On the night of December 26th.
China Super League (soccer league)
The 19th round of league matches has come to an end. Shandong Taishan locked up the Chinese Super League title three rounds ahead of schedule and secured a place in the next season's AFC Champions League. Meanwhile, Guangzhou and Shanghai Seaports have also succeeded in joining the AFC Champions League.
Looking ahead to the AFC Champions League quota allocation for the 2022 season.
China Super League (soccer league)
There will be 3+1 spots available, which means that the Super League champions, the AFC Cup winners, and the Super League runners-up will advance directly to the group stage, while the Super League third-place finishers will have to play in a play-off.
After 19 rounds of fierce battles, Taishan led the way with a high score of 48 points and was successfully crowned three rounds ahead of schedule. Guangzhou and Shanghai Seaport followed in second and third place with 38 points respectively. Changchun Yatai is in fourth place with 35 points, while Shenzhen is in fifth place with 29 points. Guangzhou and Shanghai Seaport are nine points ahead of fifth-placed Shenzhen and have the upper hand in their mutual win-loss relationship, which puts Shenzhen at a disadvantage even in the three-player mini round robin, so the two Shanghai teams are assured of a place in the top four.
It's worth noting that both Taishan and Shanghai Seaport reached the final of the AFC Cup, so the AFC Cup's AFC Champions League berth was deferred to the fourth-place finisher in the Chinese Super League.
As the final rankings of Guangzhou and Shanghai Seaport are not yet clear, they are currently only assured of a place in the AFC Champions League qualifying round. As to whether they can directly advance to the group stage, they have to wait for the final results of the league and the AFC Cup. Guangzhou will directly qualify for the AFC Champions League if they finish second or third in the league, while Shanghai Seaport will also qualify for the AFC Champions League if they win the F.A.C. Cup or finish second or third in the league.
Currently sixth-placed Beijing Guoan have 28 points and theoretically have a chance to overtake Changchun Yatai, who have 35 points. However, since Beijing Guoan does not have a license to participate in the AFC Champions League, the last place in the AFC Champions League will be between Yatai and Shenzhen.
