In the heart of western Europe lies the small and unassuming Principality of Liechtenstein. With a total area of just 62 square miles and a mere population of 38,000 people, it is the world’s 6th smallest country. However, this is a nation with a passion for football, and yet, Liechtenstein is without a league system of its own – making it the only UEFA member nation that does not have its own league. This begs the question, why doesn’t Liechtenstein have a football league?
Football in Liechtenstein
Before we can answer the question as to why there is no football league in Liechtenstein, there is some information about football in Liechtenstein that is important to understand.
Due to the country’s small size, there are only 7 recognised football teams in the entirety of Liechtenstein, but this would still be enough to form a league, perhaps one where every side plays each other 3 times.
However, instead of playing in a league of their own, all 7 Liechtenstein-based clubs play as guest teams in the Swiss League system, including FC Vaduz, who have enjoyed several spells in the top flight of Swiss football. Up until the 2020-21 season, FC Vaduz were in the Swiss Super League (the top tier in Switzerland), but unfortunately, they placed 10th in that season and so were relegated to the Swiss Challenge League, where they still reside today.
The rest of the teams in Liechtenstein compete at significantly varying levels within the Swiss league system, with 4 of the 7 teams (FC Ruggell, FC Schaan, FC Triesen and FC Triesenberg) competing in the 7th division of Swiss football.
This is one of the reasons why a league in Liechtenstein is now implausible – the difference in skill between FC Vaduz and the rest of the clubs in Liechtenstein has grown too great. Even their closest competitor, USV Eschen/Mauren, is 2 leagues below them. This means that if FC Vaduz were to play any of the other teams in Liechtenstein, it would likely be a rout. This is aptly demonstrated by the Liechtenstein cup, which we will explore in more detail later.
Unlike in many other countries that have a vested interest in football, where many of the major sides are formed at around the same time and are century-old establishments, many of the clubs in Liechtenstein are relatively new, and the period of time between the formation of the youngest and oldest club is large (exactly 40 years).
For example, Leeds United (founded in 1919, making it the youngest premier league football club) was established 13 years before the oldest team in Liechtenstein, FC Balzers (founded in 1932).
This has led to there being disparities between the development of some of the older and newer teams, as illustrated by the fact that all 4 of the newest teams (discounting USV Eschen/Mauren as it was a merger between 2 long-established clubs, FC Eschen and FC Mauren) are in the 7th division of Swiss football.
One interesting caveat that arises from FC Vaduz’s (and the other Liechtenstein teams’) statuses as “guest clubs” in the Swiss league system is that this status means that FC Vaduz cannot participate in the Swiss Cup and therefore cannot represent Switzerland internationally, leaving them with no way of qualifying for European football through the league system.
However, there is an alternative way for Vaduz and other Liechtenstein teams to qualify for European football, which leads us to talk about the Liechtenstein cup.
The Liechtenstein Cup
Although there is no league system in Liechtenstein, the Liechtenstein cup has existed since 1946.
This provides an opportunity for all the clubs in Liechtenstein (including reserve sides) to play against each other and is also the only way that Liechtenstein teams can qualify for European football as the winner of the Liechtenstein cup then qualifies for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Due to reserve teams being allowed to compete in the cup, odd situations occasionally arise where teams from the same club are drawn together. This has even led to reserve teams advancing further in the cup than the first team, such as in the second round of the 2006-07 cup, where FC Triesenberg’s second team went through, but the first team did not.
FC Vaduz is unsurprisingly the dominant force in the Liechtenstein cup, having won 22 out of the last 23 cups. Due to the massive difference in quality between FC Vaduz and the other sides, the margin by which FC Vaduz wins the final is, at times, comically large. For example, in the 2015-16 cup final, FC Vaduz trounced FC Schaan 11-0.
As a consequence of the Liechtenstein cup system in tandem with the “guest status” of Liechtenstein teams in the Swiss league, the process for a Liechtenstein team to qualify for the Champions League is near impossible as there is no way for a club to qualify for Europe through the league system.
This means that to qualify for the champions league, FC Vaduz would have to win the Liechtenstein Cup, then win the Conference League the next season and then win the Europa League the following season for a chance at the Champions League the season after that – a tall order, especially for a club from the 4th smallest country in Europe.
The presence of the Liechtenstein Cup is undoubtedly one of the reasons that no league system exists in Liechtenstein, as it acts as a surrogate for a league system in two main ways – it offers Liechtenstein teams a chance at European football as well as allows them to play each other at least once in any given season.
Conclusion
The conversation about why there is no league in Liechtenstein is undoubtedly more complex than it may appear on the surface. At first glance, it may seem that the lack of a football league is purely down to the small size of the country and the limited number of teams that play there – and this is without a doubt part of the picture, as a league with just 7 teams may not be the most viable.
However, the reason that there is no league in Liechtenstein is, in actuality, made up of a combination of factors. One of these said factors is that the difference in quality between the sides in Liechtenstein has grown very large due to the prolonged period of time that the sides have spent in the Swiss league system. This means that an exclusive Liechtenstein league is no longer feasible, as FC Vaduz would simply win every league title, as demonstrated by the Liechtenstein Cup. This would make the league monotonous and unfavourable for the teams getting thrashed weekly.
The Liechtenstein Cup also plays a part in rendering a possible Liechtenstein league obsolete because it acts as a partial substitute for an actual league system, with the added bonus that it allows the inclusion of reserve sides.
Along with these significant factors, Liechtenstein’s proximity to Switzerland is another piece of the puzzle, as it is extremely easy for Liechtenstein clubs and Swiss clubs alike to travel to games across the border due to the small travel distances involved, meaning that it is very easy for Liechtenstein teams to partake in the Swiss league system.
In conclusion, the answer to the little-discussed question of why there is no football league in Liechtenstein is, in fact, multi-faceted, with the many intriguing quirks of the Liechtenstein football system leading a unique situation to arise where a football league in Liechtenstein has been deemed unnecessary.
