2020–21 Swiss Challenge League

Swiss Challenge League
Season	2020–21
Champions	Grasshoppers
Relegated	Chiasso
Matches played	180
Goals scored	503 (2.79 per match)
Top goalscorer	Rodrigo Pollero (19 goals)
Biggest home win	Wil 7–0 Aarau
Biggest away win	Xamax 0–3 Schaffhausen; Xamax 0–3 Thun; Grasshoppers 1–4 Xamax
Highest scoring	Wil 7–0 Aarau; Kriens 5–2 Grasshoppers; Schaffhausen 5–2 Chiasso; Winterthur 5–2 Aarau
Highest attendance	2'870 Xamax 1–0 Grasshoppers
	← 2019–20 2021–22 → All statistics correct as of 20 May 2021.

The 2020–21 Swiss Challenge League (referred to as the Brack.ch Challenge League for sponsoring reasons) is the 18th season of the Swiss Challenge League, the second tier of competitive football in Switzerland, under its current name. The season started on 18 September 2020 and is scheduled to end on 30 May 2021.^[2] The start of the season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. The league held its winter break between 22 December 2020 and 23 January 2021.

Participating teams

A total of 10 teams participate in the league. 2019–20 Swiss Challenge League champions FC Lausanne-Sport and runner-up FC Vaduz were promoted to the 2020–21 Swiss Super League. They were replaced by Neuchâtel Xamax FCS, who got relegated after finishing last-placed in the 2019–20 Swiss Super League, and FC Thun, who lost the relegation game. No team was relegated due to the cancellation of the 2019–20 Swiss Promotion League caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland.

Stadia and locations

Locations of clubs in the 2020–21 Challenge League

Team	Location	Stadium	Capacity
FC Aarau	Aarau	Stadion Brügglifeld	8,000
FC Chiasso	Chiasso	Stadio Comunale Riva IV	5,000
Grasshopper Club Zürich	Zürich	Letzigrund	26,104
SC Kriens	Kriens	Stadion Kleinfeld	5,360
FC Stade Lausanne-Ouchy	Lausanne	Stade Olympique de la Pontaise^[a]	15,850
Neuchâtel Xamax FCS	Neuchâtel	Stade de la Maladière	11,997
FC Schaffhausen	Schaffhausen	LIPO Park Schaffhausen	8,200
FC Thun	Thun	Stockhorn Arena	10,014
FC Wil 1900	Wil	IGP Arena	6,958
FC Winterthur	Winterthur	Schützenwiese	8,550

^ 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.^[3]

Personnel and kits

Team	Manager	Captain	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
Aarau	Stephan Keller	Elsad Zverotić	gpard	Swiss Red Cross, Credit Suisse
Chiasso	Baldassare Raineri	Younes Bnou Marzouk	Macron	Caffè Chicco d'Oro, Autoronchetti
Grasshoppers	Zoltán Kádár (caretaker)	Aleksandar Cvetković	Puma	none (No to Racism)
Kriens	Bruno Berner	Elia Alessandrini	Joma	MVM AG
Lausanne-Ouchy	Meho Kodro	Andy Laugeois	14Fourteen	none
Neuchâtel	Martin Rueda	Laurent Walthert	Erima	Groupe E, Briq
Schaffhausen	Murat Yakin	Imran Bunjaku	Puma	Pistoleros, doc-oliday
Thun	Carlos Bernegger	Nicola Sutter	Macron	Schneider Software AG
Wil	Alexander Frei	Philipp Muntwiler	Erima	Planet Pure
Winterthur	Ralf Loose	Davide Callà	gpard	Keller, Init7

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of departure	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Thun	Marc Schneider	Resigned	5 October 2020	9th	Carlos Bernegger	11 October 2020^[4]
Xamax	Stéphane Henchoz	Sacked	13 December 2020	9th	Martin Rueda	13 December 2020^[5]
Grasshoppers	João Carlos Pereira	Sacked	5 May 2021	1st	Zoltán Kádár (caretaker)	5 May 2021^[6]

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Grasshoppers (C, P)	36	19	8	9	60	43	+17	65	Promotion to 2021–22 Swiss Super League
2	Thun (Q)	36	19	7	10	57	46	+11	64	Qualification to promotion/relegation play-offs
3	Lausanne-Ouchy	36	15	13	8	57	39	+18	58
4	Schaffhausen	36	16	10	10	59	46	+13	58
5	Aarau	36	17	7	12	66	59	+7	58
6	Winterthur	36	11	10	15	50	52	−2	43
7	Wil	36	10	9	17	43	52	−9	39
8	Kriens	36	9	11	16	40	48	−8	38
9	Xamax	36	10	6	20	36	58	−22	36
10	Chiasso (R)	36	9	9	18	35	60	−25	36	Relegation to Swiss Promotion League

Updated to match(es) played on 20 May 2021. Source: Swiss Challenge League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head goal difference; 5) Away goals scored; 6) Draw.^[7]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated; (R) Relegated

Results

First and Second Round

Home \ Away	AAR	CHI	GCZ	KRI	SLO	SHA	THU	WIL	WIN	XAM
Aarau	—	2–1	0–1	2–2	3–3	1–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	3–1
Chiasso	0–2	—	0–2	3–2	0–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–3	3–2
Grasshopper	2–1	2–1	—	2–0	2–0	2–1	1–1	3–0	3–2	3–0
Kriens	1–3	0–0	5–2	—	0–2	1–1	1–2	1–2	0–2	3–1
Lausanne-Ouchy	1–1	4–1	1–2	2–1	—	2–2	1–3	1–0	1–1	1–0
Schaffhausen	1–2	5–2	2–1	3–1	1–3	—	1–1	1–0	1–0	2–0
Thun	1–0	3–0	3–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	—	3–0	0–1	1–3
Wil	3–1	0–3	1–1	0–1	0–0	1–1	3–1	—	1–0	1–0
Winterthur	5–2	2–0	2–3	1–1	2–1	2–2	1–2	3–2	—	4–0
Xamax	2–4	2–0	1–0	0–1	0–1	0–3	1–2	2–1	2–0	—

Updated to match(es) played on 19 April 2021. Source: Swiss Challenge League (in German)
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Third and Fourth Round

Home \ Away	AAR	CHI	GCZ	KRI	SLO	SHA	THU	WIL	WIN	XAM
Aarau	—	3–1	2–1	4–0	0–3	1–0	4–2	3–0	0–0	4–0
Chiasso	2–0	—	2–2	0–0	2–1	1–1	1–1	1–0	2–1	2–1
Grasshoppers	4–1	1–1	—	2–1	1–2	1–1	3–1	1–0	0–1	1–4
Kriens	0–0	2–0	1–2	—	1–1	0–1	1–1	2–2	3–0	1–1
Lausanne-Ouchy	1–1	3–0	1–1	1–2	—	2–1	2–3	3–0	4–1	1–1
Schaffhausen	3–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	—	4–0	1–1	3–3	3–0
Thun	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–0	0–2	1–0	—	3–1	0–0	0–0
Wil	7–0	3–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–3	1–2	—	1–1	1–0
Winterthur	3–3	0–1	2–1	0–0	1–1	1–2	2–3	1–0	—	0–1
Xamax	0–1	2–1	1–1	0–3	0–0	3–0	0–3	2–2	3–1	—

Updated to match(es) played on 20 May 2021. Source: Swiss Challenge League (in German)
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Statistics

Top scorers

As of 20 May 2021

Rank	Player	Club	Goals^[8]
1	Rodrigo Pollero	Schaffhausen	19
2	Filip Stojilković	Aarau	15
3	Louis Mafouta	Neuchâtel Xamax	14
3	Ivan Prtajin	Schaffhausen	14
5	Yanis Lahiouel	Lausanne-Ouchy	12
6	Roman Buess	Winterthur	11
	Saleh Chihadeh	Thun
	Zeki Amdouni	Lausanne-Ouchy
	Léo Bonatini	Grasshoppers
10	Shkelqim Demhasaj	Grasshoppers	10

Awards

Brack.ch Challenge League Best Player 2020:^[9] Asumah Abubakar (Kriens)

Promotion play-offs

The ninth-placed team of the 2020–21 Swiss Super League, Sion, played against the runners-up of the 2020–21 Swiss Challenge League, Thun.

First leg

27 May 2021

20:30

Thun	1–4	Sion
Salanović 89'	Report	Hoarau 13', 63' (pen.) Tosetti 15' Uldrikis 86'

Stockhorn Arena, Thun

Attendance: 100

Referee: Sandro Schärer

Second leg

30 May 2021

16:00

Sion	2–3	Thun
Tupta 30', 45+2'	Report	Dzonlagic 3' Schmidt 38' Havenaar 55'

Stade de Tourbillon, Sion