# 1972–73 in Swiss football

The following is a summary of the 1972–73 season of competitive football in Switzerland.

## Nationalliga A
### Final league table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Basel | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 57 | 30 | +27 | 39 | Champions qualified for 1973–74 European Cup |
| 2 | Grasshopper Club | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 54 | 32 | +22 | 35 | Qualified for 1973–74 UEFA Cup and entered 1973 Intertoto Cup |
| 3 | Sion | 26 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 35 | 30 | +5 | 33 | Qualified for 1973–74 UEFA Cup |
| 4 | Servette | 26 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 41 | 23 | +18 | 31 | |
| 5 | Winterthur | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 40 | 29 | +11 | 30 | Entered 1973 Intertoto Cup |
| 6 | Lausanne-Sport | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 46 | 27 | +19 | 28 | |
| 7 | Zürich | 26 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 38 | 33 | +5 | 28 | Swiss Cup winners qualified for 1973–74 Cup Winners' Cup and entered 1973 Intertoto Cup |
| 8 | Lugano | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 31 | 30 | +1 | 27 | Entered 1973 Intertoto Cup |
| 9 | Young Boys | 26 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 39 | 40 | −1 | 23 | |
| 10 | La Chaux-de-Fonds | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 30 | 43 | −13 | 23 | |
| 11 | Chiasso | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 21 | 48 | −27 | 21 | |
| 12 | St. Gallen | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 31 | 49 | −18 | 19 | |
| 13 | Fribourg | 26 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 24 | 43 | −19 | 15 | Relegated to 1973–74 Nationalliga B |
| 14 | Grenchen | 26 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 23 | 53 | −30 | 12 | Relegated to 1973–74 Nationalliga B |

## Nationalliga B
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Xamax | 26 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 72 | 21 | +51 | 43 | NLB Champions and promoted to 1973–74 Nationalliga A |
| 2 | CS Chênois | 26 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 44 | 24 | +20 | 37 | To promotion play-off |
| 3 | Luzern | 26 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 60 | 26 | +34 | 37 | To promotion play-off |
| 4 | FC Biel-Bienne | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 28 | |
| 5 | Vevey-Sports | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 50 | 40 | +10 | 27 | |
| 6 | Mendrisiostar | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 30 | 34 | −4 | 27 | |
| 7 | FC Young Fellows Zürich | 26 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 35 | 37 | −2 | 26 | |
| 8 | Etoile Carouge FC | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 36 | 51 | −15 | 24 | |
| 9 | FC Wettingen | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 30 | 44 | −14 | 23 | |
| 10 | FC Aarau | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 29 | 42 | −13 | 22 | |
| 11 | FC Martigny-Sports | 26 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 27 | 45 | −18 | 21 | |
| 12 | AC Bellinzona | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 30 | 41 | −11 | 20 | |
| 13 | SC Brühl | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 43 | 58 | −15 | 18 | Relegated to 1973–74 1. Liga |
| 14 | SC Buochs | 26 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 26 | 59 | −33 | 11 | Relegated to 1973–74 1. Liga |

### Promotion play-off

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Chênois | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Luzern |
Chênois won and were promoted to 1973–74 Nationalliga A. Luzern remained in division.

## 1. Liga
### Group West

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Monthey | 24 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 48 | 21 | +27 | 33 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 2 | FC Dürrenast | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 43 | 31 | +12 | 30 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 3 | FC Raron | 24 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 27 | |
| 4 | FC Stade Nyonnais | 24 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 43 | 31 | +12 | 26 | |
| 5 | FC Le Locle | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 43 | 38 | +5 | 25 | |
| 6 | Yverdon-Sport FC | 24 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 25 | |
| 7 | FC Meyrin | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 26 | 33 | −7 | 25 | |
| 8 | Central Fribourg | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 45 | 43 | +2 | 24 | |
| 9 | FC Thun | 24 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 24 | |
| 10 | Urania Genève Sport | 24 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 34 | 37 | −3 | 23 | |
| 11 | ASI Audax-Friul | 24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 35 | 41 | −6 | 20 | |
| 12 | FC Fontainemelon | 24 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 33 | 47 | −14 | 16 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |
| 13 | FC Renens | 24 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 27 | 47 | −20 | 14 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |

### Group Central

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Nordstern Basel | 24 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 44 | 22 | +22 | 35 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 2 | SR Delémont | 24 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 41 | 29 | +12 | 30 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 3 | SC Kriens | 24 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 46 | 32 | +14 | 29 | |
| 4 | FC Solothurn | 24 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 27 | |
| 5 | FC Bern | 24 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 47 | 47 | 0 | 25 | |
| 6 | FC Baden | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 35 | −4 | 24 | |
| 7 | FC Porrentruy | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 29 | 34 | −5 | 24 | |
| 8 | FC Moutier | 24 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 46 | 39 | +7 | 23 | |
| 9 | FC Emmenbrücke | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 42 | 40 | +2 | 22 | |
| 10 | FC Laufen | 24 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 37 | 40 | −3 | 22 | |
| 11 | FC Concordia Basel | 24 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 37 | 52 | −15 | 18 | Play-out against relegation |
| 12 | FC Turgi | 24 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 27 | 43 | −16 | 18 | Play-out against relegation |
| 13 | FC Breite Basel | 24 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 33 | 53 | −20 | 15 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |

#### Decider for eleventh place

The decider was played on 3 June in Solothurn.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Concordia Basel | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | FC Turgi |
The game was drawn, however, at this period in time, the extra-time as match extension had not yet been introduced. FC Concordia Basel were declaired winners due to the better goal-average of the regular season and, therefore, they remained in the division. FC Turgi were relegated to 2. Liga Interregional.

### Group South and East

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | FC Tössfeld | 24 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 45 | 22 | +23 | 34 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 2 | SC Zug | 24 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 29 | Play-off to Nationalliga B |
| 3 | FC Locarno | 24 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 41 | 27 | +14 | 27 | |
| 4 | FC Blue Stars Zürich | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 34 | 22 | +12 | 26 | |
| 5 | FC Uzwil | 24 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 36 | 39 | −3 | 25 | |
| 6 | FC Gossau | 24 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 24 | |
| 7 | FC Red Star Zürich | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 22 | |
| 8 | US Giubiasco | 24 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 21 | 28 | −7 | 22 | |
| 9 | FC Frauenfeld | 24 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 22 | |
| 10 | FC Chur | 24 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 27 | 36 | −9 | 21 | |
| 11 | FC Rapid Lugano | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 30 | 41 | −11 | 21 | |
| 12 | FC Vaduz | 24 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 38 | 44 | −6 | 20 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |
| 13 | AS Gambarogno | 24 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 31 | 43 | −12 | 19 | Relegation to 2. Liga Interregional |

### Promotion play-off

The three group winners played a two legged tie against one of the runners-up to decide the three finalists. The games were played on 3 and 10 June.

#### Qualification round

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Nordstern Basel | 3–3 | SC Zug |
| SC Zug | 0–6 | FC Nordstern Basel |
FC Nordstern Basel win 9–3 on aggregate and continue to the finals.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Tössfeld | 5–1 | FC Dürrenast |
| FC Dürrenast | 3–1 | FC Tössfeld |
FC Tössfeld win 6–4 on aggregate and continue to the finals.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Monthey | 0–1 | SR Delémont |
| SR Delémont | 3–1 | FC Monthey |
SR Delémont win 4–1 on aggregate and continue to the finals.

#### Final round

The three first round winners competed in a single round-robin to decide the two promotion slots. The games were played on 17, 24 June and 1 July.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | NOR | TÖS | DEL |
| 1 | FC Nordstern Basel | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 2 | — | 2–0 | — |
| 2 | FC Tössfeld | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 2 | — | — | 3–0 |
| 3 | SR Delémont | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 2 | 1–0 | — | — |
FC Nordstern Basel are champions, because they beat Tössfeld in the head-to-head and Tössfeld are runners-up. These two teams are promoted.

## Swiss Cup

The competition was played in a knockout system. In the case of a draw, extra time was played. If the teams were still level after extra time, the match was replayed at the away team's ground. Here, in case of a draw after extra time, the replay was to be decided with a penalty shoot-out. The quarter- and semi-finals were played as two legged rounds, home and away. The final was held in the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern.

### Early rounds

The routes of the finalists to the final were:
* Third round: NLA teams with a bye.
* Fourth round: Bellinzona-Zürich 1:4. Basel-Martigny 6.0.
* Fifth round: Zürich-Lausanne 2:1. YB-Basel 0:4.
* Quarterfinals: First leg: Zürich-Etoile Carouge 1:1. Return leg: Etoile Carouge-Zürich 0:4 (agg. 1:5). Chiasso-Basel 0:2. Basel-Chiasso 5:3 (agg. 7:3).
* Semifinals: Winterthur-Zürich 1:1. Zürich-Winterthur 2:1 (a.e.t.). (agg. 3:2). Biel/Bienne-Basel 0:1. Basel-Biel/Bienne 5:1 (agg. 6:1).

### Final
## Swiss League Cup

The 1972 League Cup was played as a pre-season tournament. The semi-finals and the final itself, however, was played after the season had commenced. The early stage was a group stage. The finalists Basel and Winterthur had a bye in this stage and they joined in the first round on 5 August.

### Early rounds

The routes of the finalists to the final were:

#### Round 1

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Basel | 8–0 | Servette FC Genève |
| FC Winterthur | 4–1 | FC Lugano |

#### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Basel | 2–1 (aet) | Lausanne-Sports |
| Grasshopper Club Zürich | 1–2 | FC Winterthur |

#### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| FC Basel | 6–1 | FC Sion |
| FC Luzern | 0–2 | FC Winterthur |

### Final
## Swiss Clubs in Europe

* Basel as 1971–72 Nationalliga A champions: 1972–73 European Cup
* Zürich as 1971–72 Swiss Cup winners: 1972–73 Cup Winners' Cup and entered 1972 Intertoto Cup
* Grasshopper Club as league third placed team: 1972–73 UEFA Cup and entered 1972 Intertoto Cup
* Lausanne-Sport as league fourth placed team: 1972–73 UEFA Cup
* Young Boys: entered 1972 Intertoto Cup
* Winterthur: entered 1972 Intertoto Cup

### Basel
#### European Cup
##### First round

Újpesti Dózsa won 4–3 on aggregate.

### Zürich
#### Cup Winners' Cup
##### First round

Wrexham won 3–2 on aggregate

#### Intertoto Cup
##### Group 5

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | SLO | FIR | ZÜR | DJU |
| 1 | Slovan Bratislava | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 10 | — | 5–0 | 0–3 | 4–1 |
| 2 | First Vienna | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | −1 | 6 | 0–1 | — | 2–2 | 3–0 |
| 3 | Zürich | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 1–3 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 |
| 4 | Djurgården | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 14 | −8 | 3 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 2–1 | — |

### Grasshopper Club
#### UEFA Cup
##### First round

Grasshoppers won 4–2 on aggregate.
Ararat Yerevan won 7–3 on aggregate.

#### Intertoto Cup
##### Group 7

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | HAN | GCZ | STA | HVI |
| 1 | Hannover | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 10 | +5 | 9 | — | 3–2 | 4–1 | 3–2 |
| 2 | Grasshopper Club | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 7 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Stal Mielec | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 7 | 3–2 | 1–4 | — | 5–0 |
| 4 | Hvidovre | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 16 | −11 | 1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | — |

### Lausanne-Sport
#### UEFA Cup
##### First round

Red Star Belgrade won 7–4 on aggregate.

### Young Boys
#### Intertoto Cup
##### Group 3

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | STE | WIS | YB | ÅTV |
| 1 | Saint-Étienne | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 10 | — | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| 2 | Wisła Kraków | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 7 | 0–1 | — | 8–0 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Young Boys | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 | −13 | 4 | 0–5 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Åtvidaberg | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 3 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | — |

### Winterthur
#### Intertoto Cup
##### Group 2

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | NOR | SAL | WIN | GWA |
| 1 | Norrköping | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 8 | — | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 |
| 2 | Austria Salzburg | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 8 | 2–4 | — | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Winterthur | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 6 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 3–2 |
| 4 | Górnik Wałbrzych | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | — |