On the night of December 26th, the 19th round of the Chinese Super League (CSL) came to a close with a fierce battle. Shandong Taishan locked up the title three rounds ahead of schedule and the qualification for next season's AFC Champions League. Guangzhou and Shanghai Harbor also won the tickets for the AFC Champions League.
Looking ahead to the 2022 AFC Champions League season, the Chinese Super League (CSL) will be given 3+1 places, which includes the CSL champions, the AFC Cup winners and the CSL runners-up going straight into the group stage, while the CSL third-placed finishers will have to compete for qualification through a play-off.
With the 19th round of matches coming to an end, Taishan was declared the champion three rounds ahead of schedule with a 48-point lead. Guangzhou and Shanghai Seaports are tied for second and third place with 38 points respectively, followed by Changchun Yatai with 35 points and Shenzhen with 29 points. It is worth mentioning that Guangzhou and Shanghai Seaport are nine points ahead of Shenzhen and have the advantage in terms of wins and losses, even in the mini-round robin record, Shenzhen is at a disadvantage, so the two teams secured the top four positions.
It's worth noting that both Taishan and Shanghai Harbor advanced to the AFC Cup final, resulting in the original AFC Cup AFC Champions League spot being deferred to the fourth-place finisher in the Chinese Super League.
As the final rankings of Guangzhou and Shanghai Harbour are yet to be determined, they are currently only assured of a place in the AFC Champions League qualifying round. Whether they can enter the group stage directly depends on the next league and AFC Cup matches. Guangzhou will enter the AFC Champions League directly if they finish second or third in the league, while Shanghai Harbour will also be in the AFC Champions League if they win the AFC Cup or finish second or third in the league.
Currently sixth-placed Beijing Guoan have 28 points and theoretically have a chance to overtake Changchun Yatai, who have 35 points. However, since Beijing Guoan does not have an AFC Champions League license, the final AFC Champions League spot will ultimately be between Changchun Yatai and Shenzhen.
