In the late afternoon of May 12, Nantong Zhiyun Football Club revealed exciting news in a live webcast: the group draw for the 2022 season of the Central League is about to kick off. As the bell rings for the new tournament, 18 valiant teams will compete in three major divisions - Tangshan, Nanjing and Dalian.
Unlike previous years when the divisions and groupings of the Chinese Super League were often deadlocked, the divisions of the 2022 season's Chinese League One have been finalized. The three divisions of Hebei Tangshan, Jiangsu Nanjing and Liaoning Dalian will co-host the soccer feast. As for the match system, the 2022 season has a new change compared to the 2021 season.
Tournament System Revealed
In the first stage, three groups of six teams each were formed based on a serpentine ranking for the 2021 season. A double round-robin system is used, with eight rounds totaling 72 matches. It is important to note that there will be no matches between the top two ranked teams in each group and the 3rd and 4th, and 5th and 6th ranked teams in the first phase, and these matches will be played in the fourth phase.
The second and third phases of the tournament have the same format as the first phase, which also utilizes a double round-robin system. According to the ranking of each group in the first stage, rotating groups will be formed, double round-robin matches will be played within each group, and no matches will be played between teams in the same group in the first stage, with a total of 72 matches in 8 rounds in each stage.
The fourth stage is played in the same rotation as the second and third stages. The same group of opponents in the first phase will play in this phase, with a total of 10 rounds and 90 matches in total. And the total points of 306 matches in 34 rounds throughout the season will determine the final season ranking.
grouping strategy
The teams will be serpentined to determine their respective drop positions based on their rankings for the 2021 season. Dalian People, Nanjing City and Shijiazhuang Kung Fu, as the host teams, will be located in the No. 1 position in their respective divisions. The three host teams will draw lots to determine the drop zones for Groups A, B, and C for the first phase of the tournament. Priority will be given to the host and strongest teams. The top two teams in each group will be seeded and there will be no zone rotation for the first three stages.
