2021 Season Chinese League One: The intricate layout of the fixtures
In the 2021 season, the Central League adopts a unique conference system, dividing the entire season into four phases and completing a total of 34 rounds of exciting duels (10 rounds + 8 rounds + 8 rounds + 8 rounds).
In the first stage, the salons of the member associations of the three hosting sites acted as hosts, with the three seeded teams determining their groupings through a draw, and the remaining 15 teams serpentinized based on the 2020 rankings to go directly into Groups A, B and C. The teams were then placed in the same group, with the remaining 15 teams in the same group. Six teams from each group will play a double round-robin of 10 rounds totaling 90 matches in the same division.
In Stages 2 through 4, teams will rotate based on their performance in Stage 1, and double round-robin play will continue within each group. It is important to note that teams in the same group will no longer face off against each other in Stage One. In stages two through four, each group plays eight rounds of 72 matches.
The promotion quota for this season's Central League is set at 2+0.5+0.5, meaning that the top two will be promoted directly, while the third and fourth places will play a play-off against the bottom two in the Chinese Super League, thus ensuring the expansion of the Chinese Super League in the 2022 season.
