1. Liga Classic

The First Liga Classic, commonly known as 1. Liga Classic, is the fourth category in Switzerland’s soccer system. The competition saw the light in 1931 under the name 3.Liga, when it operated as the third football category. Nonetheless, after being rebranded many times, the competition has been called 1. Liga Classic since 2022. The league is played by teams from Switzerland and Liechtenstein and is operated by the Erste Liga, a subdivision of the Swiss Football Association.

The 1.Liga Classic works with a promotion-relegation system. The league is divided into three regions: one for French-speaking sides, one more for German-speaking clubs, and one more where teams from Switzerland and Liechtenstein play.

Each division sees its teams playing against each other twice each season, giving the two top teams from each region and the best third-place teams the chance to play the championship round. All eight teams are drawn into a playoff round, where they play home-and-away series until two teams are left. Those that make it to the title match get promoted to the Promotion League.

As for the relegation process, the league has adopted an easier approach, where the two teams with the lower number of points in each group are demoted to the 2.Liga Interregional.