2022 Super League fixtures announced
With the countdown to the 2022 Chinese Super League season opening, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) unveiled on May 28 the specific fixtures for the first phase of the new season. On the same day, the preparatory group of the CFA and the CFL briefed professional clubs on their preparations for the league through a network meeting. In the afternoon of the same day, Guo Bingyan, head of the Competition Department of the CFF Preparatory Group, gave a detailed presentation on the league's system and schedule.
In order to ensure a thorough system, the 2022 season of the Chinese Super League will be complete with 34 rounds and a total of 306 matches under the premise of epidemic prevention and control and safety. The tournament will be divided into three divisions - Meizhou, Dalian and Haikou - as well as four stages of 10+8+8+8. The final standings will be determined based on the total points scored in the 34 rounds.
The four phases of the new Chinese Super League season have been determined: the first phase from June 3 to July 12, the second phase from July 21 to August 21, the third phase from August 30 to September 30, and the fourth phase from October 9 to November 9. The main round of the FA Cup is expected to start in late November and the champion will be decided in late December.
Guo Bingyan revealed that the first stage of the new Super League season will be serpentine based on the 2021 season rankings and will be divided into three groups of six teams each, with a double round-robin system and a total of 10 rounds of 90 matches. The top two teams in each group will be seeded and there will be no division rotation in the first three stages. The same system will be used for the second and third stages, with rotating groups based on the results of the first stage.
According to the first stage of the grouping announced by the Football Association and the preparatory group of the CFF, the Meizhou region will have six teams, including Meizhou Hakka and Beijing Guoan; the Haikou region includes Shandong Taishan and Changchun Yatai; and the Dalian region has Shanghai Harbor and Guangzhou. Although the second and third stage of the schedule has not yet been announced, but the teams against the situation has been basically clear.
The rotation rules for the fourth stage are still being worked out and, unlike the previous stages, there will be four seeded teams involved in the rotation. Guo Bingyan emphasized that the scheduling of the tournament strictly follows the rules of the AFC World Cup qualifiers and takes into account several factors in an effort to be fair.
Here are the first three stages of the drop groupings:
Phase I
Meizhou Region: Meizhou Hakka, Beijing Guoan, Shenzhen, Cangzhou Lions, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Chengdu Rongcheng
Haikou Region: Shandong Taishan, Changchun Yatai, Guangzhou City, Henan Songshan Longmen, Dalian People, Zhejiang Team
Dalian Region: Shanghai Harbor, Guangzhou Team, Hebei Team, Shanghai Shenhua, Wuhan Changjiang, Wuhan Sanzhen
Phase II
Meizhou Region: Meizhou Hakka, Beijing Guoan, Guangzhou City, Henan Songshan Longmen, Wuhan Changjiang, Wuhan Sanzhen
Haikou Region: Shandong Taishan, Changchun Yatai, Hebei, Shanghai Shenhua, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Chengdu Rongcheng
Dalian Region: Shanghai Harbor, Guangzhou Team, Shenzhen Team, Cangzhou Lions, Dalian People, Zhejiang Team
Phase III
Meizhou Region: Meizhou Hakka, Beijing Guoan, Hebei, Shanghai Shenhua, Dalian Ren, Zhejiang
Haikou Region: Shandong Taishan, Changchun Yatai, Shenzhen Team, Cangzhou Lions, Wuhan Changjiang, Wuhan Sanzhen
Dalian Region: Shanghai Harbor, Guangzhou Team, Guangzhou City, Henan Songshan Longmen, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, Chengdu Rongcheng
