The last two round of 16 matches in the Swiss Cup are scheduled for Thursday. FC Aarau host Sion, while defending champions Basel face Grand-Saconnex. FCB will help its opponent off the pitch.
04.12.2025, 05:00
04.12.2025, 08:46
SDA
The match between Basel and Grand-Saconnex will be a special one: as the infrastructure in Geneva is not sufficient to host the Cup match at the team from the Promotion League, the match will take place at St. Jakob-Park (kick-off at 18:30), contrary to FC Basel's usual practice.
FCB is helping its opponent on several levels: Together with its main sponsor Bitpanda, the club is covering the entire costs for the match - an outlay in the almost six-figure range , according to the club.
Admission for spectators is free - according to the "Basler Zeitung", 23,000 tickets were sold a good 24 hours before the match. Fans can also make a voluntary contribution, which goes to the cup opponent without any deductions.
FC Grand-Saconnex could do with a little extra cash. The Promotion League club is said to be in debt to the tune of almost 100,000 francs. The reason for this is the club's sporting success: in the 2017/18 season, they were still playing in the 3rd division and have since been promoted four times, which has also had an impact on their finances. Basel will even cover the travel costs for their opponents. Coach Ludovic Magnin's team will save themselves the three-hour car journey to French-speaking Switzerland, which Shaqiri & Co. will certainly not be unhappy about.
FCB warned despite being favorites
From a sporting point of view, Basel are heavy favorites against the second-last team in the third-highest league. After all, FC Grand-Saconnex have recently shown an upward trend with five points from three games.
But the big FCB should be warned: Etoile Carouge from the Challenge League showed in the round of 16 that even the defending champions are not always confident. Basel only won the game on penalties.
Two other Super League teams, Winterthur and Lausanne, were also beaten this week.
Aarau wants to build on 2021
The second round of 16 on Thursday will see Aarau face Sion. FCA has already shown in the round of 16 that even a club from the Challenge League can upset the "big boys". Coach Brunello Iacopetta's team defeated Young Boys 1:0 at the Brügglifeld. Sandro Burki, CEO of FC Aarau, said before the game: "Actually, the Brügglifeld and the underdog role are our only advantages."
Aarau can count on these two advantages again on Thursday evening, and the match is likely to be even more even. Sion are currently in 6th place in the championship, while Aarau have lost their leading position to Vaduz after an excellent start to the league campaign, but are level on points with the Liechtenstein side in 2nd place.
And: The last time the two clubs met in the Cup in 2021, Aarau won 4:2 after extra time, also in the round of 16. Sion won the other two Cup duels.
