The NLA handball season begins with a rematch of the last play-off final. The losers of the final, BSV Bern, will host the champions, Kadetten Schaffhausen, on Wednesday.
27.08.2025, 05:00
27.08.2025, 06:59
SDA
Who is the top favorite?
Even in the 2025/26 season, Kadetten Schaffhausen will be hard to beat nationally. Since winning the championship title for the first time in 2005, they have been crowned champions 14 more times, most recently four times in a row. In the spring, the Kadetten were victorious nine times in nine play-off games - some of which were highly controversial.
The serial champions suffered several defeats in the preparation phase, but mainly because they were looking for a comparison with Bundesliga teams. These four duels were all lost. In the last test game before the start of the season, the team of coach Hrvoje Horvat, who has been in charge since 2023, lost 27:28 to Göppingen. Schaffhausen's four departures are offset by four notable additions: goalkeeper Leon Bergmann, playmaker Josip Peric, wing Daniel Reznicky and left-handed player Dimitrij Küttel.
Who will be the first challenger?
It will probably be HC Kriens-Lucerne, who lost to the Kadetten in the playoff final in both 2023 and 2024. Last season, the club from Lucerne finished the qualifiers in second place, seven points behind Schaffhausen, but then fell to BSV Bern in the playoff semi-finals. In the summer, Thomas Zimmermann was promoted to head coach after six years as co-coach. "We have ambitious goals," says the Kriens native and former international.
Kriens-Lucerne will play its first competitive game on Saturday in the European League qualifiers away against the Slovenian club Velenje. A week later, the home game will take place in Sursee. In between, the championship opener will be played away against Wacker Thun on September 3. The Kriens are also looking forward to 25 October with great anticipation: the first game in the new Pilatus Arena home arena is on the program then.
What is the situation behind the top duo?
The hierarchy is rather flat. BSV Bern has to cope with the departure of MVP and top scorer Felix Aellen to Bundesliga club Eisenach and the retirement of "veteran" Simon Getzmann. Nevertheless, the three-time Swiss champions are clearly aiming to make the play-offs.
Pfadi Winterthur - after an unsuccessful last season with only 9th place -, St. Otmar St. Gallen, Suhr Aarau, Wacker Thun and RTV Basel are also planning to make it into the top 8. GC Amicitia Zurich has significantly reduced its budget and rejuvenated its first team. Back in the top division after nine years is Stäfa, whose team core has remained unchanged since promotion.
The mode
There have been no changes to the format. Each of the ten teams will play each other three times in the 27-match qualifiers. The teams ranked 1 to 5 in the previous season have one more home game. The top 8 teams after the main round will fight for the championship title in the best-of-five playoffs.
The teams ranked 9th and 10th will also determine who will be relegated to the NLB in a best-of-five series. The winner of the play-off remains in the top division.
