2023–24 Swiss Challenge League


The 2023–24 Swiss Challenge League is the 126th season of the second tier of competitive football in Switzerland and the 21st season under its current name.

Overview

Teams

Due to the increased number of teams in the Super League, from ten to twelve, two teams were directly promoted at the end of the last season and no teams were directly relegated, but third and last placed teams advanced to a promotion and relegation play-off, respectively. The remaining six teams were joined by the best placed eligible teams of the 2022–23 Swiss Promotion League, runners-up Stade Nyonnais and third-placed FC Baden, Stade Nyonnais and Baden returned to second tier after 11 and 17 years absence respectively. Last season's last placed team Neuchâtel Xamax FCS remains in the Challenge League as winners of the relegation play-off. FC Sion, as losers of the promotion play-off, returned to the Challenge League after 17 years in the Super League.

Schedule

The Swiss Football League released a detailed schedule on 7 December 2022. The season will begin on 21 July 2023 and conclude on 20 May 2024. As before, the league will go on winter break after matchday 18 on 17 December 2023 and resume on 26 January 2024. Promotion play-offs are scheduled for the week following the final matchday. The two legs of the promotion play-offs are scheduled for 26 and 31 May 2024, respectively.
The fixtures of the first 18 rounds were drawn and published on 21 June 2023, together with the match times for the first nine rounds. Matches of European competitors FC Vaduz may be postponed to Sundays in rounds 7, 8, and 9, subject to their performance in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying.

Teams

Stadia and locations

TeamLocationStadiumCapacityRef
FC AarauAarauStadion Brügglifeld8,000
FC BadenFislisbachEsp Stadium7,000
AC BellinzonaBellinzonaStadio Comunale5,000
FC Stade NyonnaisNyonStade de Colovray7,200
FC SchaffhausenSchaffhausenBerformance Arena8,200
FC SionSionStade Tourbillon14,283
FC ThunThunStockhorn Arena10,014
FC Vaduznotelist

League table



Promotion play-off

The relegation play-off will be played in a two-legged game between the eleventh placed team of the Super League and the second placed team of the Challenge League. The two legs of the relegation play-offs are scheduled for 26 and 31 May 2024, respectively.
The winner of the play-off is whichever teams scores most in both games. In case of a tie at the end of the two games, 30 minutes of extra time are added, followed by a penalty shoot-out, in case the teams are still tied.

Second leg

''Grasshopper wins 3–2 on aggregate.''