The past few weeks have been a particularly busy period for FC Lugano, with matches, projects and the first concrete steps towards the new arena. On the pitch, the first team has continued to pick up points, maintained its position near the top of the table and secured a place in the Championship Group, keeping the race for European qualification alive. Off the pitch, meanwhile, the journey towards the AIL Arena has gathered pace, whilst Cornaredo approaches the final chapters of its history.
HEADING TOWARDS THE END OF THE SEASON
Over the last two months, Lugano has continued its journey with consistency, during a period packed with fixtures and key milestones. Qualification for the Championship Group rewards the progress made so far and gives the Bianconeri the chance to fight for their objective right to the end. Along this journey, Cornaredo has continued to be a valuable ally: the historic stadium has supported the team even on the toughest nights of this part of the season, proving once again to be a home ground capable of spurring the squad on when it matters most.
It was Cornaredo, in early March, that also hosted the third edition of the ‘Lugano’s Plan ₿ Match’ during the fixture against FC Sion. Now in its third year, the event celebrated the fourth anniversary of the Bianconeri’s Leading Partner and transformed the match into an evening centred on the fans: 700 free tickets awarded via quizzes, dedicated activities inside the stadium, photo booths and other initiatives designed to make the occasion even more engaging. It was further confirmation of the Club’s desire to link matchdays to moments capable of speaking to its community in a broad and participatory way.
And whilst the present continues to unfold at Cornaredo, the future has now taken concrete shape. On 1 March, public sales opened for the 2026/27 season tickets, the first season Lugano will play in the new AIL Arena. The campaign, entitled ‘La Città scende in campo’ (The City Takes to the Pitch), highlighted this transition with a clear message: the Club wants to move into its new home, bringing all the city’s residents along with it. For this reason, in the weeks that followed, the Bianconeri’s message also reached the streets of Lugano, with the campaign featuring on TPL buses and billboards across the city, reinforcing the idea of a shared journey involving the team, the fans and the local community.
A CLUB TELLS ITS STORY
At the same time, the Club has continued to give space to the telling of its own story. Following its debut in January, ‘11 volte Cornaredo’ has released two new episodes that help us understand, from different perspectives, what the iconic stadium in Lugano truly represented. The second episode looked back to 30 November 2011, the day of Mattia Bottani’s first goal for the Bianconeri in a derby against AC Bellinzona: a symbolic moment in the captain’s career and, at the same time, a scene deeply linked to the emotional memory of Cornaredo. The third episode, meanwhile, revisited 16 May 1990, when Arrigo Sacchi’s great Milan side arrived in Lugano: through the account of former striker Romeo Pelosi, that match came back to life as one of the most fascinating evenings of the past, in which great international football intersected closely with Bianconeri history.
And the name of Mattia Bottani also features in another of the most significant developments of recent weeks. On 31 March, the Club and its captain announced that their paths would part ways at the end of the season. During the press conference dedicated to the matter, the parties reviewed the discussions that had taken place over the past few months and clarified the reasons behind the separation. At the same time, the focus remains on the pitch: Bottani himself reiterated that the main focus is on these final six matches, to be approached with the aim of taking Lugano into Europe.
In parallel, the Club has exercised its option to sign David von Ballmoos from Young Boys on a permanent basis, recognising the performance, reliability and character he has shown since his arrival in Lugano. The Swiss goalkeeper will remain with the Bianconeri until 2029.
NEXT STEPS
We are now looking ahead to what promise to be significant weeks on several fronts. The FC Lugano Kids Camps 2026 kicked off over the Easter period, with the first session of the year beginning on 6 April. The project, which has been revived following the positive response to previous editions, continues to be an important initiative aimed at the younger generation: a week of football, fun, personal development and shared experiences. For boys and girls, it is a real opportunity to get closer to football and its values; for the Club, it is a consistent way of investing in its relationship with families, the local community and the future. Following the first Kids Camp in April, the programme will continue between June and July with further dates in Lugano and Vallemaggia.
On the pitch, meanwhile, the Bianconeri are preparing for the most intense part of the season. Following the match against Thun, Lugano face an away trip to Zurich, the final fixture of the regular season. From there, the final sprint begins: five matches in which the final outcomes will be decided and in which every point will carry enormous weight. The run kicks off on Saturday 25 April at 8.30 pm away at FC Thun, followed by home fixtures against BSC Young Boys and FC St. Gallen and an away trip to FC Sion, before the final, historic fixture: the match on Sunday 17 May at 4.30 pm against FC Basel, which will also mark the last official match at Cornaredo.
To mark this finale, the Club has launched the Championship Group Pack, a special offer designed for those who want to secure tickets for the last three big matches to be played at Cornaredo before it closes its doors for good. It is a way to turn the end of the season into an event for everyone to enjoy together, giving the historic stadium the final farewell it deserves.
And just as Cornaredo approaches its final days, the AIL Arena continues to take shape as a tangible reality. On 12 March, the new stadium was handed over by HRS Real Estate SA to the City of Lugano, which in turn officially handed the keys to the facility to the Club. This was a symbolic yet practical step, marking the start of the pre-opening phase, with the final details still being finalised. The first real opportunity for the public to visit will come over the weekend of 30 and 31 May, when the Bianconeri’s new home will open its doors to the public. A few days later, on Friday 5 June, the stadium will host the first official match in its history: the World Cup qualifier between the Swiss women’s team and the Maltese women’s team.
Between the European campaign, the farewell to Cornaredo, the projects dedicated to the Club’s history and the build-up to the AIL Arena, Lugano is thus entering a very busy and decisive phase of its season. The present demands focus and results, but the future has already begun. And in the coming weeks, it will be the pitch, the excitement and the involvement of the whole community that will mark this transition.
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