[10] After disappointing performances in the domestic league, Luzern finished bottom of the table in 1912 and 1913 and lost its right to play in the Serie A. [11] Luzern also struggled in Serie B and was threatened to become the second club in the city. Between 1913 and 1915, Luzern was defeated five times by city rival FC Kickers. For a time, even a merger with 1907 founded Kickers was a realistic scenario, but the merger was rejected by only one vote. [12] Almost champion and back to Serie B (1918–1936)[edit] After five years in the second division Luzern returned to Serie A in 1918 after beating FC Baden. Dionys Schönecker, who joined FC Luzern from Austrian club Rapid Wien, became the first professional manager for the club in 1921.
However, Luzern was without a realistic chance against Dutch champions PSV and suffered another early halt to their European campaigns. Unable to defend the league title in 1990, Luzern qualified for the UEFA Cup and secured its first European win against MTK Budapest, but lost to Admira Wacker Vienna in the next round. In a sudden change of fortune in 1991–92, Luzern failed to qualify for the championship playoff group only due to goal difference and surprisingly suffered relegation after a hapless campaign in the relegation playoffs. Only days after the shock, Luzern won its third major trophy after beating FC Lugano 3–1 in the Swiss Cup final.
While Gutendorf saw the first years as a consolidation period, the team almost got instantly promoted after just one year in the second division. Promotion eventually came in 1958. [16] The first trophy and the yo-yo years (1960–1979)[edit] While league performances in the Nationalliga A were erratic throughout the first half of the 1960s, Luzern won its first major national trophy by winning the Swiss Cup in 1960. The final was played against FC Grenchen. Luzern then participated in the first edition of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1960–61, but was comfortably defeated by Fiorentina (0–3, 2–6).
Until a new stadium was completed in 2011, Luzern temporarily played its home matches at the Gersag Stadion in Emmenbrücke. Swissporarena, home to FC Luzern. In August 2011, the club moved into the newly built Swissporarena, located at the former location of the old stadium. The opening match ended with a 0–0 draw against FC Thun. Honours[edit] Swiss Super League Winners: 1988–89 Runners-up: 1921-22, 2011-12 Swiss Cup Winners: 1959–60, 1991–92, 2020–21 Runners-up: 1996–97, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2011–12 The greatest success in the club's history was winning the championship in 1989 under the management of German head coach Friedel Rausch.
Furthermore, the club played in six Swiss Cup finals, winning two by defeating FC Grenchen 1–0 in 1960 and FC Lugano 3–1 (after extra time) in 1992. Later, the club lost four cup finals in a row: in 1997 against Sion (4–5 on penalties), in 2005 against Zürich (1–3), and twice against Basel, in 2007 (0–1) and 2012 (2–4 on penalties). Reaching the cup final in 2005 as a second-tier club, the promotion back to the Super League in 2006, reaching the cup finals in 2007 and 2012 and winning the cup in 2021 rank as the club's most recent successes. [30] All-time league table[edit] Luzern is ranked 9th in the all-time league table.
A majority of the fans, particularly Ultra groups, view FC St. Gallen as a major rival. Matches with FC Aarau are also by many considered as a local derby and attract big numbers of Luzern supporters, especially to away matches. Stadium[edit] Between 1934 and 2009, the club played its home games at the Stadion Allmend, which had a theoretical capacity of 25, 000. For security reasons however, the Swiss Football Association did not allow more than 13, 000 to attend in the final year of its existence in 2009.