The new Chinese Super League season is expected to kick off in early March next year and come to a close in mid-November, with the entire season divided into six phases, five of which have been suspended due to the national team's preparations for international tournaments, reveals Ma Dexing, a senior soccer reporter for Sports Weekly.
Ma Dexing mentioned in the report that the draft soccer calendar for the 2024 season developed by the Competition Department of the CFA will be formed in September this year. The calendar was developed with reference to the national team competition cycle released by FIFA and the AFC's competition schedule, while taking into account the fixtures of different levels of teams such as the national team, the Olympic team, the national youth team and the national junior team.
Looking ahead to 2024, although the tournament density is not as high as 2023, there are still some major tournaments such as the cross-year AFC Champions League, the newly-established Asian Elite League, the Asian Cup final, the U23 Asian Cup, the men's qualifying final at the Paris Olympics, and the 2026 World Qualifiers.
After giving due consideration to all factors, the competition department sent out the schedule to the national team coaches and sought input from the coaching staff to ensure that preparation needs were met and adjustments were made based on the feedback.
The first round of the knockout stage of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League will now be played from February 13 to 21, with Shandong Taishan expected to advance to the knockout stage. If Taishan win the FA Cup final, they will face the Super Cup on February 24, when they may face the challenge of two matches in four days.
The first round of the new Chinese Super League season is scheduled for March 1-3, while the second round is scheduled for March 8-10th. The national team will then prepare for the FIFA-designated match window from March 18 to 26, focusing on preparations for the 36-team World Qualifier against Singapore.
Considering the national team's training schedule, the competition department reserved 10 days for the national football team to prepare for the match after the league ended on March 10th. Meanwhile, the league was suspended on March 21 before the start of the third round in order to adjust the players' condition.
After hosting Singapore on March 26, the Super League will restart its third round from March 29 to 31 before continuing. The 14th round of matches is scheduled for May 24-26, during which four one-week doubleheaders will be scheduled. The AFC Champions League semifinal days are not scheduled for April 17 and 24, and if Taishan advance to the semifinals, they will face the challenge of eight matches in a month.
The final of the sixth U23 Asian Cup and the final of the men's qualifying tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics will be held in Qatar from April 15 to May 3, during which seven rounds of league matches will be scheduled. Although the U23 Asian Cup schedule has not yet been announced, the competition authorities will do their best to resolve any possible conflicts.
After the league concludes on May 26, the national team will prepare for the June 3-11 competition window starting on May 27, focusing on the World Qualifier 36 against Thailand and South Korea.
After an away match against South Korea on June 14-16, the Chinese Super League will play its 15th round of matches until July 13, when the 19th round will be completed. A short break will then be scheduled for the Super League, with the national team flying in for training from July 18 to 24. The 20th round resumes on July 26 and the 24th round is abandoned on August 25th.
From September 2 to 10, the national team will prepare for the 18-team group stage, and three rounds of the Chinese Super League (CSL) will be played.The league will be suspended from October 7 to 15 for the 18-team group stage window. The 28th to 30th rounds of matches will be played on Oct. 18-20, Oct. 27 and Nov. 2, followed by the conclusion of the entire Chinese Super League.
Starting November 3, the national team will prepare for the fifth and sixth rounds of the 18-team group stage, which runs from November 11 to 19. The 18-team tournament will be followed by the FA Cup final on November 23, after which all fixtures will be completed. Preparations for the fifth and sixth rounds of the Asian Elite League will continue with the clubs participating in that league.
In terms of the overall schedule, the league was divided into six stages, five of which were suspended due to national team participation. The first half of the schedule was denser than the second half, but the frequency of one-week double-headers was limited to three from April to May. The new season starts at a similar time to March this year.
China's first division will begin a week after the opening of the Chinese Super League, with the final round of China's first division to be played on November 3rd. The China B League will open in late March and end in late October. The AFC Cup will begin in mid-March next year, with seven rounds of single-elimination matches scheduled.
Regarding the tournament schedule for the 2024 season, the FA will further refine the plan and officially release it.
