Swiss Super League

Lore & Background

The Swiss Football Association was founded in 1895, but were initially unable to organize an annual competition, citing the teams' travel costs. The first unofficial championship, competed for the Ruinart Cup, was organized by Genevan newspaper La Suisse sportive as a response in 1897. The inaugural official championship was organized for the 1898–99 season, and won by Anglo-American Club against Old Boys Basel. The league was reformed into the Nationalliga in 1931. The rebranding of the Nationalliga A into the Super League occurred in 2003, when the league was restructured from 12 to 10 teams for the 2003–04 season. In April 2022, a proposal to increase the league size to 12 was approved by the general assembly of the Swiss Football League on 20 May 2022. On 11 November 2022, a new proposal to instead use the 'Scottish Model' was approved by the general assembly. The new format was implemented for the 2023–24 season.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at St. Jakob-Park hum to life on a November evening. In FIFA's Kick Off mode, you've loaded up a 4-4-2 for FC Basel against a stubborn Young Boys side. The pitch is slick, the alpine air visible in the breath of the players as they line up. The crowd—rendered as a sea of red and white—roars as the referee's whistle splits the silence. You slot in a quick through-ball to the winger, and for a few minutes the only thing that exists is the green rectangle and the weight of a Swiss title on the line.

Reader's Guide

The Super League is played over 33 rounds from July to May. Teams play each other three times, one and a half at home and one and a half away, in a round-robin format. After 33 rounds, the league splits into Championship and Relegation rounds, with 5 matches respectively. As teams from both Switzerland and Liechtenstein participate in the Swiss football leagues, only a Swiss club finishing in first place will be crowned champion—should a team from Liechtenstein win, this honor will go to the highest-placed Swiss team. Relative to their league coefficient ranking the highest-placed teams will compete in UEFA competitions—again with exception of teams from Liechtenstein, who qualify through the Liechtenstein Cup. The bottom team will be relegated to the Challenge League and replaced by the respective champion for the next season. The club finishing in 11th place will compete against the second-placed team of the Challenge League in a relegation play-off over two games, home and away, for a spot in the succeeding tournament. Matches in the Super League employ the use of a video assistant referee. As of the 2023–24 season, the league features 12 teams.

Did You Know?

• The Super League is the longest continuously running top-flight national league, with the 2026-27 season being its 130th season.
• The league was rebranded from the Nationalliga A into the Super League in 2003.
• The league expanded to 12 teams for the 2023–24 season after a format change approved in November 2022.