark Bergholz 6,010 Yverdon Sport 1897 Yverdon-les-Bains Stade Municipal 6,600
Promotion/relegation from 2024–25 season
FC Thun is promoted to the Super League as champions of 2024–25 Swiss Challenge League Yverdon-Sport FC is relegated from Super League as last placed team FC Aarau remains in the Challenge League as the losers of promotion play-off FC Rapperswil-Jona are promoted as the champions of 2024–25 Promotion League FC Schaffhausen are relegated to Promotion League as last placed team
Results
Nationalliga B Era
Season League Winner Promoted from playoffs/Promoted as runners up Teams Relegated 1960–61FC LuganoFC SchaffhausenNeuchâtel XamaxNordstern Basel 1961–62FC ChiassoFC SionFC Martigny-SportsFC Yverdon-Sports 1962–63FC SchaffhausenNeuchâtel XamaxFC Fribourg 1963–64FC LuganoAC BellinzonaEtoile Carouge FCFC Vevey-Sports 05 1964–65Urania Genève SportYoung Fellows ZürichFC BernFC Schaffhausen 1965–66FC WinterthurFC PorrentruyNeuchâtel Xamax 1966–67FC LuzernAC BellinzonaBlue Stars Zürich 1967–68FC WinterthurFC St.GallenFC Bern 1968–69FC WettingenFC FribourgFC BadenFC Solothurn 1969–70FC SionFC LuzernFC Thun 1970–71FC St.GallenFC GrenchenYoung Fellows ZürichUrania Genève Sport 1971–72FC ChiassoFC FribourgFC MontheyUS Gambarogno 1972–73Neuchâtel XamaxCS ChênoisSC BrühlSC Buochs 1973–74FC LuzernFC Vevey-Sports 05Young Fellows Zürich 1974–75FC Biel-BienneFC La Chaux-de-FondsFC GiubiascoMendrisiostar 1975–76AC Bellinzona-FC Martigny-SportsFC Wettingen 1976–77Étoile Carouge FCYoung Fellows ZürichMendrisiostar 1977–78Nordstern BaselFC ChiassoFC GossauFC Bulle 1978–79FC La Chaux-de-FondsFC LuzernFC LuganoÉtoile Carouge FCYoung Fellows Zürich 1979–80AC BellinzonaNordstern BaselFC Baden 1980–81FC Vevey-Sports 05FC AarauFC BulleSC Kriens 1981–82FC WinterthurFC WettingenFC Frauenfeld 1982–83FC La Chaux-de-FondsFC ChiassoFC BernFC IbachFC Rüti ZH 1983–84SC ZugFC WinterthurFC FribourgFC Nordstern BaselFC Red Star Zürich 1984–85FC GrenchenFC BadenMendrisiostarFC Yverdon-SportsFC Monthey 1985–86FC LocarnoAC BellinzonaFC ZugFC Laufen 1986–87FC GrenchenNoneSC Kriens 1987–88Étoile Carouge FC (West)FC Lugano (East)FC WettingenFC LuganoFC SolothurnFC Vevey-Sports 05FC Wangen bei Olten 1988–89FC Yverdon-Sports (West)FC Basel (East)FC ZürichFC Biel-BienneRenens FCUrania Genève Sport 1989–90FC Fribourg (West)FC Baden (East)FC ZürichFC Martigny-SportsFC Zug 1990–91FC Yverdon-Sports (West)FC Locarno (South & East)NoneCS ChênoisFC Montreux-Sports 1991–92FC Basel (West)FC Schaffhausen (South & East)FC ChiassoES MalleySC Zug 1992–93FC Yverdon-Sports (West)FC Luzern (East)FC LuzernSC KriensFC Yverdon-SportsFC WettingenFC Châtel-St-DenisSC Bümpliz 78FC EmmenbrückeFC ChurFC La Chaux-de-Fonds 1993–94Étoile Carouge FC (West)FC Schaffhausen (East)FC BaselFC St. GallenBSC Old BoysFC BulleUrania Genève SportFC ChiassoFC MontheyFC Fribourg 1994–95FC Yverdon-Sports (West)SC Kriens (East)NoneAC BellinzonaFC Grenchen 1995–96SC KriensNoneFC ChiassoFC Naters 1996–97Étoile Carouge FCÉtoile Carouge FCSC KriensFC GossauFC Meyrin 1997–98BSC Young BoysFC LuganoBSC Young BoysFC WinterthurSV Schaffhausen 1998–99FC WilSR DelémontFC Yverdon-SportsFC LocarnoFC Chiasso 1999–2000AC BellinzonaFC SionStade NyonnaisFC Schaffhausen 2000–01BSC Young BoysBSC Young BoysFC Wangen bei OltenFC Solothurn 2001–02FC Wil 1900FC Wil 1900FC ThunFC LocarnoÉtoile Carouge FC 2002–03FC VaduzNoneFC Lugano1FC Lausanne-Sport1FC Sion1
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: Year 1st Position 2nd Position Playoff result Relegated 2003–04 Schaffhausen Vaduz Neuchâtel Xamax 2:0 Vaduz Vaduz 2:1 Neuchâtel Xamax
Neuchâtel Xamax won 3:2 on aggregate Delémont 2004–05 Yverdon-Sport Vaduz Schaffhausen 1:1 Vaduz Vaduz 0:1 Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen won 2:1 on aggregate BadenBulle 2005–06 Luzern Sion Sion 0:0 Neuchâtel Xamax Neuchâtel Xamax 0:3 Sion
Sion won 3:0 on aggregate BadenMeyrin 2006–07 Neuchâtel Xamax Bellinzona Bellinzona 1:2 Aarau Aarau 3:1 Bellinzona
Aarau won 5:2 on aggregate BaulmesYF Juventus 2007–08 Vaduz Bellinzona Bellinzona 3:2 St. Gallen St. Gallen 0:2 Bellinzona
Bellinzona won 5:2 on aggregate Delémont KriensChiasso Cham 2008–09 St. Gallen Lugano Lugano 1:0 Luzern Luzern 5:0 Lugano