# 2024–25 Swiss Challenge League

The 2024–25 Swiss Challenge League (referred to as the Dieci Challenge League for sponsoring reasons) is the 127th season of the second tier of competitive football in Switzerland and the 22nd season under its current name.

## Schedule

The Swiss Football League (SFL) released a detailed schedule on 5 December 2023. The season will begin on 19 July 2024 and conclude on 23 May 2025. The league will go on winter break after matchday 18 on 15 December 2024 and resume on 24 January 2025. The final matchday of the relegation group will take place on, while the championship group will hold its last matches. The two legs of the promotion play-offs are scheduled for 27 and 30 May 2025, while the relegation play-off will be held on 26 and 29 May 2025.

## Teams

On May 11 2024, Étoile Carouge returned to the Challenge League after a 12 year absence. On May 15, 2024, FC Stade Lausanne-Ouchy, relegated from the Super League, returned to the second series after a one year absence. They replace last season's Challenge League champions FC Sion, who returned to the top flight after a 1 year absence, and FC Baden, who were relegated to the Swiss Promotion League after just one season in the Challenge League.

### Team changes

| Promoted from 2023–24 Swiss Promotion League | Relegated from 2023–24 Swiss Super League |
| Étoile Carouge | FC Stade Lausanne Ouchy |

### Stadia and locations

| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| FC Aarau | Aarau | Stadion Brügglifeld | 8,000 |
| AC Bellinzona | Bellinzona | Stadio Comunale | 5,000 |
| Étoile Carouge FC | Carouge | Stade de la Fontenette | 3,600 |
| FC Stade Lausanne-Ouchy | Lausanne | Stade Olympique | 15,850 |
| FC Stade Nyonnais | Nyon | Stade de Colovray | 7,200 |
| FC Schaffhausen | Schaffhausen | FCS Arena | 8,200 |
| FC Thun | Thun | Stockhorn Arena | 10,014 |
| FC Vaduz | Vaduz | Rheinpark Stadion | 7,584 |
| FC Wil 1900 | Wil | Lidl Arena | 6,958 |
| Neuchâtel Xamax FCS | Neuchâtel | Stade de la Maladière | 11,997 |
* ↑ Stade-Lausanne-Ouchy's home stadium Stade Juan-Antonio-Samaranch in Lausanne can not accommodate SLO for the Challenge League. SLO will play at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne.
| No. of teams | Cantons | Team(s) |
| 2 |
| 2 | Vaud | Nyon, Lausanne Ouchy |
| 1 |
| 1 | Aargau | Aarau |
| 1 | Bern | Thun |
| 1 | Liechtenstein | Vaduz |
| 1 | Schaffhausen | Schaffhausen |
| 1 | St. Gallen | Wil |
| 1 | Geneva | Étoile Carouge |
| 1 | Neuchâtel | Xamax |
| 1 | Ticino | Bellinzona |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Aarau | Brunello Iacopetta | Olivier Jäckle | gpard | Credit Suisse |
| Bellinzona | Manuel Benavente | Dragan Mihajlović | Acerbis | |
| Étoile Carouge | Adrian Ursea | Aurélien Chappuis | SB Sport | Raiffeisen |
| Lausanne Ouchy | Dalibor Stevanović | Rayan Kadima | 14fourteen | gerofinance |
| Schaffhausen | Hakan Yakin | Ermir Lenjani | Puma | Methabau |
| Nyon | Andrea Binotto | Quentin Gaillard | Adidas | |
| Thun | Mauro Lustrinelli | Marco Bürki | Macron | Schneider Software AG |
| Vaduz | Marc Schneider | Benjamin Büchel | Puma | MBPI |
| Wil | Marco Hämmerli | Kastrijot Ndau | Adidas | Weber und Partner AG LIKA Group AG |
| Xamax | Anthony Braizat | Kenan Fatkič | Puma | groupe e |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of departure | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Schaffhausen | Christian Wimmer | End of contract | 19 May 2024 | Pre-season | Ciriaco Sforza | 15 June 2024 |
| Aarau | Ranko Jakovljević (interim) | End of interim period | 20 May 2024 | Pre-season | Brunello Iacopetta | 20 May 2024 |
| Wil | Brunello Iacopetta | Mutual consent | 24 May 2024 | Pre-season | Marco Hämmerli | 24 May 2024 |
| Lausanne Ouchy | Ricardo Dionísio | Mutual consent | 25 September 2024 | 9th | Dalibor Stevanović | 25 September 2024 |
| Xamax | Uli Forte | Mutual consent | 24 December 2024 | 6th | Anthony Braizat | 24 December 2024 |
| Nyon | Christophe Caschili | Sacked | 16 December 2024 | 8th | Andrea Binotto | 2 January 2025 |
| Schaffhausen | Ciriaco Sforza | Sacked | 4 March 2025 | 10th | Hakan Yakin | 4 March 2025 |

## Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Aarau | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 47 | 28 | +19 | 51 | Promotion to Swiss Super League |
| 2 | Thun | 26 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 47 | 28 | +19 | 50 | Qualification for promotion play-off |
| 3 | Étoile Carouge | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 41 | 32 | +9 | 43 | |
| 4 | Vaduz | 26 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 35 | 36 | −1 | 37 | |
| 5 | Wil | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 41 | 33 | +8 | 36 | |
| 6 | Xamax | 26 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 41 | 47 | −6 | 33 | |
| 7 | Lausanne Ouchy | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 38 | 36 | +2 | 32 | |
| 8 | Schaffhausen | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 28 | 43 | −15 | 24 | |
| 9 | Bellinzona | 26 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 28 | 40 | −12 | 23 | |
| 10 | Nyon | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 32 | 55 | −23 | 23 | Relegation to Swiss Promotion League |
* ↑ Bellinzona were deducted 3 points on 16 December 2024 (confirmed on 22 January 2025), for failing to report social contribution payments.