By then, the drums will be beating for the new Chinese Super League season on April 23, when the CFL is preparing for the tournaments in full swing, making careful adjustments to the schedule and system. With the expansion of the Chinese Super League, the number of participating teams will increase to 18 in the new season. According to Sohu Sports, in order to enhance the competitiveness of the league, the CFL plans to adjust the existing promotion and relegation mechanism by increasing the number of relegation places. The most likely adjustment plan is to upgrade from last year's 0.5+0.5 model to 2.5 places, meaning that the two teams at the bottom of the league ranking will be relegated directly, while the bottom three teams will play a play-off with the third place of the Central League. The adjusted rules are similar to the Bundesliga's relegation mechanism.
Currently, the Bundesliga also has 18 teams, the same number as the Chinese Super League after expansion, and is the only one of Europe's five top leagues that consists of only 18 clubs. The Bundesliga's relegated teams each season are the bottom two, while the bottom three teams play a double-round playoff with the third-place finisher of the Bundesliga B to determine the last seat to stay in the Bundesliga. By contrast, the English Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 all have 20 teams, with the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga having a three-promotion, three-relegation system, while Ligue 1 retains a single play-off berth for the bottom three.
The Chinese Super League implemented the 0.5+0.5 relegation rule last season, and in the end Qingdao and Dalian Ren lost in the play-offs and were relegated. At the same time, four teams in the Chinese A League managed to overtake the Super League, becoming a momentary spectacle. This season, with the end of the 12-team tournament, the Chinese Super League will be back on track, and is expected to play 34 rounds of matches, resuming normal promotion and relegation. However, considering the expansion of the league to 18 teams, if the system of two promotions and two relegations is still maintained, it may make the middle and lower teams lack of aggressiveness and affect the overall quality of the league. Therefore, the option of increasing the number of relegation places is on the agenda.
However, the exact formula for increasing the number of relegation places is still under discussion and no final decision has yet been made. There is no clear conclusion on whether to increase the number of places to 2.5 or to relegate 3 teams directly. However, according to the current situation, the possibility of increasing the number of relegation places is higher, and the participating clubs need to prepare accordingly in advance.
