With the Chinese Football Association (CFA) unveiling the entry list of clubs for the new season, the grouping pattern of the new Chinese Super League season is also clear. In the absence of defending champions Jiangsu, Cangzhou Lions, who were upgraded by replacement, have been assigned to Group A (Guangzhou) in accordance with the regulations. The new Chinese Super League season is scheduled to kick off on April 20 in Guangzhou. The first match is likely to be played by last season's Chinese Super League runner-up Guangzhou and Cangzhou Lions. The new season of the Chinese Super League will be divided into three phases, the first phase of the national team to participate in the impact of the 40 strong match, the game will be carried out in phases, the whole season may be the earliest in December 1, the end.
With the Cangzhou Lions successfully promoted to the Chinese Super League, the new season's group situation according to the "serpentine arrangement" principle has been clear. Accordingly, Guangzhou, Shandong Taishan, Chongqing, Henan Songshan Longmen, Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Cangzhou Lions were divided into Group A; Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Harbor, Shanghai Shenhua, Hebei, Guangzhou City, Dalian People's Team, Wuhan, Changchun Yatai was divided into Group B. The first stage of the two groups of A and B will be arranged in Guangzhou and Suzhou respectively. Comparatively speaking, the competition in Group B, which brings together strong teams such as Guoan, Harbor and Shenhua, may be even more intense.
The 2021 Chinese Super League season is divided into three phases as planned. Unlike last season's schedule, which was reduced to 20 rounds, the new Chinese Super League will play 30 rounds of matches, with the final champion determined by calculating round-robin points. The first phase of the league will consist of 14 rounds. The second and third phases will each have eight rounds of matches. Among them, the second and third phases may resume the home-and-away system according to the actual situation, such as epidemic prevention and control, while the first phase will continue to use the tournament system.
According to the design of the competition department of the Preparatory Group of the Working Alliance, after the 14 rounds of the first stage of the Super League, the top four teams of each group will be mixed with the bottom four teams of the other group, and then play a double round-robin tournament system within the group. Teams that have played each other in the first stage will not meet again in the second stage; after the eight rounds of the second stage, the top four of each group will be regrouped for a double round-robin tournament, and teams that have played each other in the first stage will not meet again.
There are no direct drop places in the 2021 season of the Chinese Super League. The last two teams in the standings will play a two-round elevation playoff against the third and fourth place teams in the current season's Chinese League One, with the winners qualifying for the 2022 season of the Chinese Super League.
The schedule for each stage of the new Premier League season is as follows:
Phase 1 (Rounds 1-5): April 20 - May 17 (before the Top 40)
Phase I (Rounds 6-14): June 21-August 5 (after the Top 40)
Phase 2 (Rounds 15-22): August 21st - September 29th;
