In a report by Sportsweek, journalist Ma Dexing reveals the schedule for the 2024 season drafted by the Football Association's competition department. The season, which is expected to kick off on March 1 and conclude in November, is divided into six competitive stages.
The new year begins with the Super Bowl on Feb. 24 to kick off the season. Early in the season, the league kicks off with the first round from March 1st to 3rd, followed by the second round from March 8th to 10th. Preparations for the national team also begin in tandem, with the first window of national team matches from March 18 to 26 focusing on the 36-team World Qualifier showdown in Singapore.
As soon as the national team's match against Singapore concludes on March 26, the Premier League will restart on March 29-31, and will then run seamlessly until the 14th round on May 24-26th. During this period, the AFC Champions League semi-final days (April 17 and April 24) will be vacant and there will be no league matches.
From April 15 to May 3, Qatar will host the U23 Asian Cup and the finals of the men's Asian qualifiers for the Paris Olympics. Although the tournament authorities have not considered the league to make way for the tournament, the arrangement of seven rounds before and after could spark a controversy between clubs and Olympic team selection.
After the league wraps up on May 26, the national team will begin preparations for key June fixtures on the 27th, including World Qualifying 36 showdowns against Thailand and South Korea.The 15th round of the league and national team preparations are intertwined from June 14 to 16 until the 19th round on July 13th.
After a break in league play, matches resume on July 26 and run until August 25, when the 24th round is completed. The national team then focuses on preparations for the Round of 18 group stage from September 2 to 10.The league will continue until the 27th round on September 29 after the September window for national team matches.
The league is suspended during the 18-team group stage window from Oct. 7 to 15. In November, the league will play its 28th to 30th rounds and conclude on Nov. 3. The national team then prepares for the fifth and sixth rounds of the group stage from Nov. 11 to 19th.
At the end of the season, the FA Cup winners and runners-up finals will be played on November 23rd. All clubs participating in the Asian Elite League will follow immediately afterward to prepare for the fifth and sixth rounds of the Elite League.
The overall schedule shows an intensive schedule of national team events that divides the league into six phases. The first half of the schedule is compact, but the frequency of doubles is only three times from April to May. The new season will open on March 1, a month earlier than this year.
The Super League opens a week after the Chinese Super League, the Chinese First Division maintains its 16-team size, and the Chinese Second Division opens at the end of March until the end of October. The FA Cup is scheduled to begin in mid-March next year with seven rounds of single-elimination matches.
