FC Thun can win the first championship in the club’s history with a victory over FC Lugano on Saturday, a match that midfielder Elmin Rastoder says has been the target all season.
Thun enter the game leading the league by 14 points with five rounds to go, a margin that would be impossible to erase with a home win at a Stockhorn Arena that is completely sold out. The club has conceded just 37 goals in 33 games, a defensive foundation that has underpinned a campaign that, by late April 2026, has put the title within reach. Organizers have already arranged a public viewing at the stadium if Thun do not clinch the championship on Saturday.
Rastoder, who has been among the voices lifting the squad through the run-in, did not underplay the moment: "Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. We’ve been working towards this moment all season. A 14-point lead with five rounds to go underlines our quality. Now it’s up to us to take the final step." The sold-out Stockhorn Arena ensures the atmosphere will be intense whether the title is wrapped up or sent to an alternate venue for a public screening.
The club’s campaign began with a statement: at the end of July 2025 Thun opened the season with a 2-1 win against Lugano, Leonardo Bertone scoring both goals in that match. There was an emphatic victory over FC Basel in September 2025, and promotion back to the Super League a year earlier, in May 2025, set the stage for what many expected to be a survival fight. Instead, Thun have emerged as the dominant side in the league this season.
That rise has not been free of contradictions. FC Lugano are the only team, apart from Breitenrain, to hold a positive record against Thun this season, and Rastoder said the most recent 1-0 home defeat was "extremely unfortunate. We really should have won that game." Lugano, he added, are "strong players and individually very good," underscoring that Saturday’s fixture is not a foregone conclusion despite the points gap.
Leonardo Bertone framed the arc of Thun’s progress in blunt terms. "I feel great pride in the team, the club, but also in myself. In the Challenge League, we were ridiculed for a long time and accused of not playing attractive football. This year we dominated the Super League. We can be proud of that, because we always believed in ourselves." He also warned of Lugano’s volatility: "Lugano live off the form of their individual players on the day. On a good day they are outstanding, but on a normal day they are vulnerable. We have to be 'poisonous', they don't like that. If we bring our aggression onto the pitch, we'll even the score."
Bertone added that attention has followed the results: the club has received inquiries from the USA, England, Italy and a German media team, a sign that Thun’s turnaround is drawing notice beyond Swiss borders. He praised the club’s stability further, saying: "That's true. It's very stable here - in both directions. When things didn't go well in my first year, there was no panic. And now everyone is happy, but remains humble. This mentality characterizes the region: We have worked calmly and developed step by step."
The season’s larger contradictions remain. Thun were widely considered relegation favorites after promotion in May 2025 and the club endured a severe financial crisis after Andres Gerber took charge in 2020, yet coach Mauro Lustrinelli’s setup has produced consistent results, often operating from a 4-2-2-2 formation that has balanced attack and defence. And while the title can be sealed on Saturday, the one clear friction point is Lugano’s comparative success against Thun this season — a fact that keeps the outcome uncertain until the final whistle.
For now, the question is simple and immediate: can Thun turn a points advantage into history in front of a sold-out crowd? Rastoder’s answer captures how the squad feels about the moment — equal parts excitement and responsibility: "Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. We’ve been working towards this moment all season. A 14-point lead with five rounds to go underlines our quality. Now it’s up to us to take the final step."
