FC St. Gallen

Foundation and early decades (1879–1940s)

FC St. Gallen was founded on 19 April 1879, following an invitation published in the local newspaper, the St. Galler Tagblatt. The inaugural meeting took place at the Restaurant Hörnli on Neugasse, making it the oldest football club still in existence in Switzerland and continental Europe. During its first decades, the club integrated several other local football teams from the region. In 1902, the club played its first international friendly match, defeating Alemannia Karlsruhe 26–0. On 22 June 1903, the club officially adopted the name FC St. Gallen and secured its first Swiss Championship during the 1903–04 season. In 1910, the club moved to the Espenmoos stadium. Following a period of decline, the club was relegated in 1932 but returned to the top tier under player-coach Norman Smith. The club later reached its first Swiss Cup final in 1945, which was immediately followed by another brief relegation.

Post-war period and second championship (1950s–2001)

The mid-20th century was marked by heavy fluctuations, including a drop to the third-tier 1. Liga in 1957 before the club successfully fought its way back to the top flight in 1968. In 1969, FC St. Gallen won its first Swiss Cup title by defeating AC Bellinzona 2–0. The subsequent decades were highlighted by a famous 0–0 UEFA Cup draw against Inter Milan in 1985 in front of a record crowd, and the goalscoring exploits of Chilean star Iván Zamorano in…

Domestic

League

Swiss Super League Winners: 1903–04, 1999–2000 Runners-up: 2019–20, 2025–26 Swiss Challenge League Winners: 1970–71, 2008–09, 2011–12 Runners-up: 1967–68

Cup

Swiss Cup Winners: 1968–69, 2025–26 Runners-up: 1944–45, 1976–77, 1997–98, 2020–21, 2021–22 Swiss League Cup Winners: 1977–78 Runners-up: 1981–82

Others

Anglo Cup Runners-up: 1910