# 2008–09 Swiss Cup

The 2008–09 Swiss Cup was the 84th season of Switzerland's annual cup competition. It began on 20 September with the first games of Round 1 and ended on 20 May 2009 with the Final held at Stade de Suisse, Bern. The winners earned a place in the play-off round of the UEFA Europa League. FC Basel were the defending champions.

## Participating clubs

Nine Super League teams (FC Vaduz are from Liechtenstein and thus play in the 2008–09 Liechtenstein Cup) and all sixteen Challenge League clubs entered this year's competition, as well as thirteen teams from 1. Liga and 26 teams from lower leagues (their level within the Swiss league pyramid is given in parentheses below). Teams from 1. Liga and below had to qualify through separate qualifying rounds within their leagues.
| 2008–09 Super League 9 teams | 2008–09 Challenge League 16 teams | 2008–09 1. Liga 13 teams | Amateur teams 26 teams |
| FC Aarau FC Basel AC Bellinzona Grasshoppers Zürich FC Luzern Neuchâtel Xamax FC Sion BSC Young Boys FC Zürich | FC Biel-Bienne FC Concordia Basel FC Gossau FC La Chaux-de-Fonds FC Lausanne-Sport FC Locarno AC Lugano FC St. Gallen FC Schaffhausen Servette FC Genève Stade Nyonnais FC Thun FC Wil FC Winterthur FC Wohlen Yverdon-Sport FC | FC Baulmes GC Biaschesi FC Bulle CS Chênois FC Echallens Etoile-Carouge FC FC Grenchen SV Höngg FC Le Mont, Lausanne ES FC Malley, Lausanne FC Kreuzlingen FC Schötz SC Zofingen | Fourth level FC Alle FC Bavois FC Bazenheid SC Binningen SC Brühl, St. Gallen FC Grand-Lancy FC Ibach FC Liestal FC Plan-les-Ouates Racing Club, Geneva FC Seefeld, Zürich FC Sursee FC Thalwil Fifth level FC Allmendingen FC Amriswil FC Bassersdorf FC La Sarraz-Eclépens Le Locle Sports FC Oerlikon/Polizei, Zürich FC Plaffeien FC Saxon Sports FC Tavannes/Tramelan FC Wacker Grenchen FC Widnau FC Windisch Sixth level AC Vallemaggia |

## Round 1

Teams from Super League and Challenge League were seeded in this round. In a match, the home advantage was granted to the team from the lower league, if applicable.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| 19 September 2008 |||
| FC Grand-Lancy | 0–3 | FC Lausanne-Sport |
| FC Sursee | 0–2 | FC Wohlen |
| Racing Club Genève | 1–2 | FC Echallens |
| FC Windisch | 1–5 | FC Thun |
| 20 September 2008 |||
| Le Locle Sports | 0–7 | Yverdon-Sport FC |
| SC Binningen | 2–6 | FC Aarau |
| FC Oerlikon/Polizei | 1–5 | AC Bellinzona |
| FC Allmendingen | 0–2 | SC Zofingen |
| FC Wacker Grenchen | 1–3 (a.e.t.) | FC Alle |
| FC Amriswil | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (p. 2–4) | FC Schaffhausen |
| FC Seefeld | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (p. 3–2) | FC Winterthur |
| FC Thalwil | 1–3 | FC Gossau |
| FC Bavois | 3–1 | FC Baulmes |
| CS Chênois | 1–3 | ES FC Malley |
| FC Bazenheid | 0–2 (a.e.t.) | FC St. Gallen |
| FC Kreuzlingen | 1–3 | FC Locarno |
| SC Brühl | 0–5 | Grasshopper Club Zürich |
| FC Le Mont | 2–0 | Stade Nyonnais |
| FC Liestal | 0–3 | FC Concordia Basel |
| FC Schötz | 0–1 | FC Basel |
| FC Bassersdorf | 0–2 | SV Höngg |
| FC Tavannes/Tramelan | 0–2 | FC Bulle |
| FC Saxon-Sports | 0–2 | Neuchâtel Xamax |
| Etoile-Carouge FC | 0–5 | FC Sion |
| FC Grenchen | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | FC Biel-Bienne |
| 21 September 2008 |||
| FC Widnau | 0–6 | FC Zürich |
| FC Ibach | 0–6 | BSC Young Boys Bern |
| FC La Sarraz-Ecléplens | 1–6 | Servette FC Genève |
| FC Plaffeien | 0–3 | FC Luzern |
| GC Biaschesi | 0–1 | FC Wil 1900 |
| FC Plan-les-Ouates | 0–3 | FC La Chaux-de-Fonds |
| AC Vallemaggia | 0–5 | AC Lugano |
* ^1 The match between Wacker Grenchen and FC Alle was abandoned after 119 minutes because of violent altercations among players, coaches and spectators. Both teams had originally been expelled from the competition. However, upon a successful appeal, FC Alle were awarded the victory and gained permission to compete in the second round.

## Round 2

The winners of Round 1 played in this round. Teams from Super League were seeded. In a match, the home advantage was granted to the team from the lower league, if applicable.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| 17 October 2008 |||
| FC Bulle | 1–4 | FC Basel |
| 18 October 2008 |||
| SV Höngg | 0–3 | FC Wil |
| FC Seefeld | 1–3 | FC Gossau |
| FC Zofingen | 2–3 | AC Bellinzona |
| FC Wohlen | 2–3 | Grasshoppers Zürich |
| FC Concordia Basel | 3–1 | Servette FC Genève |
| FC Lausanne-Sport | 1–2 | Neuchâtel Xamax |
| Yverdon Sports | 1–2 | FC La Chaux-de-Fonds |
| FC St. Gallen | 2–0 | FC Aarau |
| ES FC Malley | 3–2 | FC Echallens |
| 19 October 2008 |||
| FC Grenchen | 0–3 | FC Luzern |
| FC Schaffhausen | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | FC Zürich |
| FC Bavois | 0–1 | FC Thun |
| FC Le Mont | 2–5 | FC Sion |
| FC Locarno | 3–1 | AC Lugano |
| 29 October 2008 |||
| FC Alle | 0–5 | BSC Young Boys |

## Round 3

The winners of Round 2 played in this round. In a match, the home advantage was granted to the team from the lower league, if applicable. Some games were postponed due to snow, and subsequently played elsewhere.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| 22 November 2008 |||
| FC Concordia Basel | 4–0 | Neuchâtel Xamax |
| FC Thun | 0–4 | FC Basel |
| FC St. Gallen | 2–0 | FC Locarno |
| 23 November 2008 |||
| Grasshoppers Zürich | 2–1 | AC Bellinzona |
| ES FC Malley | 0–1 | FC Sion |
| FC Wil | 0–1 | FC Zürich |
| 10 December 2008 |||
| FC La Chaux-de-Fonds | 0–4 | FC Luzern |
| FC Gossau | 0–1 | BSC Young Boys |
* ^1 The match was played at Stade de la Maladière, Neuchâtel.
* ^2 The match was played at Stade de Suisse, Bern.

## Quarter-finals

The winners of Round 3 played in this round.

## Semi-finals

The winners of the quarter-finals played in this round. As in the previous round, matches were openly drawn, meaning that the team drawn first in a match earned the home game.