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| Full name | Fussballclub Thun 1898 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1 May 1898; 127 years ago (1898-05-01) | ||
| Ground | Stockhorn Arena | ||
| Capacity | 10,000 | ||
| Owner | Pacific Media Group | ||
| Chairman | Andres Gerber | ||
| Manager | Mauro Lustrinelli | ||
| League | Swiss Super League | ||
| 2024–25 | Challenge League, 1st of 10 (promoted) | ||
| Website | fcthun | ||
 Current season | |||
Fussballclub Thun 1898 is a Swissfootball team from theBernese Oberland town ofThun. The club plays in theSwiss Super League from 2025–26, the top tier of theSwiss football league system, following promotion from theSwiss Challenge League in the2024–25 season. The club plays at theStockhorn Arena which accommodates a total of 10,000 supporters, both seated and standing. The club's colours are red and white.
The biggest achievements in the club's history are two second-place finishes in theSwiss Cup (1955 and 2019), as well as reaching the group stages of the2005–06 UEFA Champions League.
FC Thun was founded on 1 May 1898. The club played in the second Swiss division, the Nationalliga B (now known asSwiss Challenge League) from 1946 to 1950 and in the 1953–54 season. At the end of the 1953–54 season, the team finished in second place only behindFC Lugano and was promoted to the first division, the Nationalliga A (now known as theSwiss Super League), for the first time in the club's history. However, the club finished the1954–55 season in second to last place and was relegated back to the second division after playing just one season in the top flight. In 1955, Thun reached the final of theSwiss Cup, which was lost 1–3 toLa Chaux-de-Fonds.
From 1955 to 1970, Thun continuously played in the Nationalliga B, before being relegated to theSwiss 1. Liga, back then the third tier of the Swiss football league system, at the end of the 1969–70 season.
In 1995,Andy Egli became the manager of Thun. Two years later, at the end of the 1996–97 season, Thun regained promotion to the Nationalliga B for the first time since 1970. Under managerGeorges Bregy, the club took part in the1999–2000 Nationalliga A/B playoff games, but could not secure promotion to the first league and remained in the Nationalliga B. From July 2001 to December 2004 the team was coached byHanspeter Latour. Under his management, Thun was promoted to the Nationalliga A after 47 years of absence from the Swiss top flight at the end of the 2001–02 season. After Latour left Thun to coachGrasshopper Club Zürich,Urs Schönenberger was appointed as the new head coach.
Thun finished the2004–05 season in second place only behindFC Basel and thus became runners-up of the Swiss championship, which was rebranded from Nationalliga A to Swiss Super League by then. This constituted the best league result in the history of the club and also secured the club a place in thequalifying rounds for theChampions League. By beatingDynamo Kyiv (3–2 on aggregate) andMalmö FF (4–0 on aggregate) in the qualifying rounds, FC Thun reached the group stages of the2005–06 Champions League. They were drawn in Group B alongsideArsenal,Ajax andSparta Prague. They started their campaign on 14 September 2005 awayat Arsenal, where after equalising throughNelson Ferreira, they narrowly lost 2–1 afterDennis Bergkamp scored in the match's final seconds. On 27 September they hosted theCzech champions Sparta Prague at home, theStadion Wankdorf in Bern, where all the club's European home matches were held, as the Lachen Stadium does not meet Uefa's prerequisites for Champions League venues.[citation needed] Thun's 1–0 victory thanks toSelver Hodžić's 80th-minute winner propelled them into second place in the group. Following a loss to Ajax on 2 November, they lost 1–0 at home to Arsenal and with Ajax beating Sparta Prague, FC Thun exited the Champions League. However, Thun drew 0–0 with Sparta Prague in their last group match, securing third place in the group and thus qualifying for theUEFA Cup Round of 32.
Despite his success, coachUrs Schönenberger was regarded as a controversial figure by the club management because of his uncompromising nature and communication style.[1] Just three days prior to their Uefa Cup tie againstHamburger SV, on 13 February 2006, Thun sacked Schönenberger, who had guided them to the Champions' League group stages and replaced him withHeinz Peischl. In the first leg, Thun managed a surprise 1–0 over Hamburg at theStade de Suisse. However, Hamburg was too strong at their home, theVolksparkstadion, and managed to overturn the deficit, winning the second leg 2–0 (2–1 on aggregate).
FC Thun finished the2007–08 season in last place and was subsequently relegated to the second division. Two years later, the club won the2009–10 Swiss Challenge League and was promoted back to the Super League under head coachMurat Yakin. Yakin led the team to a fifth-place finish in the following season but left Thun to assume the role as head coach ofFC Luzern before the start of the2011–12 season. Under the new coachBernard Challandes, the team played in thequalifying rounds of the2011–12 Europa League. After winning againstAlbanian sideKF Vllaznia Shkodër (2–1 on aggregate) and advancing againstItalian clubUS Palermo because of theaway goals rule (3–3 on aggregate), Thun lost 1–5 on aggregate toStoke City in the final play-off round and thus missed qualification for the group stages.[2]
Urs Fischer took over management of the team in January 2013 and lead FC Thun to a fifth-place finish in the2012–13 season. In thequalifying rounds of the2013–14 Europa League, Thun won againstGeorgian teamChikhura Sachkhere (5–1 on aggregate),Swedish sideBK Häcken (3–1 on aggregate) as well asFK Partizan fromSerbia (3–1 on aggregate) and thus qualified for the group stages of the competition. They were drawn in Group G againstRapid Wien,KRC Genk andDynamo Kyiv. In their group, the team won only one out of the six fixtures (1–0 against Rapid Wien) and lost the other five games, finishing last in the group and dropping out of the competition.
After finishing 4th in the 2018–19 Swiss Super League, FC Thun were eligible for the3rd round UEFA Europa League qualifiers. Drawn againstSpartak Moscow, FC Thun lost both legs and 3–5 on aggregate to the Russian team.[3]
In 2019, FC Thun reached the final of theSwiss Cup for the second time in the club's history. They lost the game 1–2 againstFC Basel.[4] In November of the same year, PMG,Chien Lee and The Seelig Group invested in the club and became the co-owners of FC Thun football club.[5]
Thun finished the2019–20 season in second to last place and had to face the runners-up team of the 2019–20 Challenge League,FC Vaduz, in the relegation play-offs. After losing 0–2 in the first leg played away inRheinpark Stadion, the 4–3 victory in the second leg was not enough to win on aggregate, which meant that FC Thun was relegated to theSwiss Challenge League.[6] In thefollowing season, the club reached second place in the Challenge League and qualified for the promotion play-offs, but lost 4–6 on aggregate againstFC Sion and remained in the second division.[7] Carlos Bernegger remained as manager for the2021–22 season which saw Thun finish in 5th place. The team were awarded was awarded the Fair Play Trophy for the dieci Challenge League.[8]
The following season was more of the same for Thun, finishing in 6th place.Gabriel Kyeremateng finished the season as the third highest goalscorer (16) and was nominated for March's player of the month award.[9][10] Bernegger left FC Thun at the end of the season to be replaced byMauro Lustrinelli.[11][12]
Under Lustrinelli for the firstfull season, Thun finished second, three points behind championsFC Sion. They qualified for the promotion playoff againstGrasshopper Club Zürich. The first leg of the playoff finished in a draw, and the second leg Thun lost 2–1 at home following an injury time goal fromAsumah Abubakar. FC Thun goalscorerKoro Koné was sent off in the 94th minute.[13][14] Ahead of the 2024–25 season, captainMarco Bürki signed a two year contract extension.[15]Daniel Dos Santos was sold toFC Lugano after a 10 goal and 9 assist season.[16] FC Thun made 11 signings in the off-season, includingDeclan Frith who had played for bothAston Villa andChelsea academy sides in England,Ashvin Balaruban fromNeuchâtel Xamax,Fabio Fehr fromFC Vaduz and Genis Montolio who previously played for Villarreal in La Liga.[17][18][19] In addition, FC Thun were picked as favourites for promotion, and at their final home friendly match versusFC Sochaux revealed their new mascot Münggu a 2m tallmarmot.[20][21] In July, FC Thun launched their new home shirts manufactured byMacron and sponsored byVisana.[22][23][24] They opened the new season with two wins againstFC Aarau and FC Vaduz, before a draw with newly relegatedStade Lausanne-Ouchy. A victory in game week four againstEtoile Carouge left them top of the table.[25] FC Thun were drawn away in the first round of the2024–25 Swiss Cup against SC Schwyz who qualified under the Suva Fairplay Trophy rules. FC Thun won 6–0 at the Tschaibrunnen sports complex.[26]
On 2 May 2025, Thun secure champions of 2024–25 Challenge League and promotion toSwiss Super League from next season after defeatFC Aarau 2–1 with goalLayton Stewart and Franz-Ethan Meichtry in Matchweek 33, ended five years in second tier and return to top tier after five years absence.
FC Thun's first crest was a black logo script of the team name, with a prominent football coloured red, black and green. In 1998, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the club's formation, FC Thun used a logo with the name script in black, on a background showing the number 100 in red and yellow.
For the 2010/11 season, following promotion to the Swiss Super League, FC Thun utilised a developed version of their original logo, with yellow added (and green removed) with "Berner Oberland" text added to the lower right side of the football.
The current red and white logo with yellow star has been used since 2011.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (chest) | Shirt sponsor (other) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1898–1998 | Unidentified | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1998 | Lotto | Deichmann | |
| 1999–2005 | Adidas | Frutiger AG | Adelbodner |
| 2005–2007 | Hummel | ||
| 2009–2010 | Erima | Axpo | |
| 2011–2012 | Panorama Center (Home) SkyWork (Away) | ||
| 2013–2017 | Nike | Panorama Center (Home) Schneider Software AG (Away) | |
| 2017–2019 | Schneider Software AG | ||
| 2020–2024 | Macron | ||
| 2024–2025 | Visana |
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From 1945 until 2011, FC Thun played their home matches atStadion Lachen. The stadium held 10,350 fans in a mixture of standing and seating. FC Thun played their final game at Lachen in May 2011, beatingAC Bellinzona 3–1.[28]
In 2005, when FC Thun qualified for theChampions League, they were required to use theStade de Suisse inBern.[29]
In 2006, the citizens of Thun refused to finance a new stadium withpublic funds, leaving FC Thun needing to find alternative investment or risk no longer being eligible to play professional football.[30] A private contractor offered to build the stadium with construction work beginning in spring 2010. The stadium would feature a shopping mall. The new stadium – at that time calledArena Thun – was officially inaugurated on 9 July 2011, with a friendly match between1. FC Köln and FC Thun.[31] Köln's strikerMilivoje Novaković was the first player to score in the new arena, and the game ended in a tie (2:2).[32] In 2014, Stockhornbahn AG (which runs anaerial cableway to theStockhorn) began sponsorship of the stadium, which became known as the Stockhorn Arena.[33]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | UEFA Champions League | Q2 |  Dynamo Kyiv | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 |
| Q3 |  Malmö FF | 3–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | ||
| Group B |  Arsenal | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3rd | ||
 Sparta Praha | 1–0 | 0–0 | ||||
 Ajax | 2–4 | 0–2 | ||||
| UEFA Cup | R32 |  Hamburger SV | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | |
| 2011–12 | UEFA Europa League | Q2 |  Vllaznia | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Q3 |  Palermo | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–3 (a.) | ||
| PO | Stoke City | 0–1 | 1–4 | 1–5 | ||
| 2013–14 | UEFA Europa League | Q2 |  Chikhura Sachkhere | 2–0 | 3–1 | 5–1 |
| Q3 | Häcken | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | ||
| PO |  Partizan | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | ||
| Group G | Dynamo Kyiv | 0–2 | 0–3 | 4th | ||
 Genk | 0–1 | 1–2 | ||||
 Rapid Wien | 1–0 | 1–2 | ||||
| 2015–16 | UEFA Europa League | Q2 |  Hapoel Be'er Sheva | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 |
| Q3 |  Vaduz | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 (a.) | ||
| PO | Sparta Praha | 3–3 | 1–3 | 4–6 | ||
| 2019–20 | UEFA Europa League | Q3 |  FC Spartak Moscow | 2–3 | 1–2 | 3–5 |
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