Unfortunately, due to the impact of COVID-19 in China on the production of the Chinese Super League, we have suspended our coverage of matches until further notice. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
After long COVID-19 delays, the 2022 Chinese Super League season has arrived and is set to be one of change for China’s premier football competition.
After a COVID-shortened campaign in 2021, which was won by Shandong Taishan, the 2022 season - due to commence on June 3 - hopes to offer a return to normality with plenty of thrilling contests and an exciting title race.
There has been a huge player turnover from the end of the last campaign, as well as four new teams promoted, which will provide a different feel for long-time fans of the competition.
SBS Sport has you covered with this guide to everything you need to know about the 2022 Chinese Super League season:
New faces, new places for 2022
This season, the CSL is expanding from 16 to 18 teams and will feature four new clubs following the dissolution of Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic FC and Qingdao FC.
Joining the competition from China League One will be Wuhan Three Trees, Meizhou Hakka, Zhejiang Professional, and Chengdu Rongcheng.
Existing CSL club Wuhan FC will also have a new identity this season after changing its name to Wuhan Yangtze River FC.
The competition will also have a new look, with a revised format for the 2022 season in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic in China.
Instead of traditional home-and-away fixtures, the season will be divided into four stages; with one stage of ten rounds and three of eight rounds.
During the first stage, the 18 teams will be divided into three groups with each group playing all matches at centralised venues.
Group A, which includes Meizhou Hakka, Beijing Guoan, Shenzhen, Cangzhou Mighty Lions, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, and Chengdu RongCheng, will play all their games at Meixian Tsang Hin-Chi Stadium and the Wuhua County Olympic Sports Centre.
Group B is made up of Shandong Taishan, Changchun Yatai, Guangzhou City, Henan Songshan Longmen, and Zhejiang Professional, and they will play their games at Wuyuan River Stadium, as well as the Haikou Mission Hills Football Training Base.
Finally, Group C consists of Shanghai Port, Guangzhou FC, Hebei FC, Shanghai Shenhua, Wuhan Yangtze River, and Wuhan Three Towns, with matches scheduled to take place at Dalian Sports Centre Stadium and Jinzhou Stadium.
The following stages of the competition will feature teams being moved to different groups to ensure each side plays the other 18 teams in the competition at least twice.
Shandong Taishan celebrate winning the 2021 Chinese Super League title
Who’s Who in the CSL
Beijing Guoan
City: Beijing
Coach: Xie Feng
Rival club: Shanghai Shenhua
Club Fact: Formed in 1955 before becoming a fully professional club in 1992, Beijing Guoan have one CSL title which was won in 2009 with a squad that included Aussie forwards Joel and Ryan Griffiths.
Cangzhou Mighty Lions
City: Cangzhou, Hebei Province
Coach: Svetozar Sapuric
Rival Club: Hebei FC
Club Fact: Established in 2011, the Mighty Lions have had somewhat of an identity crisis during their short existence, with four separate name changes. The club’s most recent re-brand was only last year when they took on their current title from previous moniker Shijiazhuang Ever Bright after relocating three hours east to their new home at Cangzhou Stadium.
Changchun Yatai
City: Changchun
Coach: Chen Yang
Rival club: the now-dissolved Jiangsu FC
Club fact: It is the club’s second season back in the CSL after suffering relegation in 2018 following a 13-year stay in the top tier which included the 2007 league title. Last season, they placed fourth overall, their highest finish to a season since they were runners-up in 2009.
Chengdu Rongcheng
City: Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Coach: Seo Jung-won
Rival Club: the now-dissolved Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic FC
Club Fact: The club are only four years old after being founded in 2018 as Chengdu Better City. They earned promotion to the CSL last year after defeating Dalian Pro 2-1 in the promotion/relegation playoff.
Dalian Professional FC
City: Dalian, Liaoning Province
Coach: Hiu Xie
Rival Club: Guangzhou City
Club Fact: Were relegated at the end of the 2021 season but were recalled to the top tier after Chongqing withdrew from the Chinese Super League due to financial woes.
Guangzhou FC
City: Guangzhou, Guangdong Province
Coach: Liu Zhiyu
Rival Club: Guangzhou City
Club Fact: One of the most successful clubs since the formation of the Chinese Super League, winning eight titles including seven straight from 2011 to 2017. Guangzhou had been coached by Marcello Lippi, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Fabio Cannavaro during their triumphant run, one that also included Asian Champions League titles in 2013 and 2015.
Guangzhou City
City: Guangzhou, Guangdong Province
Coach: Jean-Paul van Gastel
Rival Club: Guangzhou FC
Club Fact: The club have been based in four different cities since first being formed in 1986 and have had nine different names in that time. The team have been based in Guangzhou since 2011 after relocating from Shenzhen. Guangzhou were also once managed by current Rangers boss and Netherlands great Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Hebei FC
City: Langfang, Hebei Province
Coach: Kim Jong-boo
Rival Club: the now-dissolved Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic FC
Club Fact: Founded in 2009, Hebei FC were once one of the most valuable teams in world football after being purchased by China Fortune Land Development, and were home to superstar coach Manuel Pellegrini as well as ex-Premier League star Gervinho and Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi.
Henan Songshan Longmen
City: Zhengzhou, Henan Province
Coach: Francisco Javier Pereira Megia
Rival Club: Guangzhou
Club Fact: One of the oldest clubs in the CSL, Henan Songshan Longmen were formed in 1958 but have spent most of their time in the Chinese second division. Since gaining promotion to the CSL in 2007, the club have remained in the top flight for all but the 2013 campaign.
Meizhou Hakka
City: Meizhou, Guangdong Province
Coach: Frank Bernhardt
Rival Club: Guangzhou City
Club Fact: 2022 will be the first time in the Chinese Super League for Meizhou Hakka, who have worked their way up from the third division after their formation in 2013.
Shandong Taishan
City: Jinan, Shandong Province
Coach: Hao Wei
Rival Club: Guangzhou FC
Club Fact: The reigning Chinese Super League champions after taking out the 2021 title. It was the club’s fourth CSL honour and first since 2010. The current squad boasts former Everton and Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini.
Shanghai Port
City: Pudong, Shanghai
Coach: Ivan Leko
Rival Club: Shanghai Shenhua
Club Fact: One of the CSL’s powerhouse clubs which have over the years been home to Brazilian superstars Oscar, Hulk and Elkeson, as well as coaches Andres Villas-Boas and Sven Goran-Eriksson. It is the current home to Socceroos star midfielder Aaron Mooy.
Shanghai Shenhua
City: Kangqiao, Shanghai
Coach: Wu Jingui
Rival Club: Beijing Guoan
Club Fact: Shanghai's largest club and arguably most supported, Shenhua have a storied history and have attracted superstars such as Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka, Carlos Tevez and Socceroos legend Tim Cahill in previous years. Despite this, they have not won the CSL title.
Shenzhen FC
City: Shenzhen, Guangdong
Coach: Lee Jang-Soo
Rival Club: Guangzhou FC
Club Fact: Shenzhen FC were formed in 1994 and went on to win the Chinese Super League during the competition’s first season in 2004. However, they have only just returned to the Chinese top flight after spending the best past of the last decade stuck in the second division.
Tianjin Jinmen Tiger
City: Tianjin
Coach: Yu Genwei
Rival Club: Beijing Guoan
Club Fact: One of only four clubs to remain in the CSL since its establishment in 2004. Tianjin Jinmen Tiger was formerly known as Tianjin TEDA and once had a sister club agreement with A-League side Melbourne Victory.
Wuhan Three Towns
City: Wuhan, Hubei Province
Coach: Pedro Morilla
Rival Club: Wuhan Yangtze River FC
Club Fact: Formed in 2006, Wuhan Three Towns will play in the Chinese Super League for the first time in 2022 after winning promotion.
Wuhan Yangtze River FC
City: Wuhan, Hubei Province
Coach: Li Jinyu
Rival Club: Wuhan Three Towns
Club Fact: This will be the first season the club will adopt the title Wuhan Yangtze River after rebranding from Wuhan FC at the end of the 2021 campaign. This year will be the club’s fourth season in the Chinese Super League after first winning promotion in 2019.
Zhejiang Professional FC
City: Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province
Coach: Jordi Vinyals
Rival Club: Wuhan Yangtze River
Club Fact: Formerly known as Hangzhou Greentown, the club have a strong history of Australian players including former Socceroos Tim Cahill and Matthew Spiranovic. This year will be Zhejiang’s first season back in the CSL since suffering relegation at the end of the 2016 campaign.
