The Most Successful Football Clubs In Switzerland

Two-time quarter-finalists in the World Cup and Euros, Switzerland are often in the mix at major tournaments. The country best known for its cheese, scenery, and chocolate isn’t among Europe’s powerhouses. It still boasts a proud footballing history, including players like Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, and Alexander Frei.

The most successful football clubs in Switzerland have had some big nights on the European stage, too. Five seasons have seen a Swiss team reach the last four of a continental competition, and several clubs have upset the football odds markets to record unlikely victories.

Grasshopper

Enjoying most of their success long before live betting was an option, Grasshopper haven’t been crowned Swiss champions since 2003. This is comfortably the longest gap in the club’s history without a league title.

With 27 league titles and 19 Swiss cups (both of which are records), there’s no question Grasshopper are the most successful Swiss football club.

This isn’t their first drought, however, after going trophyless throughout the 1960s. Success was consistent through the following decades, but their decline in the 2010s led to their first relegation in 68 years. Consistently threatened with relegation after their return to the Super League, the 2020s haven’t been much kinder to the Hoppers.

Basel

Twenty-time Swiss champions – 12 of which have been since 2002 – Basel have been the preeminent force in Swiss football in the 21st century. Europa League semi-finalists in 2012/13 and Conference League semi-finalists a decade later, they have been a force on the continental stage.

Domestically, Basel haven’t won the league since the last of their eight consecutive titles in 2016/17, but they lifted the cup a couple of years later. The 2022/23 season was their first outside the top three since 2000/01.

With several high-profile European ties and the former club of Mohamed Salah, Breel Embolo, and Fabian Schar, Basel are the most well-recognised Swiss club around Europe.

Young Boys

In a tie for third place with 17 domestic titles, Young Boys’ recent success gives them the edge of Servette. The club from Bern have been Swiss champions six times since 2018 and did the double in 2019/20 and 2022/23.

Champions six times between 1903 and 1929, BSC Young Boys had to wait 28 years for their next league title. They won four in a row between 1957 and 1960 but were only crowned Swiss champions once more until 2018.

Relegations in the latter half of the 1990s were quickly recovered from, but dropping into the second tier was the result of a long period of decline. They had two top three finishes between 1986 and 2004.

Servette

Servette’s wait for a title is even longer than Grasshopper’s. The Maroons haven’t been champions this century but have returned to prominence in the 2020s after almost a decade without qualifying for European competition. Draws with Roma and Braga and a win over Chelsea are their highlights in the modern era.

Bankruptcy led to relegation. Further financial issues were a continued distraction for the playing staff in the 2000s and 2010s, with uncertainty over the club’s economic stability.

The club has been resilient. Problems have consistently been overcome in the 21st century, leading to a return to the Super League in 2019. They were league runners-up in 2022/23 and added their first major trophy in over 20 years when they won an epic penalty shootout against Lugano in the 2023/24 Swiss Cup final.

Zurich

FC Zurich are 13-time Swiss champions. The club’s history has been turbulent, with periods outside the topflight in 1930s, 1940s, 1980s, and 1990s. Their ‘Golden Years’ came in the 1960s and early 1980s, with seven of their 13 titles coming in an 18-year period.

During that spell, they also made two runs to the last four of the European Cup, losing to Real Madrid and Liverpool in 1963 and 1977, respectively.

Relegated again in 1988, Zurich weren’t contending for major honours for most of the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2006, their 25-year wait for a title came to an end, beginning a run of three titles in four years.

The 2015/16 season ended in relegation and a Swiss Cup win. The club returned to the Super League at the first time of asking, winning their 13th title in 2022.