The 2021 season of the Central League: a complex and varied tournament choreography
This year's Central League adopts a unique tournament system, divided into four phases, with a total of 34 rounds of intense competition, including 10 rounds, 8 rounds, 8 rounds and 8 rounds of round-robin matches.
In the first stage, the three seeded teams of Chengdu Rongcheng, Meizhou Hakka and Wuhan Sanzhen clubs, as hosts, were drawn by lot to determine Groups A, B and C. The three seeded teams were drawn by lot to determine Groups A, B and C. The remaining 15 teams were serpentine ranked according to the 2020 season rankings and were directly divided into three groups. Six teams from each group will compete in a double round-robin competition in one division, with 10 rounds and a total of 90 matches.
In the second through fourth phases, teams rotate based on their performance in the first phase. Each stage is divided into three groups, with teams within the groups playing a double round-robin. Teams in the same group do not play each other in the first stage. Eight rounds are played in each of the second through fourth stages, for a total of 72 matches.
In terms of promotion places, the Central League will produce 2+0.5+0.5 places this season. The top two will advance directly, while the third and fourth will have to play a play-off against the bottom two in the Chinese Super League to determine the expansion of the Chinese Super League for the 2022 season.
