On the night of December 26th.
China Premier League (CPL)
The 19th round of the tournament came to a successful conclusion. With only three rounds remaining, Shandong Taishan has locked up the Chinese Super League title in advance and secured the qualification for next season's AFC Champions League. Guangzhou and Shanghai Seaports were also promoted to the AFC Champions League.
According to the rules for the allocation of AFC Champions League places for the 2022 season, the
China Premier League (CPL)
There will be 3+1 places available, specifically the Super League champions, the AFC Cup winners and the Super League runners-up who will go straight into the group stage, while the Super League third-placed finishers will have to play in the play-offs.
After the 19th round, Taishan won the championship three rounds ahead of schedule with a 48-point advantage. Guangzhou and Shanghai Seaport are in second and third place with 38 points. Changchun Yatai is in fourth place with 35 points and Shenzhen is in fifth place with 29 points. Guangzhou and Shanghai Seaports are 9 points ahead of fifth-placed Shenzhen, and have the advantage in terms of mutual wins and losses, and Shenzhen is also the underdog in the three-player mini-round robin. Therefore, Guangzhou and Shanghai Harbor Team have basically locked the top four positions.
It is worth mentioning that Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Harbor advanced to the final of the AFC Cup at the same time, so the original AFC Cup's AFC Champions League spot was deferred to the fourth place of the Chinese Super League.
Although Guangzhou and Shanghai Harbour Team have already secured their places in the AFC Champions League qualifying rounds, whether they can directly enter the group stage will depend on the results of the upcoming league and AFC Cup matches. Guangzhou will qualify for the main round of the AFC Champions League if they finish second or third in the league, or if Shanghai Harbour Team wins the F.A.C. Cup, or if they finish second or third in the league.
Currently ranked 6th, Beijing Guoan has 28 points and theoretically has a chance to overtake Changchun Yatai with 35 points, but since Beijing Guoan does not have an AFC Champions League license, the last spot in the AFC Champions League will ultimately be between Changchun Yatai and Shenzhen.
