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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 seasons 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-Sport	Lausanne	Stade de la Tuilière	12,544
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

1. 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.

Personnel and kits

Team	Manager	Captain	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
Aarau	Boris Smiljanić	Shkëlzen Gashi	gpard	Credit Suisse
Bellinzona	Stefano Maccoppi	Dragan Mihajlović	Acerbis
Lausanne-Ouchy	Anthony Braizat	Lavdrim Hajrulahu	14fourteen	gerofinance
Lausanne-Sport	Ludovic Magnin	Stjepan Kukuruzović	Le coq sportif	Banque cantonale vaudoise
Xamax	Uli Forte	Liridon Berisha	Puma	groupe e
Schaffhausen	Selcuk Sasivari	Serge Müller	Puma	Methabau
Thun	Mauro Lustrinelli	Marco Bürki	Macron	Schneider Software AG
Vaduz	Martin Stocklasa	Benjamin Büchel	Puma	MBPI
Wil	Brunello Iacopetta	Philipp Muntwiler	ERIMA	Weber und Partner AG LIKA Group AG
Yverdon-Sport	Marco Schällibaum	William Le Pogam	Puma	Orllati 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 Casanova		22 May 2022		Ludovic Magnin	23 May 2022
Yverdon-Sport	Uli Forte	Departure	4 June 2022		Marco Schällibaum	13 June 2022
Schaffhausen	Martin Andermatt	Contract Expiry	4 June 2022		Hakan Yakin	4 June 2022
Bellinzona	Marco Schällibaum	Departure	13 June 2022		David Sesa	21 June 2022
Schaffhausen	Hakan Yakin	Missing coaching licence	12 August 2022	6th	Bigi Meier (interim)	12 August 2022
Bellinzona	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 2022
Schaffhausen	Bigi Meier (interim)	End of interim period	2 September 2022	4th	Hakan Yakin	12 August 2022
Bellinzona	Fernando Cocimano (interim)		14 September 2022	5th	Baldassare Raineri	14 September 2022
Aarau	Stephan Keller	Termination	1 November 2022	6th	Boris Smiljanić	3 November 2022
Vaduz	Alessandro Mangiarratti	Resignation	16 November 2022	8th	Jürgen Seeberger	15 December 2022
Bellinzona	Baldassare Raineri	Termination	18 January 2023	6th	Stefano Maccoppi	19 January 2023
Vaduz	Jürgen Seeberger	Resignation	21 February 2023	9th	Jan Mayer (interim)	21 February 2023
Vaduz	Jan Mayer (interim)	End of interim period	1 March 2023	9th	Martin Stocklasa	1 March 2023
Bellinzona	Stefano Maccoppi	Termination	31 March 2023	8th	Fernando Cocimano (interim)	31 March 2023
Xamax	Jeff Saibene	Resignation	23 April 2023	10th	Uli Forte	25 April 2023
Schaffhausen	Hakan Yakin	Termination	20 May 2023	7th	Selcuk Sasivari (interim)	20 May 2023

League table

1. Lausanne-Ouchy were deducted 3 points on 1 November 2022, due to license violations. This decision was overturned following the team's appeal on 22 November 2022.
2. Vaduz qualified for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round by winning the 2022–23 Liechtenstein Cup.

Results

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 As of 27 May 2023 Rank Player Club Goals 1 Brighton Labeau Lausanne 19 Teddy Okou Lausanne-Ouchy 19 3 Gabriel Kyeremateng Thun 16 4 Shkelqim Vladi Aarau 15 5 Valon Fazliu Aarau 14 6 Alban Ajdini Lausanne-Ouchy 13 7 Tunahan Cicek Vaduz 12 Koro Kone Yverdon 12 Brian Beyer Yverdon 12 10 Raúl Bobadilla Schaffhausen 11 Nicolas Muci Wil 11

Assists As of 27 May 2023 Rank Player Club Assists 1 Valon Fazliu Aarau 14 2 Mergim Qarri Lausanne-Ouchy 11 3 Dominik Schwizer Lausanne 9 Kastrijot Ndau Wil 9 5 Nikola Gjorgjev Aarau 8 Cristian Souza Bellinzona 8 Josias Lukembila Wil 8 Teddy Okou Lausanne-Ouchy 8

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 1						Round 2						Round 3						Round 4
#	Nat	Player	Team	L	Ref	#	Nat	Player	Team	L	Ref	#	Nat	Player	Team	L	Ref	#	Nat	Player	Team	L	Ref
1		Samir Ramizi	Winterthur	(SL)		10		Cedric Itten	Young Boys	(SL)		19		André Moreira	Grasshopper	(SL)		28		Pius Dorn	Luzern	(SL)
2		Hayao Kawabe	Grasshopper	(SL)		11		Mario Balotelli	Sion	(SL)		20		Andy Diouf	Basel	(SL)
3		Renat Dadashov	Grasshopper	(SL)		12		Mohamed Dräger	Luzern	(SL)		21		Zeki Amdouni	Basel	(SL)
4		Nicky Beloko	Luzern	(SL)		13		Max Meyer	Luzern	(SL)		22		Martin Frýdek	Luzern	(SL)
5		Lukas Görtler	St. Gallen	(SL)		14		Dejan Sorgić	Luzern	(SL)		23		Lawrence Ati-Zigi	St. Gallen	(SL)
6		Lukas Watkowiak	St. Gallen	(SL)		15		Lawrence Ati-Zigi	St. Gallen	(SL)		24		Nicky Beloko	Luzern	(SL)
7		Daouda Guindo	St. Gallen	(SL)		16		Emmanuel Latte Lath	St. Gallen	(SL)		25		Noe Holenstein	Winterthur	(SL)
8		Ardon Jashari	Luzern	(SL)		17		Pascal Schürpf	Luzern	(SL)		26		Meritan Shabani	Grasshopper	(SL)
9		Marius Müller	Luzern	(SL)		18		Max Meyer	Luzern	(SL)		27		Sofyan Chader	Luzern	(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. July August September Nat Player Team L Nat Player Team L Nat Player Team L Jérémy Frick Servette (SL) Renat Dadashov Grasshopper (SL) Ardon Jashari Luzern (SL) Wilfried Kanga Young Boys (SL) Lukas Görtler St. Gallen (SL) Timothé Cognat Servette (SL) Basil Stillhart St. Gallen (SL) Cedric Itten Young Boys (SL) Valon Fazliu Aarau (ChL) Nathanaël Saintini Sion (SL) Koro Kone Yverdon (ChL) Wouter Burger Basel (SL) Koro Kone Yverdon (ChL) Shkelqim Vladi Aarau (ChL) Filip Stojilković Sion (SL) October November February Max Meyer Luzern (SL) Lawrence Ati-Zigi St. Gallen (SL) Zeki Amdouni Basel (SL) David Douline Servette (SL) Tosin Aiyegun Zürich (SL) Chris Bedia Servette (SL) Timothy Fayulu Winterthur (SL) Renato Steffen Lugano (SL) Tosin Aiyegun Zürich (SL) Fabian Rieder Young Boys (SL) Teddy Okou Lausanne-Ouchy (ChL) Francesco Ruberto Schaffhausen (ChL) Anthony Sauthier Lausanne-Ouchy (ChL) Marvin Keller Wil (ChL) Brighton Labeau Lausanne-Sport (ChL) March April May Cedric Itten Young Boys (SL) Martin Frýdek Luzern (SL) Miroslav Stevanovic Servette (SL) Zeki Amdouni Basel (SL) Cedric Itten Young Boys (SL) Emmanuel Latte Lath St. Gallen (SL) Tosin Aiyegun Zürich (SL) Renato Steffen Lugano (SL) Roman Macek Lugano (SL) Ayumu Seko Grasshopper (SL) Valon Fazliu Aarau (ChL) Jean-Pierre Nsame Young Boys (SL) Gabriel Kyeremateng Thun (ChL) Nikolas Muci Wil (ChL) Liridon Mulaj Lausanne-Ouchy (ChL)

Overall First Half of the Season Nat Player Team L Lawrence Ati-Zigi St. Gallen (SL) Cedric Itten Young Boys (SL) David Douline Servette (SL) Koro Kone Yverdon (ChL) Valon Fazliu Aarau (ChL)

Teams

Fair Play

On 14 June 2023, FC Vaduz was awarded the Fair Play Trophy for the dieci Challenge League.

#	Club				Pts
1	Vaduz	82	1	1	90
2	Yverdon	92	1	0	95
3	Aarau	88	2	1	99
4	Wil	82	3	3	106
5	Schaffhausen	93	5	0	108
6	Thun	101	1	1	109
7	Bellinzona	104	4	1	121
8	Lausanne	90	6	3	123
9	Xamax	100	4	3	127
10	Lausanne-Ouchy	121	3	3	145
League Total		953	30	16	1123
Average/game		5.29	0.17	0.09	6.24

Last updated: 30 May 2023
Source: Fair Play Trophy dieci Challenge League

References

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39. "Les chemins de Jeff Saibene et Neuchâtel Xamax se séparent". xamax.ch (in French). Neuchâtel Xamax FCS. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
40. "Uli Forte à la tête de Neuchâtel Xamax". xamax.ch (in French). Neuchâtel Xamax FCS. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
41. "FC Schaffhausen und Hakan Yakin beenden die Zusammenarbeit". fcschaffhausen.ch (in German). FC Schaffhausen. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
42. "Disziplinarkommission zieht dem FC Stade-Lausanne-Ouchy 3 Punkte ab" (in German). Swiss Football League. 1 November 2022.
43. "Rekurs des FC Stade-Lausanne-Ouchy teilweise gutgeheissen" (in German). Swiss Football League. 22 November 2022.
44. "Matchcenter" (PDF) (in German). Swiss Football League. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018.
45. "Tore". www.sfl.ch. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
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47. "Samir Ramizi, Torschütze, Vertragsverlängerung und Auszeichnung" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-07-20.
48. "Cedric Ittens erfolgreiches Comeback" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-10-12.
49. ""Best Player" der Runde 19/20 ist André Moreira" (in German). 2023-02-08.
50. "Bester Spieler der 28. Runde: Pius Dorn" (in German). 2023-04-19.
51. "Für diese Anerkennung braucht Hayao Kawabe kein Glück" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-07-27.
52. "HAYAO KAWABE – SFL PLAYER OF THE 2ND ROUND". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 2022-07-27.
53. "Mario Balotelli zum "Best Player" des 11. Spieltags gewählt" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-10-19.
54. "Best Player - Matchweek 20" (in German). 2023-02-15.
55. "RENAT DADASHOV – SFL PLAYER OF THE 3RD ROUND". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 2022-08-03.
56. "Dräger wird zum "Best Player" der 12. Spielrunde gewählt" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-10-24.
57. "Best Player - Matchweek 21" (in German). 2023-02-22.
58. "Nicky Beloko, auf ewig der Erste" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-08-10.
59. "Fans wählen Meyer zum besten Spieler der 13. Runde" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-10-05.
60. "Bester Spieler der 22. Runde: Martin Frydek" (in German). 2023-03-01.
61. ""Best Player" der 5. Runde heisst Lukas Görtler" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-08-17.
62. "Doppeltorschütze Dejan Sorgic zum "Best Player" der Runde 14 gewählt" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-11-02.
63. "v" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2023-03-08.
64. "Lukas Watkowiak, ein wichtiger Ersatzmann" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-08-31.
65. "Einmal mehr Lawrence Ati Zigi" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-11-09.
66. "Bester Spieler der 24. Runde: Nicky Beloko" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2023-03-15.
67. "Wuchtig aus der Distanz: Guindo mit einem Traumtor!" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-09-07.
68. "Die SFL ehrt in der 16. Runde den "Globetrotter" Latte Lath" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-11-16.
69. "Bester Spieler der 25. Runde: Noe Holenstein" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2023-03-22.
70. "Fans wählen Jashari zum besten Spieler der 8. Runde" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-09-15.
71. "Best Player - Matchweek 17" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2023-01-25.
72. ""Best Player" der Runde 26/27 ist Meritan Shabani" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2023-04-05.
73. "Trotz der Niederlage zum "Best Player" der 9. Spielrunde gewählt" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-10-05.
74. "Max Meyer einmal mehr im Rampenlicht" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2023-02-01.
75. "Bester Spieler der 27. Runde: Sofyan Chader" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2023-04-14.
76. "5 Nominierungen für den "Best Player July"" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-08-04.
77. "15 Paraden – Jérémy Frick ist der Mann des Saisonauftakts" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-08-11.
78. "Die 5 Nominierungen für den "Best Player August"" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-09-01.
79. "Starker Saisonstart für den Youngster Dadashov" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-09-08.
80. ""Best Player September" : Das sind die finalen 5 Kandidaten" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-10-06.
81. "Ardon Jashari, wer sonst?" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-10-13.
82. "Die 5 Kandidaten für die Wahl zum "Best Player Oktober"" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-11-03.
83. "Spielmacher Meyer einmal mehr im Fokus" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-11-10.
84. "Das letzte Mal der beste Spieler des Monats, für das Jahr 2022" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-11-30.
85. "Lawrence Ati Zigi krönt das Jahr 2022" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-12-07.
86. "Wir suchen den "Best Player" des Monats Februar" (in German). 2023-03-06.
87. ""Best Player" im Februar ist: Zeki Amdouni" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2023-03-11.
88. "Wir suchen den "Best Player" des Monats März" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2023-04-06.
89. ""Best Player" im März ist: Cedric Itten" (in German). 2023-04-13.
90. "Wir suchen den "Best Player" des Monats April" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2023-05-04.
91. ""Best Player" im April heisst: Martin Frýdek" (in German). 2023-05-11.
92. ""Best Player" im Mai ist: Miroslav Stevanovic" (in German). 2023-06-09.
93. "Wer ist der "Best Player" der Hinrunde?" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-12-20.
94. "«Best Player» der Hinrunde für die Saison 2022/23 heisst: Lawrence Ati Zigi" (in German). Swiss Football League. 2022-12-28.
95. "Fair Play Trophy geht nach Genf und Vaduz". 2023-06-14.

External links

• Official website (in German and French)
• Soccerway

• 2022–23 in European second tier association football leagues
• 2022–23 in Swiss football
• Swiss Challenge League seasons