2025–26 Swiss Challenge League
Football league season
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The 2025–26 Swiss Challenge League (referred to as the Dieci Challenge League for sponsoring reasons) is the 128th season of the second tier of competitive football in Switzerland and the 23rd season under its current name.
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 25 July 2025 – May 2026 |
| Champions | Vaduz (4th title) |
| Promoted | Vaduz |
| Relegated | Bellinzona |
| Conference League | Vaduz |
| Matches | 140 |
| Goals | 396 (2.83 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Shkelqim Demhasaj (Xamax, 16 goals) |
| Biggest home win | 6–0 Vaduz–Bellinzona (22 Aug '25) |
| Biggest away win | 1–5 Bellinzona–Xamax (2 Aug '25) 0–4 Rapperswil-Jona–Vaduz (12 Dec '25) 0–4 Bellinzona–Yverdon (27 Feb '26) |
| Highest scoring | 4–5 Nyon–Aarau (22 Aug '25) |
| Longest winning run | Vaduz (11) (rounds 9 to 19) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Vaduz (12) (rounds 8 to 19) |
| Longest winless run | Bellinzona (12) (rounds 1 to 12) Nyon (12) (rounds 15 to 26) |
| Longest losing run | Bellinzona (4) (rounds 9 to 12) Wil (4) (rounds 4 to 7) |
| Highest attendance | 7.186 Aarau–Vaduz (13 Mar '26) |
| Lowest attendance | 285 Bellinzona–Vaduz (21 Nov '25) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 6 April 2026. | |
Teams
On 24 May 2025, Rapperswil-Jona returned to the Challenge League after a 6-year absence.[1] On 22 May 2025, Yverdon-Sport, relegated from the Super League, returned to the second series after a two-year absence.[2] They replace last season's Challenge League champions Thun, who returned to the top flight after a 5-year absence, and Schaffhausen, who were relegated to the Swiss Promotion League after 12 seasons in the Challenge League.[3][4]
Team changes
| Promoted from 2024–25 Swiss Promotion League |
Relegated from 2024–25 Swiss Super League |
Promoted to 2025–26 Swiss Super League |
Relegated to 2025-26 Swiss Promotion League |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapperswil-Jona | Yverdon-Sport | Thun | Schaffhausen |
Stadia and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Aarau | Aarau | Stadion Brügglifeld | 8,000 | [5] |
| AC Bellinzona | Bellinzona | Stadio Comunale | 5,000 | [6] |
| Étoile Carouge FC | Carouge | Stade de la Fontenette | 3,600 | [7] |
| FC Stade Lausanne-Ouchy | Lausanne | Stade Olympique[a] | 15,850 | [9] |
| FC Rapperswil-Jona | Rapperswil-Jona | Stadion Grünfeld | 3,200 | |
| FC Stade Nyonnais | Nyon | Stade de Colovray | 7,200 | [10] |
| FC Vaduz |  Vaduz | Rheinpark Stadion | 7,584 | [11] |
| FC Wil 1900 | Wil | Lidl Arena | 6,958 | [12] |
| Neuchâtel Xamax | Neuchâtel | Stade de la Maladière | 11,997 | [13] |
| Yverdon-Sport | Yverdon | Stade Municipal | 4,200 | |
No. of teams |
Cantons | Team(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | ||
 Vaud | Lausanne Ouchy, Nyon, Yverdon-Sport | |
| 2 | ||
 St. Gallen | Rapperswil-Jona, Wil | |
| 1 | ||
 Aargau | Aarau | |
| Liechtenstein | Vaduz | |
 Geneva | Étoile Carouge | |
 Neuchâtel | Xamax | |
 Ticino | Bellinzona |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aarau |  Brunello Iacopetta |
 Marco Thaler |
Craft | Aargauische Kantonalbank |
| Bellinzona | Giuseppe Sannino |
Dragan Mihajlović |
Acerbis | Dieci |
| Étoile Carouge |  Pedro Nogueira |
 Signori António |
Adidas | Scrasa |
| Lausanne Ouchy |  Dalibor Stevanović |
 Edmond Akichi |
Adidas | Cronos Finance |
| Nyon | Andrea Binotto |
 Melvin Mastil |
Adidas | Dieci |
| Rapperswil-Jona | Selcuk Sasivari |
Rijad Saliji |
Macron | Dieci |
| Vaduz | Marc Schneider |
Nicolas Hasler |
Puma | MBPI |
| Wil | Marco Hämmerli |
Kastrijot Ndau |
Adidas | WeberPartner |
| Xamax |  Anthony Braizat |
 Eris Abedini |
Capelli | Groupe E |
| Yverdon-Sport | Martin Andermatt |
Anthony Sauthier |
Macron | None |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Date of departure | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellinzona | Giuseppe Sannino |
30 June 2025 | Pre-season |  Xavi Andrés Ibarra |
1 July 2025 |
| Étoile Carouge |  Adrian Ursea |
Pedro Nogueira | |||
| Yverdon-Sport | Paolo Tramezzani |
Adrian Ursea | |||
| Bellinzona | Xavi Andrés Ibarra |
23 July 2025 | Manuel Benavente |
24 July 2025 | |
| Manuel Benavente |
24 October 2025 | 10th | Giuseppe Sannino |
24 October 2025 | |
| Rapperswil-Jona | David Sesa |
2 November 2025 | 8th | Selcuk Sasivari |
3 November 2025 |
| Yverdon-Sport | Adrian Ursea |
9 March 2026 | 3rd | Martin Andermatt |
9 March 2026 |
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaduz (C, P) | 36 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 75 | 41 | +34 | 81 | Promotion to Swiss Super League and qualification for the Conference League second qualifying round[a] |
| 2 | Aarau | 36 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 77 | 47 | +30 | 80 | Qualification for promotion play-off |
| 3 | Yverdon-Sport | 36 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 75 | 48 | +27 | 67 | |
| 4 | Lausanne Ouchy | 36 | 14 | 8 | 14 | 59 | 51 | +8 | 50 | |
| 5 | Xamax | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 55 | 56 | −1 | 49 | |
| 6 | Rapperswil-Jona | 36 | 14 | 2 | 20 | 52 | 62 | −10 | 44 | |
| 7 | Wil | 36 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 39 | 55 | −16 | 40 | |
| 8 | Étoile Carouge | 36 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 40 | |
| 9 | Nyon | 36 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 33 | 60 | −27 | 28 | |
| 10 | Bellinzona (R) | 36 | 5 | 8 | 23 | 40 | 77 | −37 | 23 | Relegation to Swiss Promotion League |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Head-to-head goals scored 6) Away goals scored; 7) Draw.[14]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Vaduz qualified for the Conference League second qualifying round by winning the 2025–26 Liechtenstein Cup.
Results
First and second rounds |
Third and Fourth Rounds
|
Season statistics
- As of 12 May 2026
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shkelqim Demhasaj |
Xamax | 21 |
| 2 | Elias Filet |
Aarau | 20 |
| 3 | Valon Fazliu |
Aarau | 14 |
| Antonio Marchesano |
Yverdon | ||
| 5 | Cleilton Itaitinga |
Étoile Carouge | 13 |
| 6 |  Daniel Afriyie |
Aarau | 12 |
| Joris Manquant |
Nyon | ||
Assists
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valon Fazliu |
Aarau | 11 |
| 2 | Elias Pasche |
Yverdon | 9 |
| 3 | Dominik Schwizer |
Vaduz | 8 |
| 4 | Daniel Afriyie |
Aarau | 7 |
| Salim Ben Seghir |
Xamax | ||
| Landry Nomel |
Lausanne-Ouchy | ||
| Anthony Sauthier |
Yverdon | ||
| Hélios Sessolo |
Yverdon | ||
| Willy Vogt |
Bellinzona | ||
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valon Fazliu |
Aarau | Nyon | 4-5 (A) | 22 August 2025 |
| Joris Manquant |
Nyon | Aarau | 4-5 (H) | 22 August 2025 |
| Nathan Garcia |
Lausanne-Ouchy | Nyon | 3-3 (H) | 1 November 2025 |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gentrit Muslija |
Wil | 12 |
| 2 |  Leon Schaffran |
Vaduz | 11 |
| 3 | Marvin Hübel |
Aarau | 10 |
| 4 | Kevin Martin |
Yverdon | 8 |
| 5 |  Dany da Silva |
Lausanne-Ouchy | 7 |
Discipline
- Most yellow cards: 14
Néhemie Lusuena (Lausanne-Ouchy)
- Most red cards: 2
Duván Mosquera (Bellinzona)
Awards
- Player of the Season :
Elias Filet (Aarau) - Coach of the Season : Marc Schneider (Vaduz)
Promotion play-off
The promotion play-off between the eleventh placed team of the 2025–26 Swiss Super League and the runner up of the Swiss Challenge League will be held following the conclusion of the regular season. The play-off is held over two legs, played home and away, and was originally scheduled on the 20 and 23 May 2026. A draw held on 13 March 2026 decided that the Challenge League side will host the first leg and the Super League side will host the second leg.[15]
Grasshopper's place in the play-off was confirmed on 12 May 2026, following a 3–2 home win against Winterthur.[16] It will be their third consecutive participation in the relegation play-off. Aarau failed to secure direct promotion on the last matchday of the Challenge League on 15 May 2026, but will receive a second chance in the play-off.[17] It will be a reprise of last year's play-off.[18] The relegation play-off was pushed forward by two days, as eleventh placed Grasshopper's home ground Letzigrund would not be available on the date of the second leg.[19] The new dates will be 18 and 21 May 2026.
First leg
Second leg
Grasshopper wins 2–1 on aggregate.