On April 25th in Beijing, the China Football Association (CFA) unveiled the latest guidelines for the new season of the professional soccer league. One of the notable changes is the expansion of the league's relegation quota, the 2022 season of the Chinese Super League and the Chinese First Division will implement the rule of "promotion three to three", while the last two teams in the Chinese Second Division will be directly relegated to the Chinese Championship League, and the top four teams in the Chinese Championship League can be directly promoted to the Chinese B. This is the first time in recent years that the Chinese Super League has adopted the rule of "promotion three to three". This is the first time in recent years that the Chinese Super League has adopted the rule of "promotion to three and reduction to three", which undoubtedly brings more relegation pressure to the team.
Looking back at the last season, the Chinese Super League experienced an expansion, with the number of teams increasing from 16 to 18. The number of league rounds also increased to 34. However, due to the influence of the external investment environment, some Chinese Super League teams chose the strategy of "lying flat". Last season, the Super League adopted the 0.5+0.5 relegation rule, and as a result, Qingdao and Dalian People's Team, the two last-ranked teams, were unsuccessful in the two rounds of the play-offs for promotion to the first division, and were ultimately relegated. At the same time, there was a rare situation of four Central League One teams going to the Super League together. The Chinese Super League will continue to play 34 rounds of matches this season. If the two promotion and two relegation system continues to be adopted, the mid- and lower-tier teams may lack motivation, thus affecting the overall quality of the league. Increasing the number of relegation places is aimed at preventing the middle and lower relegation teams from "muddling through" and improving the overall competitiveness of the league.
In addition, regarding the play-off format adopted in the last two seasons, the source pointed out that it is highly likely that the Chinese Super League will play a full 34 rounds this season. The CFL hopes that clubs can decide their ranking in the league through a full season and by virtue of their actual strength. The play-off format has a high degree of chance, which may dampen the motivation and fighting spirit of teams in the league, and may even lead to injustice.
