The Challengers open their best-of-three wild card series against the Bern Cardinals this Sunday, with the fourth and final playoff spot on the line — a new addition to this year's postseason format, pitting the fourth- and fifth-placed teams from the regular season against each other.
Both of the weekend's games are scheduled on the Bern Allmend, with a potential decisive third game a week later back in Zurich if the series is split. The Challengers go in as favorites: they enter the series with momentum and already beat the Cardinals in their most recent meeting on home turf. A win on Sunday would put them one game from the playoffs.