On the afternoon of April 1 in the spring, the first phase of the 2021 season of the Central League group draw was announced, a soccer feast full of variables is about to open. 18 valiant teams have been cleverly assigned to three regions, among them, Zhejiang team and Meizhou region, Chengdu Rongcheng and Wuhan three towns will be in their own home field to start a fierce competition. It is reported that the new season of the Central League will kick off on April 24, and Wuhan will be the venue for the opening ceremony of the feast.
The new season of the Central League will be contested in three major divisions - Meizhou, Dalian/Chengdu and Wuhan. Match day is scheduled for April 24, with Wuhan hosting the opening ceremony and opening match. This season's China League One has adopted a four-stage double round-robin system with a total of 34 rounds of matches, with each stage consisting of 10, 8, 8, 8 rounds respectively.
In the first stage, three host teams - Meizhou Hakka, Chengdu Rongcheng and Wuhan Sanzhen - were seeded to occupy Groups A, B and C respectively. The remaining 15 teams are serpentine based on the 2020 league standings and will go directly into Groups A, B and C. Notably, Group B will contain teams from both Dalian and Chengdu. It is reported that Dalian will host the first two stages of the tournament, while Chengdu will be responsible for the second two stages.
In the second, third and fourth phases, teams will rotate based on their first phase standings, with each phase divided into three groups and double round robin matches within the groups. Eight rounds of matches will be played in each stage, and the total points after the final 34 rounds of matches will determine the rankings of this season's Central League.
The top two teams in this season's Central League 1 will be promoted directly to the Chinese Super League, while the 3rd and 4th place teams will play a promotion playoff against the bottom 1 and 2 teams in the Chinese Super League, with the winners qualifying for the Chinese Super League and the losers continuing to play in the Central League 1. The bottom 1 and 2 teams of the Central League A will play the 3rd and 4th teams of the Central League B in a promotion playoff, with the winners qualifying for the Central League A and the losers being relegated to the Central League B. The bottom 1 and 2 teams of the Central League A will play the 3rd and 4 teams of the Central League B in a promotion playoff.
Here are the first stage groupings for the 2021 season in the Central League:
Meizhou Region: Meizhou Hakka, Zhejiang, Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic, Sichuan Jiuniu, Zibo Cuju, Xinjiang Tianshan Snow Leopard
Dalian-Chengdu Region: Chengdu Rongcheng, Kunshan Team, Beijing North Sports University, Nantong Zhiyun, Jiangxi North Gate, Nanjing City
