In-Depth Analysis: 2021 Season Central League Fixtures and Rules
The new season of the Central League will adopt a unique tournament system, divided into four phases, completing a total of 34 rounds of fixtures, including 10 rounds, eight rounds, eight rounds and eight rounds of fixtures.
In the first stage, the three host teams (Chengdu Rongcheng, Meizhou Hakka, and Wuhan Sanzhen) will be welcomed by three seeded teams determined through a draw to form Groups A, B, and C. The three host teams will then be assigned to Groups A, B, and C. The three seeded teams will then be assigned to Groups A, B, and C. The remaining 15 teams will be serpentinized based on their 2020 rankings and directly assigned to these three groups. Each group of six teams will compete in a double round-robin competition in their respective divisions, totaling 10 rounds and producing 90 matches.
Going into Stages 2 through 4, teams within each stage will rotate based on the standings from Stage 1, and there will still be double round-robin matches within each group, but teams from the same group from Stage 1 will no longer face off against each other. There will be 8 rounds of 72 matches in each stage.
Regarding the promotion quota for this season's Central League, it is set at 2+0.5+0.5, which means that the top two will be promoted directly, while the third and fourth will play a play-off against the bottom two in the Chinese Super League, an arrangement that will determine the expansion pattern of the Chinese Super League in the 2022 season.
