2018–19 Swiss Challenge League
Football league season
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The 2018–19 Swiss Challenge League (referred to as the Brack.ch Challenge League for sponsoring reasons) was the 16th season of the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of competitive football in Switzerland, under its current name. The season started on 20 July 2018 and ended on 26 May 2019.[1] The winter break was scheduled between 16 December 2018 and 1 February 2019.
| Season | 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Servette |
| Promoted | Servette |
| Relegated | Rapperswil-Jona |
| Europa League | Vaduz |
| Matches | 170 |
| Goals | 496 (2.92 per match) |
| Highest scoring | Servette 5–3 Rapperswil-Jona |
← 2017–18 2019–20 →
All statistics correct as of 16 May 2019. | |
Participating teams
A total of 10 teams participated in the league. 2017–18 Swiss Challenge League champions Neuchâtel Xamax were promoted to the 2018–19 Swiss Super League. They were replaced by FC Lausanne-Sport, who got relegated after finishing last-placed in the 2017–18 Swiss Super League. FC Wohlen was relegated after finishing 10th. They were replaced by SC Kriens, who won promotion from the 2017–18 Swiss Promotion League.
Stadia and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC Aarau | Aarau | Stadion Brügglifeld | 8,000 |
| FC Chiasso | Chiasso | Stadio Comunale Riva IV | 5,000 |
| SC Kriens | Kriens | Stadion Kleinfeld | 5,360 |
| FC Lausanne-Sport | Lausanne | Stade olympique de la Pontaise | 15,850 |
| FC Rapperswil-Jona | Rapperswil-Jona | Stadion Grünfeld | 2,500 |
| Servette FC | Geneva | Stade de Genève | 30,084 |
| FC Schaffhausen | Schaffhausen | LIPO Park Schaffhausen | 8,200 |
| FC Vaduz |  Vaduz | Rheinpark Stadion | 7,584 |
| FC Wil 1900 | Wil | IGP Arena | 6,958 |
| FC Winterthur | Winterthur | Schützenwiese | 8,550 |
Personnel
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Servette (C, P) | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 90 | 37 | +53 | 79 | Promotion to 2019–20 Swiss Super League |
| 2 | Aarau | 36 | 19 | 7 | 10 | 63 | 46 | +17 | 64 | Qualification for the promotion/relegation play-offs |
| 3 | Lausanne | 36 | 16 | 15 | 5 | 64 | 36 | +28 | 63 | |
| 4 | Winterthur | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 57 | 51 | +6 | 56 | |
| 5 | Wil | 36 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 33 | 47 | −14 | 42 | |
| 6 | Vaduz[a] | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 48 | 70 | −22 | 42 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 7 | Schaffhausen | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 43 | 62 | −19 | 39 | |
| 8 | Kriens | 36 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 46 | 58 | −12 | 36 | |
| 9 | Chiasso | 36 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 43 | 67 | −24 | 36 | |
| 10 | Rapperswil-Jona (R) | 36 | 10 | 5 | 21 | 47 | 59 | −12 | 35 | Relegation to 2019–20 Swiss Promotion League |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Draw.[2]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Vaduz qualified for the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League as winners of the 2018–19 Liechtenstein Cup.
Results
First and Second Round |
Third and Fourth Round
|
Awards
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season |  Miroslav Stevanović |
Servette FC |
| Position | Player | Nationality | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Jérémy Frick |  Switzerland |
Servette FC |
| Defender | Per-Egil Flo |  Norway |
FC Lausanne-Sport |
| Defender | Nikki Havenaar |  Japan |
FC Wil |
| Defender | Steve Rouiller | Switzerland |
Servette FC |
| Defender | Anthony Sauthier | Switzerland |
Servette FC |
| Midfielder | Davide Callà | Switzerland |
FC Winterthur |
| Midfielder | Philipp Muntwiler | Switzerland |
FC Vaduz |
| Midfielder | Miroslav Stevanović | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Servette FC |
| Midfielder | Sébastien Wüthrich | Switzerland |
Servette FC |
| Forward | Miguel Castroman | Switzerland |
FC Schaffhausen |
| Forward | Nico Siegrist | Switzerland |
SC Kriens |
Promotion play-offs
Ninth placed team of 2018–19 Swiss Super League, Xamax, faced Aarau, the runner-up of 2018–19 Swiss Challenge League.
First leg
Second leg
Neuchâtel Xamax won on penalties after drawing 4–4 on aggregate and will stay in the Swiss Super League.