FC Lugano is a Swiss professional football club based in Lugano, in the canton of Ticino. The club was founded on 28 July 1908 under the leadership of its first president, Ernesto Corsini, and has developed into one of the established clubs in Swiss football. FC Lugano first reached the highest level of Swiss football in 1922 and subsequently established a distinguished record in domestic competition. The club has won three Swiss national championships, in 1938, 1941 and 1949, and four Swiss Cups, in 1931, 1968, 1993 and 2022. Its first Swiss Cup success came in 1931, while its most recent major trophy was the 2022 Swiss Cup, when Lugano defeated FC St. Gallen 4–1 in the final at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern. FC Lugano has also participated in European competitions on numerous occasions. Its European history includes UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League qualifying appearances. The club reached the Champions League qualifying rounds for the first time following a second-place league finish in 2000–01. The club experienced a significant financial crisis in 2003 and was subsequently re-established, returning to the professional structure through a merger with FC Malcantone Agno in 2004. In June 2008, during its centenary year, the organisation formally returned to the historic FC Lugano name. The club returned to the Swiss Super League in 2015 after winning promotion at the end of the 2014–15 season. In August 2021, American businessman Joe Mansueto, owner of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire FC, acquired FC Lugano, beginning a new ownership era. The club continues to operate as a privately held organisation through F.C. Lugano SA, a Swiss public limited company registered in the Canton of Ticino. FC Lugano's administrative headquarters are located at Via Pioda 14 in Lugano. The club has historically played at Stadio di Cornaredo, but 2026 marked the transition to its new home, the AIL Arena. The club played its final match at Cornaredo on 17 May 2026 before moving into the new stadium. Alongside its first team, FC Lugano operates an academy and youth-development structure. The academy has its own administration and provides a pathway for young players within the club. The organisation's current corporate profile lists FC Lugano within spectator sports, with 51–200 employees and headquarters in Lugano.