The 1st league is the fourth highest division in Swiss football. Between 2012 and 2014 it was called the 1st League Classic to differentiate it from the 1st League Promotion . Since this was renamed Promotion League for the 2014/15 season , the old name could be used again.
It is held in three groups, divided according to geographical regions.
In 1930, Serie A, the top division in Swiss football, was renamed the first division for a transitional season. It previously consisted of 3 regional groups of 9 teams each and in the 1930/31 season comprised 11 teams each after an exception from the second half of the season through promotion within the season from the shortened promotion series (second stage). Since the National League was introduced for the 1931/32 season , 18 of the 33 teams were promoted to the newly created National League, while the 1st league, now only the second-highest division, was composed mostly of the other teams in the old 1st league. Due to a special mode that was valid for the period from 1931 to 1933, the 1st league club FC Lausanne-Sports was the only lower-class club to become Swiss champions in 1932 .
From 1931 to 1939 the 1st league consisted of two regional groups, initially with 9 teams each, in 1934/35 with 11 teams, from 1935 on with 12 teams. In 1939/40 and 1940/41 the 24 teams were divided into 5 and 3 groups respectively, from 1941 to 1944 there were again two groups with a total of 25 teams.
In 1944, the single-track National League B was introduced as the second highest division , in which 14 of the previous 25 1st division teams moved. The new first division consisted of 3 groups with 10 teams each, 1945/46 with 11 each and from 1946/47 with 12 teams each. It was not until 1962 that it was increased to 13 teams each. In 1976/77 there were four groups with 12 participants each, then with 14 participants each. This mode was maintained until 2000, when 3 groups of 16 teams each were introduced.
In 2012/13 , the national third-class 1st division promotion was introduced for the first time , to which 11 of the previous 48 teams in the 1st division were promoted. The previous 1st league was now called the 1st League Classic and since then has consisted of 3 groups with 14 participants each. From 2014 the 1st league will be called Promotion Promotion League and the 1st league Classic will be called the 1st league again.
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Yellow: Group 1; 
Blue: group 2; 
Red: group 3
