Switzerland has been at the centre of European and world football for over a century. The Swiss FA was formed in 1895, and by 1904, it had become a founding member of FIFA.
Now, Nyon is home to UEFA and Zürich houses the FIFA headquarters, making Switzerland one of the most historic and important countries in the sport.
Since the professional league began in 1897/98, 20 teams have claimed the national title, but in just over a decade since the founding of the Swiss Super League, national honours have been shared by just three clubs.
As such, the Swiss Super League has had a major impact on the rankings of the biggest football clubs in Switzerland, but success before the millennium still certainly weighs into these considerations.
Biggest Clubs in Swiss Football
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FC Basel
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BSC Young Boys
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Grasshopper Club Zürich
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FC Zurich
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Servette FC
Historically, Grasshopper Club Zürich are the most successful Swiss club, but their decline with the forming of the Swiss Super League has allowed other teams to climb above them to rank as the biggest clubs in Swiss football.
This season, it looks to be a close race atop the table in Switzerland, with the outright betting markets split between Lugano, Basel, FC Zürich, and Servette near the midway point.
Recent success and dominance weigh into the rankings here, as do the trophy hauls, the size of the followings, and the presence of the teams on the continental stage.
5) Servette FC
Founded in 1890 as a rugby-first sports club in Geneva, Servette FC emerged as a top team very early on, winning the tenth Serie A title in 1906/07, followed by their second in 1917/18, and sixth before it became the National League.
At the close of the 1998/99 season, Servette were celebrating their 17th league win, pipping Grasshopper to the top spot having finished second-best the season before.
Since then, Servette FC haven’t claimed a league title, settling for two Swiss Cup wins in 2000/01 and 2023/24. Those Cup wins are rather promising, especially when combined with their recent league finishes.
In 2020/21 and 2023/24, Servette climbed to third in the division, and in 2022/23, they landed second behind Young Boys. With a recent resurgence, Servette FC remain one of the biggest football clubs in Switzerland.
4) FC Zürich
Based in the largest city in Switzerland, FC Zürich has always commanded a strong following that regularly heats up whenever they meet their local rivals, Grasshopper Club.
In the earliest decades of Swiss football, FCZ were the little neighbours. During the Serie A years from 1898 to 1931, Grasshopper landed seven titles to Zürich’s two.
As the years went on, the divide grew, with Grasshopper ending the National League A era in 2003 with 26 trophies. In the Swiss Super League, though, FC Zürich are one of only the three champions, landing their fourth in 2022.
This season, FC Zurich are in with a shot at their 14th league win, per the football betting, but even with ten Swiss Cups, the club would still be a fair bit back of third place in these rankings.
3) Grasshopper Club Zürich
Boasting 27 Swiss league titles and 19 Swiss Cups, Grasshopper Club Zürich are the most decorated club in the history of Swiss football.
However, their last league win came in 2002/03 (just before the Swiss Super League era) and their only trophy since has been the 2012/13 Swiss Cup – of which, the team boasts 19 in total.
Grasshopper Club have struggled to keep up with the three league winners since the club’s last title, even to the extent that they slowly fell down the table to relegation in 2019. In 2021, the club did return to the top flight.
Still a very highly regarded and well-known team beyond Swiss borders, the recent lack of domestic success has given way for other teams to become the more prominent forces from Switzerland.
2) BSC Young Boys
Hoisting six league titles over the last seven seasons, BSC Young Boys have established themselves as the superpower in Swiss football right now.
After regularly coming up second-best to the team that ranks as the biggest football club in Switzerland, the Bern-based team broke through for their first championship in 32 years by besting Basel in 2017/18.
Their triumph last season further cemented BSC Young Boys in European competitions and brought them up to 17 wins – on par with Servette – while their 2022/23 Swiss Cup win got them to eight in total.
This season, the Wankdorf Stadium residents look to be behind the pace in the league race, which might just boost their main rivals to edge further out in front.
1) FC Basel
The most familiar Swiss face in the UEFA Champions League and competitors in Europe for 25 consecutive seasons – until a disastrous eighth-place finish last season – FC Basel are currently the biggest football club in Switzerland.
In the Swiss Super League era, Basel are unmatched in their success. FCB have won 11 of the 21 titles available, finishing second on six of those ten other occasions.
Their dominance has come in two phases. The first was with the opening campaign through to 2007/08, when FC Basel were named the champions three times out of five. From 2009/10 to 2016/17, they won all eight titles.
Now, Basel sit with 20 league wins, which is second only to Grasshopper’s haul of seven, and 13 Swiss Cup triumphs.
While certainly up for debate, the biggest clubs in Swiss football right now look to be FC Basel, BSC Young Boys, and Grasshopper Club Zürich.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Adobe*
