Swiss Challenge League
The Swiss Challenge League or Brack.ch Challenge League is the second highest tier of the Swiss football league system. Ten teams play in the Challenge League. The winners of the league are promoted to the Super League, while the bottom team is relegated to the Promotion League.
As of 2020, Liechtenstein's FC Vaduz plays in the Challenge League, as Liechtenstein clubs play in the Swiss league structure.
The Challenge League is fully professional.
Participating clubs 2019–20
Promotion/Relegation from 2018–19 season
- Grasshopper Club was relegated from the Swiss Super League.
- Servette FC finished first in the Challenge League and was promoted to the Swiss Super League.
- FC Rapperswil-Jona was relegated from the Challenge League by finishing 10th
- FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy finished first in the Promotion League and was promoted to the Challenge League.
History
During the Nationalliga B era, the top clubs were "promoted" into a round robin playoff with the lowest teams in the Nationalliga A to determine promotion and relegation. From 2003 to 2012, the second placed team entered a two-legged playoff against the 9th placed team in the Super League, with the winner playing in the higher division next season. In 2012, with the creation of the 1. Liga Promotion, the league was reduced to 10 teams in a 1-up 1-down promotion/relegation format, scrapping the playoff. The playoff was reintroduced in 2019.
Nationalliga B Era
| Season | League Winner | Promoted from playoffs/Promoted as runners up | Teams Relegated |
| 1960–61 | FC Lugano | FC Schaffhausen | Neuchâtel Xamax Nordstern Basel |
| 1961–62 | FC Chiasso | FC Sion | FC Martigny-Sports FC Yverdon-Sports |
| 1962–63 | FC Schaffhausen | Neuchâtel Xamax | FC Bodio FC Fribourg |
| 1963–64 | FC Lugano | AC Bellinzona | Etoile Carouge FC FC Vevey-Sports 05 |
| 1964–65 | Urania Genève Sport | Young Fellows Zürich | FC Bern FC Schaffhausen |
| 1965–66 | FC Winterthur | FC Moutier | FC Porrentruy Neuchâtel Xamax |
| 1966–67 | FC Luzern | AC Bellinzona | Le Locle-Sports Blue Stars Zürich |
| 1967–68 | FC Winterthur | FC St.Gallen | FC Moutier FC Bern |
| 1968–69 | FC Wettingen | FC Fribourg | FC Baden FC Solothurn |
| 1969–70 | FC Sion | FC Luzern | FC Thun FC Langenthal |
| 1970–71 | FC St.Gallen | FC Grenchen | Young Fellows Zürich Urania Genève Sport |
| 1971–72 | FC Chiasso | FC Fribourg | FC Monthey US Gambarogno |
| 1972–73 | Neuchâtel Xamax | CS Chênois | SC Brühl SC Buochs |
| 1973–74 | FC Luzern | FC Vevey-Sports 05 | Young Fellows Zürich FC Tössfeld |
| 1974–75 | FC Biel-Bienne | FC La Chaux-de-Fonds | FC Giubiasco Mendrisiostar |
| 1975–76 | AC Bellinzona | - | FC Martigny-Sports FC Wettingen |
| 1976–77 | Étoile Carouge FC | Young Fellows Zürich | Mendrisiostar FC Raron |
| 1977–78 | Nordstern Basel | FC Chiasso | FC Gossau FC Bulle |
| 1978–79 | FC La Chaux-de-Fonds | FC Luzern FC Lugano | Étoile Carouge FC Young Fellows Zürich |
| 1979–80 | AC Bellinzona | Nordstern Basel | FC Raron FC Baden |
| 1980–81 | FC Vevey-Sports 05 | FC Aarau FC Bulle | SC Kriens |
| 1981–82 | FC Winterthur | FC Wettingen | Aurore Bienne FC Altstätten FC Frauenfeld |
| 1982–83 | FC La Chaux-de-Fonds | FC Chiasso | FC Bern FC Ibach FC Rüti ZH |
| 1983–84 | SC Zug | FC Winterthur | FC Fribourg FC Nordstern Basel FC Red Star Zürich |
| 1984-85 | FC Grenchen | FC Baden | Mendrisiostar FC Yverdon-Sports FC Monthey |
| 1985–86 | FC Locarno | AC Bellinzona | FC Zug FC Laufen Le Locle Sports |
| 1986–87 | FC Grenchen | - | SC Kriens |
| 1987–88 | Étoile Carouge FC FC Lugano | FC Wettingen FC Lugano | FC Solothurn FC Vevey-Sports 05 FC Wangen bei Olten |
| 1988–89 | FC Yverdon-Sports FC Basel | FC Zürich | FC Biel-Bienne Renens FC Urania-Genève-Sport |
| 1989–90 | FC Fribourg FC Baden | FC Zürich | FC Brüttisellen FC Martigny-Sports FC Zug |
| 1990–91 | FC Yverdon-Sports FC Locarno | - | CS Chênois SC Burgdorf FC Montreux-Sports |
| 1991–92 | FC Basel FC Schaffhausen | FC Chiasso | ES Malley SC Zug FC Glarus |
| 1992–93 | FC Yverdon-Sports FC Luzern | FC Luzern SC Kriens FC Yverdon-Sports | FC Wettingen FC Châtel-St-Denis FC Brüttisellen SC Bümpliz FC Emmenbrücke FC Chur FC La Chaux-de-Fonds |
| 1993–94 | Étoile Carouge FC FC Schaffhausen | FC Basel FC St. Gallen | BSC Old Boys FC Bulle Urania Genève Sport FC Chiasso FC Monthey FC Sursee FC Fribourg |
| 1994-95 | FC Yverdon-Sports SC Kriens | - | AC Bellinzona FC Grenchen |
| 1995–96 | SC Kriens | - | FC Chiasso FC Naters |
| 1996–97 | Étoile Carouge FC | Étoile Carouge FC SC Kriens | FC Gossau FC Meyrin |
| 1997–98 | BSC Young Boys | FC Lugano BSC Young Boys | FC Winterthur SV Schaffhausen |
| 1998–99 | FC Wil | SR Delémont FC Yverdon-Sports | FC Locarno FC Chiasso |
| 1999–2000 | AC Bellinzona | FC Sion | Stade Nyonnais FC Schaffhausen |
| 2000–01 | BSC Young Boys | BSC Young Boys | FC Wangen bei Olten FC Solothurn |
| 2001–02 | FC Wil 1900 | FC Wil 1900 FC Thun | FC Locarno Étoile Carouge FC |
| 2002–03 | FC Vaduz | - | FC Lugano1 FC Lausanne-Sport1 FC Sion1 |
1 FC Lugano and FC Lausanne-Sport went bankrupt which meant that no team was relegated due to their league position. FC Sion were not awarded a license for the 2003-04 season resulted in an extra team being promoted.