Liechtenstein Cup Final: Balzers, Vaduz and Bonkersness

Words: Jack Gillies

Images: Jack Gillies

“Oben am jungen Rhein, Lehnet sich Liechtenstein, An Alpenhöh’n” “High on the young Rhein, Lies Liechtenstein, resting On Alpine heights.”

Liechtenstein’s unique football landscape stems from its small size and limited resources. With only seven clubs under the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband, it’s the only UEFA member without a domestic league.

Instead, Liechtensteiner clubs compete in the Swiss league system as ‘guest clubs,’ barred from European qualification via the Swiss Super League.

The Liechtensteiner Cup, the country’s sole national competition, is the only path to the Conference League qualifiers.

For a club to reach the Champions League, they’d need to win the Liechtenstein Cup, Conference League, and Europa League—a daunting challenge popularized on Football Manager as the ‘Liechtenstein or FC Vaduz challenge.’

FC Vaduz, Liechtenstein’s only professional club, thrives in this setup. Competing in Switzerland’s second-tier Challenge League, Vaduz has occasionally reached the Swiss Super League, once featuring players like a certain Mr Yann Sommer.

©Jack Gillies/ Terrace Edition. FC Balzers vs FC Vaduz. Rheinpark Stadion.

In 2022, Vaduz made history by qualifying for the Europa Conference League group stages, defeating Rapid Vienna.

Their dominance in the Liechtenstein Cup is unmatched, with a world-record 51 titles since 1949, including 10 consecutive wins.

By comparison, Bayern Munich have only claimed 20 DFB-Pokal titles a full 31 less cup wins than FC Vaduz.

The Cup’s imbalance is stark. Vaduz’s professional status overshadows semi- professional clubs like USV Eschen/Mauren (fourth tier) and FC Balzers (fifth tier), this year’s finalists.

FC Balzers, the ‘best of the rest,’ have 11 titles, last winning in 1997. Despite their fifth-tier status, Balzers boasts 367,000 Instagram followers, outstripping Swiss giants like Young Boys and FC Basel, thanks to Argentine influencer “El Scarso,” who turned them into a global social media sensation.

©Jack Gillies/ Terrace Edition. A pint. FC Balzers vs FC Vaduz. Rheinpark Stadion.

The cup’s structure has raised questions about the potential of a 5th , 6th or even in the event of an FC Triesenberg victory a 7th tier side gaining a place in Europe, while the quirk of including B and even some C teams of the 7 clubs to fill the tournament creates odd matchups, like teams facing their own reserves or in the case of FC Triesenberg their reserves making it further than the first team.

Yet, the Liechtenstein Cup remains a quirky, captivating cornerstone of the principality’s football identity.

I had purchased a ticket for what was nominally the Vaduz end. Liechtenstein’s national stadium has four stands, all offering dramatic mountain views and excellent facilities, considering the stadium’s relative modernity.

However, for the cup final, only the main stand was open, split in half with Sector A-B designated for Vaduz fans and Sector C-D for Balzers fans, though there was plenty of mingling between the two groups.

It was amazing to see the ‘Balzers end’ decked out with yellow and blue flags, with the Balzers fans in high spirits.

In the ‘Vaduz end,’ there were equally many flags, shirts, and scarves. A mobile FC Vaduz club shop had even been parked outside the turnstiles before kick-off, but I resisted the urge to buy anything, having already purchased my Vaduz shirt at the Schaffhausen game.

As the match began, it quickly became evident that FC Vaduz weren’t quite on pace.

Despite the three-division gap, the match felt like one of equals, and it didn’t take long for FC Balzers to capitalize on Vaduz’s sluggishness. With 15 minutes on the clock, Murati took advantage of some slack defending by Vaduz and guided the ball past Liechtenstein captain Büchel, giving Balzers the lead and sending the Rheinpark Stadion into raptures.

I could hardly believe what I was witnessing as Balzers, through some incredibly brave defending, managed to hold onto their narrow lead going into half-time.

From the Vaduz fans around me, there was stunned silence—after all, in last season’s final, Vaduz had comfortably blown FC Triesenberg away with a 5-0 victory.

©Jack Gillies/ Terrace Edition. FC Balzers goal vs FC Vaduz. Rheinpark Stadion.

No one really knew what to expect next; the second half had everything to play for.

With my bratwurst in hand and a beer in an LFV-branded cup, I settled in for the second half. In the early stages of the next 45 minutes, it was more of the same from Vaduz.

Balzers continued to frustrate the team from the capital and hold their narrow led with a backline that could have kept anyone out that night.

Then, just as the second half got underway, the unthinkable happened—something no one had on their bingo card. Balzers scored a second goal!

A ball over the top caught Vaduz completely off guard, and Forrer was the man to deliver the stunning blow that left the Rheinpark Stadion in disbelief. Balzers were now 2-0 up, and it looked like they could finally be on their way to ending their two- decade-long wait for cup glory and loosening FC Vaduz’s stranglehold on the competition.

©Jack Gillies/ Terrace Edition. FC Balzers vs FC Vaduz. Rheinpark Stadion. Liechtenstein flag.

I wish I could say the fairytale unfolded, with Balzers lifting the cup and earning a spot in the Europa Conference League as a fifth-tier side.

However, that was not the case. As the game progressed, the difference in skill levels began to show. The physical style of play that Balzers aimed to use took its toll, and by the 75th minute, Vaduz with their superior fitness and larger bench had leveled the score.

Just three minutes later, the men from the capital found the winner after a mistimed tackle prompted an easy decision from the referee.

Calm and composed, Cavegn slotted the penalty perfectly, giving Vaduz the lead—a lead they held onto to claim their 51st Liechtensteiner Cup victory.

It was a brilliant experience and I thoroughly recommend groundhoppers check out one of the world’s most bizarrely interesting cup competitions.