The National League playoff quarter-finals start on Friday. By the end of April - a good two weeks before the start of the home World Cup - it will be clear who will lift the championship trophy.
20.03.2026, 05:00
20.03.2026, 09:58
SDA
All series will be decided in a best-of-7 format. The games start at 20:00. In the event of a draw after 60 minutes, extra time (five against five field players) will follow until the next goal decides the game. The record on Swiss ice is held by the game between Genève-Servette and SC Bern from the 2018/19 season, which only ended after 117:43 minutes with a 3:2 victory for the Bern team.
In the quarter-finals, the match days are split up. This means that there will be two playoff games every evening for at least a week from Friday. The split will also be maintained up to a possible seventh game. In the semi-finals (from April 4), all games will be scheduled at the same time - with a one-day break in between. The two-day rhythm will also be maintained in the final series (from April 18).
The most important facts about the playoff quarter-finals at a glance:
Davos (1st) - Zug (8th)
Davos and Zug already played each other last year for a place in the semi-finals. The new edition is under significantly different circumstances. While Davos secured a commanding qualification victory with 117 points, EVZ had to take a detour via the play-in after a difficult season that included a change of coach. 42 points separated the two teams after 52 rounds. Last year, the quarter-final duel between fourth (Zug) and fifth (Davos) was a clear-cut affair for HCD with a 4-0 win. The Zug team is now looking for revenge for the bitter elimination back then.
However, the season record speaks in favor of the record champions. In Davos, HCD celebrated two clear victories (5:1, 4:1), while in Zug's home games the winner had to be decided on penalties twice (one win each). Despite the striking difference in qualifying, EVZ is counting on the playoff effect and experienced key players like Leonardo Genoni to pull off a surprise against the qualifying winners. HCD, for its part, will be keen to leave as few grains as possible in this series in its hunt for the coveted 32nd championship title.
Fribourg-Gottéron (2nd) - Rapperswil-Jona Lakers (7th)
Like HCD, Fribourg-Gottéron have only known their quarter-final opponents since late Wednesday evening. There are no playoff comparisons from the past, as the duel with the Lakers is a novelty. Unlike all the other teams, St. Gallen, who secured their quarter-final ticket via two play-in rounds, have not had a break, which could prove to be a disadvantage in terms of energy levels as the season progresses.
The season balance between the two teams is even, with two wins on both sides and, curiously, the away team always winning, three of them by just one goal difference. Fribourg coach Roger Rönnberg will be forced to make personnel changes. Fribourg have to cope with the long-term absence of international striker Sandro Schmid due to injury and are also still without spectacle-maker Marcus Sörensen. The question remains: Will Gottéron win their first championship title in their 86th year of existence thanks to number 86? It will be the last playoffs for captain Julien Sprunger.
Genève-Servette (3rd) - Lausanne (6th)
For the first time in the almost 40-year playoff era, there will be a Léman derby. While the series is electrifying French-speaking Switzerland even before the first puck is dropped, the omens could hardly be more different. Genève-Servette go into the quarter-finals with the confidence of three straight wins against their cantonal rivals (5:3, 7:3, 3:0). In doing so, the Geneva side made amends for the painful 11-0 defeat in their first meeting of the season in mid-September.
So far, last year's qualification winners from Lausanne have lagged behind their performance. Nevertheless, after losing two play-off finals, the Vaud team is hoping to finally win the first championship title in the club's history - a feat that Servette achieved three years ago. Since then, however, the playoffs have taken place twice without Geneva's participation, which does not diminish the anticipation of Servette captain Noah Rod. "It's going to be very intense and the whole series promises big games. That's what we play field hockey for, that's why we love it."
ZSC Lions (4th) - Lugano (5th)
The duel between the ZSC Lions and HC Lugano is considered the playoff classic par excellence. The history of this match-up is marked by historic moments such as the "pedestal fall" of the Grande Lugano in 1992 or Adrien Plavsic's decisive championship shot in 2000. While the Zurich team could make history with a third title in a row - a feat that only Lugano (1986 to 1988) and Kloten (1993 to 1996) have achieved in the playoff era - the Ticino team is aiming to break free after years of slump.
Lugano has not won a playoff series since losing the final against ZSC in 2018 and even had to go to the relegation playoffs last year. However, the hiring of Swedish coach Tomas Mitell led to an upswing and the best qualification in five years. With three wins from four games (9:3 points), the season record speaks in favor of the Lions, but ZSC sports director Sven Leuenberger urges caution. "The quarter-final series is always the most difficult to get through."
