The soccer Super League in the People’s Republic of China welcomes more and more fans from all over the world annually. The stars of world soccer come here, making the championship more spectacular and competitive.
It is possible to follow the Chinese Super League live on the Livescores service. Here live broadcasts of the matches with detailed statistics are available, the calendar of upcoming games is published, the standings are updated, and fans can watch the central games of each round for free in video format. The portal operates around the clock without breaks and weekends and is available from computer and mobile devices.
The founding and development of the Chinese Super League of Football
The Football Super League in China has existed since 2004. Before that, the strongest FCs in China competed in the top division.
Twelve teams participated in the debut tournament. Their number has increased to 16 since the 2005 season. The winner of the first draw was Shenzhen Jianlibao. Guangzhou Evergrande is the record holder for the number of Super League titles, which is 8 (2011-2017, 2019). This club has also won the Asian Champions League twice.
Elkeson, a naturalized Chinese with Brazilian roots, is the best scorer in Super League history. The forward scored more than 120 goals in 185 games for Guangzhou Evergrande (2013-2015, 2020-2022 seasons) and Shanghai SIPG (2016-2018).
Partners and benefactors of the Chinese Super League
Its official partners are the international television companies Eurosport and Sky Sports. Domestically, matches are broadcast by the most extensive national TV companies, CCTV and Le.com.
Sponsors over the years have included such global brands as Siemens, IPhox, Pirelli, and other well-known concerns. Such cooperation has significantly improved the financial situation of clubs participating in the Super League – star players began to appear in the squads. The most expensive sportsmen acquisitions in the Chinese Super League history are as follows:
- Oscar (Brazil) moved from Chelsea London to Shanghai SIPG for €60 million.
- “Shanghai SIPG” bought Brazilian Hulk from Zenit for 55.8 million euros.
- Jiangsu Suning paid Shakhtar Donetsk €50 million for Brazilian attacking midfielder Alex Teixeira.
- Spain’s Barcelona has let their Brazilian Paulinho go to Guangzhou Evergrande for more than 40 million euros.
- The same Evergrande paid Atletico Madrid €42 million for Jackson Martinez (Colombia).
Leading clubs began to invite famous coaches. At different times such specialists as Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil), Fabio Capello and Marcelo Lippi (both are Italians), Manuel Pellegrini (Chile), Sven-Göran Eriksson (Sweden), Felix Magath (Germany), and other mentors of international renown worked here.
Regulations of the Chinese Super League
Since the 2022 season, there have been 18 teams in the Super League. It begins in June, and the last round of contests takes place in December. During this period, the soccer clubs play 34 games – at home and away according to the system, each against the other. At the end of the championship, the Super League champion receives a direct ticket to the group stage of the most prestigious club competition on the continent – the Champions League of Asia. The silver and bronze medalists will play in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League qualification.
The 16-18th ranked teams will play in the First League next season. After that, the top three clubs from China’s second most crucial soccer division will take their place.