April 7, 2023, Beijing, China - The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has announced the calendar for the 2023 seasons of the Chinese Professional League (CPL) and the Football Association Cup (FA Cup). The specific schedule of the Chinese Super League was also officially announced on April 8th. According to the schedule, the 2023 Chinese Super League season will open on April 15 and end on November 4, with a total of 30 rounds and 240 matches.
Earlier, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) Super Cup, which was restarted after three years, will be held on April 8, with the 2022 season's Chinese Super League (CSL) champions Wuhan Sanzhen playing against F.A.C. Cup winners Shandong Taishan.
This Super Cup, as the opening drama of the new season, is also regarded as a key battle to rebuild the image of Chinese soccer against the backdrop of the country's deep mire of anti-corruption.
To that end, the CFA will send a team of international referees consisting of Ma Ning, Fu Ming and Wang Di to enforce the law in this Super Cup match, with current CFA vice-chairman Gao Hongbo in charge of refereeing, according to Beijing Youth Daily.
On April 15, the opening ceremony of the Chinese Super League will be held at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing, and Beijing Guoan will also host Meizhou Hakka.
After the previous league access, according to the list of participants announced by the Football Association, the new season will have 16 teams in all three tiers of the Chinese Super League, the Chinese First Division and the Chinese Second Division.
The 2023 season marks the 30th year since the start of China's professional soccer league and the 20th season of the Chinese Super League. After three years of playing under the epidemic, the Chinese Super League has fully resumed the home and away system for the new season. Currently, 16 clubs have finalized their home matches.
Compared to previous years, which began in early March and ended in mid-to-late November, this season's Premier League not only started later, but also ended earlier with a tighter schedule.
All 30 rounds of the Chinese Super League (CSL) feature six double-headers each week, then interspersed with the FA Cup, which begins on May 17. Over the 24 days from June 23 to July 17, the 16 CSL teams play an average of one match every four days.
This compressed schedule is not only due to the reduction in the number of participating teams, but also because the national team has had enough time to prepare for international competitions.
The 2026 World Cup qualifiers will be held in mid-November and the Asian Cup in Qatar will be held from January 12 to February 10, 2024.
However, the overall Premier League schedule is tight at the front and loose at the back, six times a year, five times a week, concentrated three months after the start of the campaign. This is due in part to the reorganization of the AFC Champions League.
This season's AFC Champions League has been changed from the previous year-round system to an inter-annual system, with the qualifying rounds starting in early-mid-February changed to August. Zhejiang and Shanghai Seaport, ranked three or four in the Chinese Super League last season, will have to take the field during this period; Wuhan Sanzhen and Shandong Taishan will also take part in the next match.
Although the league schedule is intensive, the national football team also needs to take advantage of the international competition window to conduct fragmented short-term training under the pressure of the World Qualifier and the Asian Cup.
In an interview after two previous friendly matches against New Zealand, new national soccer team coach Jankovic said he wants international players to play more in leagues and maintain their form through matches, rather than advocating long training sessions.
As for the Hangzhou Asian Games men's football September 19 to October 7, the Chinese Super League did not leave a "timetable", so at that time the National Football League Asian Games call-up may affect some of the Chinese Super League team.
