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Current License Situation in Swiss Football - 2025

 

Current License Situation in Swiss Football

May 1st, 2025

Each year, the Swiss FA announces which clubs have been granted a license to play in the top two divisions of Swiss football. The decisions are taken on a variety of parameters, mainly focusing on the financial situation of the clubs in question, as well as their respective infrastructures and ownership models.

License 1 allows a club to compete in both the Super League and UEFA competitions. License 2 is for those clubs that can compete in the top division. License 3 is required for participation in the Challenge League, but does not permit entry to the Super League.

Here is the current status of those licenses for clubs either in the top two divisions, or those attempting to earn promotion from the Promotion League:

Alt-text: Clubs granted License 1 – Basel, GCZ, Lausanne, Lugano, Luzern, Servette, Sion, St Gallen, Young Boys. Clubs granted License 2 – Etoile-Carouge, Aarau, Neuchatel Xamax, Stade Lausanne-Ouchy, Thun, Vaduz, Wil, Winterthur, Yverdon. Clubs granted License 3 – Stade Nyonnais, Biel-Bienne, Rapperswil-Jona. Clubs not granted a license – Bellinzona, Schaffhausen, Kriens. Taken from https://sfl.ch/de/articles/22-klubs-erhalten-eine-lizenz-fur-die-saison-202526

There are no surprises in the Super League, with all clubs maintaining a license to compete in the top tier. There are also no shocks at the top of the Challenge League, with both Thun and Aarau achieving License 2, which would allow them promotion with no issues.

However, at the bottom of the league is where the difficult conversations begin.

AC Bellinzona and FC Schaffhausen have both been denied License 3, which would mean – unless they can successfully appeal – that they would both have to compete in the Promotion League next season. They have also both been docked 3 points for failing to achieve the standards necessary for this license.

Alt-text: The current bottom 3 of the Challenge League as of May 1st 2025. 8th place, AC Bellinzona (34 points). 9th place, Stade Nyonnais (29 points). 10th place, FC Schaffhausen (25 points). Taken from https://www.transfermarkt.com/challenge-league/tabelle/wettbewerb/C2/saison_id/2024

This is the second season in a row that Schaffhausen have not been granted a license at the initial stage, continuing the troubling off-field issues that have been plaguing the club for a while now. New owners were announced just yesterday, however, so there is hope that the club will be able to successfully appeal against the decision once again. The final call will be made on May 21st. However, with the club rooted to the bottom of the table, 4 points from safety, a successful appeal might not mean much if they are relegated anyway.

Bellinzona also have history with licensing issues, but seemed to be on better footing in recent times (despite some issues between the fanbase and ownership), so this may come as a surprise to some at the Ticinese club. Like Schaffhausen, however, Bellinzona have the chance to appeal in order to maintain their place in the Challenge League for next season. If they are unsuccessful, however, it opens up the potential for two clubs to be promoted from the Promotion League.

The Promotion League title race has been a fantastic one, and looks set to go right until the end of the season. FC Biel-Bienne, FC Rapperswil-Jona, and SC Kriens are all striving for the single promotion spot available, and had all applied for at least License 3, but only Biel and Rapperswil have, at the moment, been granted it.

Alt-text: The current top 3 of the Promotion League as of May 1st 2025. 1st place, FC Rapperswil-Jona (57 points). 2nd place, SC Kriens (56 points). 3rd place, FC Biel-Bienne (56 points, one game in hand). Taken from https://www.transfermarkt.com/promotion-league/tabelle/wettbewerb/CHPR

There’s no chance that the promotion race in the third tier will calm down based purely on potential realities, but if Bellinzona and Schaffhausen are refused a place in the Challenge League next season, and Kriens are unsuccessful in their appeal, it could be that Biel and Rapperswil are promoted no matter where they finish.

All eyes will be turning to May 21st, to see who will have their appeals upheld or rejected.

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