# 2008–09 Swiss Challenge League

The 2008–09 Swiss Challenge League was the sixth season of the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of the Swiss football league pyramid. It began on 25 July 2008 and ended on 30 May 2009. The champions of this season, FC St. Gallen, earned promotion to the 2009–10 Super League. The two teams, FC Concordia Basel and FC La Chaux-de-Fonds, were administratively relegated to the 1. Liga due to the financial reasons.

## Teams

| Club | City | Stadium | 2007–08 season |
| FC Biel/Bienne | Biel/Bienne, Bern | Gurzelen Stadium | 1. Liga play-offs round finalists |
| FC La Chaux-de-Fonds | La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel | Centre Sportif de la Charrière | 13th in Challenge League |
| FC Concordia Basel | Basel | Rankhof | 7th in Challenge League |
| FC Gossau | Gossau, St. Gallen | Buechenwald | 11th in Challenge League |
| FC Lausanne-Sport | Lausanne, Vaud | Stade Olympique de la Pontaise | 13th in Challenge League |
| FC Locarno | Locarno, Ticino | Stadio comunale Lido | 14th in Challenge League |
| AC Lugano | Lugano, Ticino | Stadio comunale Cornaredo | 9th in Challenge League |
| FC St. Gallen | St. Gallen | Espenmoos | 9th in Super League |
| FC Schaffhausen | Schaffhausen | Stadion Breite | 6th in Challenge League |
| Servette FC | Geneva | Stade de Genève | 8th in Challenge League |
| FC Stade Nyonnais | Nyon, Vaud | Colovray | 1. Liga play-offs round finalists |
| FC Thun | Thun, Bern | Stadion Lachen | 10th in Super League |
| FC Wil 1900 | Wil, St. Gallen | Bergholz Stadium | 3rd in Challenge League |
| FC Winterthur | Winterthur, Zürich | Schützenwiese | 5th in Challenge League |
| FC Wohlen | Wohlen, Aargau | Niedermatten | 4th in Challenge League |
| FC Yverdon-Sport | Yverdon-les-Bains, Vaud | Stade Municipal | 10th in Challenge League |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | St. Gallen (C, P) | 30 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 78 | 22 | +56 | 78 | Promotion to 2009–10 Swiss Super League |
| 2 | Lugano | 30 | 22 | 4 | 4 | 72 | 30 | +42 | 70 | Qualification for Promotion play-off |
| 3 | Wil | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 41 | 25 | +16 | 51 | |
| 4 | Yverdon-Sport | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 52 | 41 | +11 | 51 | |
| 5 | Biel-Bienne | 30 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 58 | 53 | +5 | 47 | |
| 6 | Wohlen | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 43 | 47 | −4 | 45 | |
| 7 | Lausanne-Sport | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 41 | 43 | −2 | 41 | |
| 8 | Concordia Basel (R) | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 48 | 51 | −3 | 40 | Relegation to 2009–10 Swiss 1. Liga |
| 9 | Thun | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 54 | 65 | −11 | 38 | |
| 10 | Winterthur | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 36 | |
| 11 | Schaffhausen | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 34 | |
| 12 | La Chaux-de-Fonds (R) | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 39 | 46 | −7 | 33 | Relegation to 2009–10 Swiss 1. Liga |
| 13 | Servette | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 31 | 46 | −15 | 31 | |
| 14 | Stade Nyonnais | 30 | 8 | 4 | 18 | 26 | 56 | −30 | 28 | |
| 15 | Locarno | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 26 | |
| 16 | Gossau | 30 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 27 | 69 | −42 | 19 | |

## Promotion/relegation play-offs

Luzern as 9th-placed team of the 2008–09 Swiss Super League played a two-legged play-off against Challenge League runners-up AC Lugano for a spot in the 2009–10 Super League.
Luzern won 5–1 on aggregate and remained in the Swiss Super League. Lugano remained in the Swiss Challenge League

## Top goal scorers
### 24 goals

* Vincenzo Rennella (Lugano)

### 22 goals

* Moreno Merenda (St. Gallen)

### 17 goals

* Franck Madou (Biel-Bienne)

### 15 goals

* Rainer Bieli (Concordia)
* Kamel Boughanem (Lausanne)

### 14 goals

* Moreno Costanzo (St. Gallen)

### 13 goals

* Dante Senger (FC Locarno)

### 12 goals

* David Blumer (Thun)
* Mbala Mbuta Biscotte (Yverdon-Sport)

### 11 goals

* Allmir Ademi (Schaffhausen)
* Tomo Barlecaj (Winterthur)
* Alain Schultz (Wohlen, until January)
* Bruno Valente (Lugano)

### 10 goals

* Milaim Rama (Thun)
* Silvio Carlos (Wil)
* Carlos da Silva (Lugano)