At the Locanda della Masseria, in an informal setting and in the presence of around twenty accredited journalists, the Club took stock of the 2025/26 season and began to look ahead to the next campaign, the first in the new AIL Arena.
Representing F.C. Lugano SA were Martin Blaser, Vice-President of the Board of Directors and CEO, Sebastian Pelzer, Chief Sports Officer, and Mattia Croci-Torti, head coach of the men’s First Team. Several topics were addressed during the meeting: from the Club’s corporate growth to financial sustainability, from the transfer market to the construction of the squad, as well as the team’s sporting journey and the challenges that will accompany the Club towards the 2026/27 season.
THE CLUB’S PROJECT
From a corporate perspective, Martin Blaser underlined the need to continue growing with ambition, but also with balance and responsibility. The move to the AIL Arena will represent a historic step for the Club, bringing an increase in revenues but also in operating costs. In this context, compliance with the economic parameters required at both national and international level will remain central.
“The starting point is institutional revenue: sponsorship, ticketing, season tickets and hospitality,” Blaser explained. “For the 2026/27 season, our budget is around CHF 12.5 million. Added to this are the UEFA regulations, which impose clear limits on clubs that want to continue playing in Europe. For this reason, the budget must remain sustainable and consistent with our dimension.”
Blaser then clarified the relationship between ambition and sustainability, rejecting the idea that the Club is unwilling to invest: “When people say: ‘Why don’t they spend? Don’t they want to spend? Are they not ambitious?’, the answer is simple: that is not the case. If you want to play in Europe, you have to respect the rules. And since the catchment area in Ticino is not the largest in Switzerland, revenues will always be different compared with those of Basel, St. Gallen or Young Boys.”
The focus, however, remains on the growth of the project, both on and off the pitch: “It is better to build five or ten years of stability and seriousness than to have one fantastic year and then fall back down.” This also includes the work carried out to strengthen the sense of belonging, through initiatives such as Primo giorno di scuola and Nati Bianconeri.
THE TRANSFER MARKET AND SQUAD BUILDING
The subject of the transfer market was addressed by Sebastian Pelzer, who confirmed that the work ahead of next season is already well under way. The construction of the squad will also depend on departures, but the Club is working to be ready and to maintain the right balance between quality, potential and sustainability.
“I think we will be able to compensate for one or two departures, but of course we also depend on the possibility of selling. The market is already moving: there have been enquiries for some of our players and we are working on some interesting situations. We will see what the next few days and weeks bring. We will have to find a good balance, also depending on the departures, but we are prepared.”
The direction remains clear: to identify profiles suited to the technical project, capable of fitting into Lugano’s path and contributing to the team’s competitiveness in a season that will include the league, Europe and the debut in the new Bianconeri home.
AMBITION, IDENTITY AND THE PITCH
From a sporting point of view, Mattia Croci-Torti looked back on the entire season, focusing on the human and technical journey completed by the group. It was a path in which the team had to overcome difficult moments, while finding continuity, identity and results in the decisive phase of the season: “It was certainly a year that did not start well,” admitted Croci-Torti, “with the disappointment of the Swiss Cup elimination, which really hurt. In the league, however, it was a good journey: we reacted brilliantly, more as real men than simply as players. The points record gives strength to a path that began after a difficult start, and the players achieved a historic result by qualifying for Europe for the fifth consecutive time.”
From this awareness also comes the desire to keep looking ahead with ambition, while remaining fully conscious of the team’s identity: “We will always continue to say that we want to win every match. We are ambitious, aware of who we are and of our possibilities, but we cannot settle. Anyone who works in Lugano must aim to do things in the best possible way, and this ambition must be passed on to the players and to everyone who is part of the Club.”
Croci-Torti also spoke about the type of profiles Lugano will look to add to the squad: “Our goal in the transfer market is to bring in people who can make this sport appreciated, who can encourage people to come to the stadium. We are looking for players who can entertain the public and maybe make a child fall in love with football.”
Inevitably, the focus is already on next season and on the new era that will begin with the AIL Arena: “Now it is time to recharge our energy and create a team with great hunger and great motivation, a team that can be carried by the enthusiasm of a new era and also carry its fans with it. Winning is an exception, but we always have the duty to try all the way.”
TOWARDS A NEW ERA
The meeting confirmed the Club’s desire to approach the next chapter of its history with a clear direction: to grow, consolidate and continue competing with ambition, while maintaining balance, seriousness and a sense of belonging.
The 2025/26 season ended with a third-place finish, another European qualification and the farewell to Cornaredo. The journey towards the AIL Arena has already begun.