The 2022–23 Swiss Challenge League (referred to as the Dieci Challenge League for sponsoring reasons) is the 125th season of the second tier of competitive football in Switzerland and the 20th season under its current name.
Overview Ten teams will compete in the league: eight teams of the previous season will participate in the league again. They are joined by FC Lausanne-Sport, the last-placed team of the 2021–22 Swiss Super League, who replace previous season's champions FC Winterthur. Last season's last-placed team SC Kriens were relegated and are replaced by AC Bellinzona, who were promoted from the 2021-22 Swiss Promotion League. FC Schaffhausen, the losers of the 2021-22 relegation/promotion playoff, rejoined the league.
Due to the format change and increased number of teams in the 2023–24 Swiss Super League, this season will function as a transition season. As a result, the top two teams will be directly promoted and no teams will be relegated at the end of the season. Furthermore, the third-placed team will play a promotion playoff against the last placed team of the 2022–23 Swiss Super League, so a total of three teams may gain promotion to the Super League. Two teams of the 2022–23 Swiss Promotion League will be promoted and the third will play a relegation playoff with the last-placed Challenge League team.
Schedule The schedule was announced on 17 June 2022. The first matchday will start on Friday 15 July 2022.
Unlike the Super League, the Challenge League will not start the winter break early due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in November and December 2022. As such, the 18th matchday will clash with matches of the World Cup. Restart of the league after the winter break will begin on 27 January 2023 and the season will conclude on the 27 May 2023. Following the end of the season, the two legs of the Relegation Play-off will be played on 31 May and 3 June 2023, respectively. The Promotion Play-off is scheduled for 3 and 6 June 2023, respectively.
Participating teams Stadia and locations
Team Location Stadium Capacity Ref FC Aarau Aarau Stadion Brügglifeld 8,000 AC Bellinzona Bellinzona Stadio Comunale 5,000 FC Stade Lausanne-Ouchy Lausanne Stade Olympique de la Pontaise 15,850 FC Lausanne-SportLausanne Stade de la Tuilière12,544 Neuchâtel Xamax FCS Neuchâtel Stade de la Maladière 11,997 FC Schaffhausen Schaffhausen Wefox Arena 8,200 FC Thun Thun Stadion Ralf Wirtz 10,014 FC Vaduz Vaduz Rheinpark Stadion 7,584 FC Wil 1900 Wil Stadion Bergholz 6,958 Yverdon-Sport FC Yverdon-les-Bains Stade Municipal 6,600
Personnel and kits Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsorAarau Boris Smiljanić Shkëlzen GashigpardCredit SuisseBellinzona Stefano Maccoppi Dragan MihajlovićAcerbisLausanne-Ouchy Anthony Braizat Lavdrim Hajrulahu14fourteengerofinanceLausanne-Sport Ludovic Magnin Stjepan KukuruzovićLe coq sportifBanque cantonale vaudoiseXamax Uli Forte Liridon BerishaPumagroupe eSchaffhausen Selcuk Sasivari Serge MüllerPumaMethabauThun Mauro Lustrinelli Marco BürkiMacronSchneider Software AGVaduz Martin Stocklasa Benjamin BüchelPumaMBPIWil Brunello Iacopetta Philipp MuntwilerERIMAWeber und Partner AGLIKA Group AGYverdon-Sport Marco Schällibaum William Le PogamPumaOrllati SA
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of departure Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment Ref.Thun Carlos Bernegger Termination 21 May 2022 Pre-season Mauro Lustrinelli 16 June 2022 Lausanne-Sport Alain Casanova22 May 2022 Ludovic Magnin23 May 2022Yverdon-Sport Uli ForteDeparture4 June 2022 Marco Schällibaum13 June 2022Schaffhausen Martin AndermattContract Expiry4 June 2022 Hakan Yakin4 June 2022Bellinzona Marco Schällibaum Departure13 June 2022 David Sesa21 June 2022Schaffhausen Hakan YakinMissing coaching licence12 August 20226th Bigi Meier (interim)12 August 2022Bellinzona David Sesa Resignation 22 August 2022 7th Fernando Cocimano (interim) 22 August 2022 Xamax Andrea Binotto Termination 28 August 2022 10th Jeff Saibene 29 August 2022Schaffhausen Bigi Meier (interim) End of interim period2 September 20224th Hakan Yakin12 August 2022Bellinzona Fernando Cocimano (interim) 14 September 2022 5th Baldassare Raineri 14 September 2022Aarau Stephan Keller Termination 1 November 2022 6th Boris Smiljanić 3 November 2022Vaduz Alessandro Mangiarratti Resignation 16 November 2022 8th Jürgen Seeberger 15 December 2022Bellinzona Baldassare Raineri Termination 18 January 2023 6th Stefano Maccoppi 19 January 2023Vaduz Jürgen Seeberger Resignation 21 February 2023 9th Jan Mayer (interim) 21 February 2023Vaduz Jan Mayer (interim) End of interim period 1 March 2023 9th Martin Stocklasa 1 March 2023Bellinzona Stefano Maccoppi Termination 31 March 2023 8th Fernando Cocimano (interim) 31 March 2023Xamax Jeff Saibene Resignation 23 April 2023 10th Uli Forte 25 April 2023Schaffhausen Hakan YakinTermination20 May 20237th Selcuk Sasivari (interim)20 May 2023
League table
Results
First and second rounds
Third and fourth rounds
Play-offs Promotion play-off
The relegation play-off will be played in a two-legged game between the last place team of the Super League and the third placed team of the Challenge League. The first leg will be held on 3 June 2023, with the representative of the Super League hosting. The second leg will be held on 6 June 2023.
First leg
Second leg
Lausanne-Ouchy wins 6–2 on aggregate.
Relegation play-off The relegation/promotion play-off will be played in a two-legged game between the last placed team of the Challenge League and the third placed team of the Promotion League. The first leg will be held on 31 May 2023, with the representative of the Promotion League hosting. The second leg will be held on 3 June 2023.
First leg
Second leg
Xamax wins 6–1 on aggregate
Statistics
Top Scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Brighton LabeauLausanne19 Teddy OkouLausanne-Ouchy193 Gabriel KyerematengThun164 Shkelqim VladiAarau155 Valon FazliuAarau146 Alban AjdiniLausanne-Ouchy137 Tunahan CicekVaduz12 Koro KoneYverdon12 Brian BeyerYverdon1210 Raúl BobadillaSchaffhausen11 Nicolas MuciWil11
Assists
RankPlayerClubAssists1 Valon FazliuAarau142 Mergim QarriLausanne-Ouchy113 Dominik SchwizerLausanne9 Kastrijot NdauWil95 Nikola GjorgjevAarau8 Cristian SouzaBellinzona8 Josias LukembilaWil8 Teddy OkouLausanne-Ouchy8
Awards
Best Player
Player of the Round The best player of the Super League and Challenge League for each matchday is voted for by the viewers from among a selection of players. Round 1Round 2Round 3Round 4PlayerTeamPlayerTeamPlayerTeamPlayerTeam1Samir RamiziWinterthur(SL)10Cedric IttenYoung Boys(SL)19André MoreiraGrasshopper(SL)28Pius DornLuzern(SL)2Hayao KawabeGrasshopper(SL)11Mario BalotelliSion(SL)20 Andy DioufBasel(SL)3Renat DadashovGrasshopper(SL)12Mohamed DrägerLuzern(SL)21Zeki AmdouniBasel(SL)4Nicky BelokoLuzern(SL)13Max MeyerLuzern(SL)22Martin FrýdekLuzern(SL)5Lukas GörtlerSt. Gallen(SL)14Dejan SorgićLuzern(SL)23Lawrence Ati-ZigiSt. Gallen(SL)6Lukas WatkowiakSt. Gallen(SL)15Lawrence Ati-ZigiSt. Gallen(SL)24Nicky BelokoLuzern(SL)7Daouda GuindoSt. Gallen(SL)16Emmanuel Latte LathSt. Gallen(SL)25Noe HolensteinWinterthur(SL)8Ardon JashariLuzern(SL)17Pascal SchürpfLuzern(SL)26Meritan ShabaniGrasshopper(SL)9Marius MüllerLuzern(SL)18Max MeyerLuzern(SL)27Sofyan ChaderLuzern(SL)
Player of the Month The best player of the month in the Super League and Challenge League is chosen by the viewers from among five nominees. The following table shows the winner (in dark grey) and the other nominees for each month where a Player of the Month was chosen. JulyAugust SeptemberPlayerTeamPlayerTeamPlayerTeamJérémy FrickServette(SL)Renat DadashovGrasshopper(SL)Ardon JashariLuzern(SL)Wilfried KangaYoung Boys(SL)Lukas GörtlerSt. Gallen(SL)Timothé CognatServette(SL)Basil StillhartSt. Gallen(SL)Cedric IttenYoung Boys(SL)Valon FazliuAarau(ChL)Nathanaël SaintiniSion(SL)Koro KoneYverdon(ChL)Wouter BurgerBasel(SL)Koro KoneYverdon(ChL)Shkelqim VladiAarau(ChL)Filip StojilkovićSion(SL)October NovemberFebruaryMax MeyerLuzern(SL)Lawrence Ati-ZigiSt. Gallen(SL)Zeki AmdouniBasel(SL)David DoulineServette(SL)Tosin AiyegunZürich(SL)Chris BediaServette(SL)Timothy FayuluWinterthur(SL)Renato SteffenLugano(SL)Tosin AiyegunZürich(SL)Fabian RiederYoung Boys(SL)Teddy OkouLausanne-Ouchy(ChL)Francesco RubertoSchaffhausen(ChL)Anthony SauthierLausanne-Ouchy(ChL)Marvin KellerWil(ChL)Brighton LabeauLausanne-Sport(ChL)MarchAprilMayCedric IttenYoung Boys(SL)Martin FrýdekLuzern(SL)Miroslav StevanovicServette(SL)Zeki AmdouniBasel(SL)Cedric IttenYoung Boys(SL)Emmanuel Latte LathSt. Gallen(SL)Tosin AiyegunZürich(SL)Renato SteffenLugano(SL)Roman MacekLugano(SL)Ayumu SekoGrasshopper(SL)Valon FazliuAarau(ChL)Jean-Pierre NsameYoung Boys(SL)Gabriel KyerematengThun(ChL)Nikolas MuciWil(ChL)Liridon MulajLausanne-Ouchy(ChL)
Overall First Half of the SeasonPlayerTeamLawrence Ati-ZigiSt. Gallen(SL)Cedric IttenYoung Boys(SL)David DoulineServette(SL)Koro KoneYverdon(ChL)Valon FazliuAarau(ChL)
Teams Fair Play On 14 June 2023, FC Vaduz was awarded the Fair Play Trophy for the dieci Challenge League.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;font-size:95%" |- !width=15| !Club !width=15| !width=15| !width=15| !width=15| |- !1 |align=left|Vaduz |82||1||1||90 |- !2 |align=left|Yverdon |92||1||0||95 |- !3 |align=left|Aarau |88||2||1||99 |- !4 |align=left|Wil |82||3||3||106 |- !5 |align=left|Schaffhausen |93||5||0||108 |- !6 |align=left|Thun |101||1||1||109 |- !7 |align=left|Bellinzona |104||4||1||121 |- !8 |align=left|Lausanne |90||6||3||123 |- !9 |align=left|Xamax |100||4||3||127 |- !10 |align=left|Lausanne-Ouchy |121||3||3||145 |- !colspan=2|League Total !953!!30!!16!!1123 |- !colspan=2|Average/game !5.29!!0.17!!0.09!!6.24
References
External links
Soccerway