In the river of time, the bell rang on December 1, and the schedule of matches for the second stage (rounds 15-22) of the 2021 Chinese Football Association Super League was officially unveiled. In this vast land, the battle for the title and relegation will begin with a passionate clash between Guangzhou and Suzhou, with a total of eight rounds of fierce battles running between rounds 15 and 22. The schedule shows that the Chinese Super League will set sail again on December 12 and conclude on January 4 of the following year. Each team will be challenged every two days, with matches from all divisions scheduled to be played on the same day.
The second phase of the Chinese Super League will consist of eight rounds of 64 matches in 23 days. The eight teams in the Championship Group (consisting of the top four teams from the first stage) and the Relegation Group (consisting of the bottom four teams from the first stage) will play a double-round robin, with matchups between teams from the same division canceled.
1. Although the second phase of the Chinese Super League will still be divided into two groups, the calculation of points will take into account the results accumulated in the first phase. 2. In the final standings at the end of the season, the title contenders will be guaranteed at least 8th place even if they have a lower number of points, while the relegation group will only be in 9th place even if they have a higher number of points. 3. The last two teams in the Chinese Super League will face relegation and will play a play-off against the 3rd and 4th place teams in the Chinese First Division. The winners will be able to keep their place in the Super League, while the losers will fall to the first division. 4. 4. For the AFC Champions League, the Super League champions and the AFC Cup winners will go straight into the group stage, while the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the league will have to go through a qualifying play-off. However, only six of our teams will qualify next year and the places will be allocated based on rankings. In case of ineligibility, the teams will be passed on according to the rankings of the Chinese Super League. Theoretically, teams in the relegation group such as Shanghai Shenhua also have a chance to compete for the AFC Champions League.
Team lineup for the championship group: Shandong Taishan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou City, Changchun Yatai, Shanghai Harbor, Beijing Guoan, Hebei.
Relegation group team lineup: Henan Songshan Longmen, Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic, Cangzhou Lions, Qingdao, Shanghai Shenhua, Wuhan, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Dalian People.
