At the start of spring, the first phase of the Super League groupings were officially announced, with the competition grid as follows:
Group a gathered a number of powerful teams such as Guangzhou, Taishan, Liangjiang Athletic, Songshan Longmen, City Team, Shenzhen and Qingdao, Lions and so on;
Group b brings together powerhouses such as Guoan, Seaport, Shenhua, Hebei, Jinmen Tigers, Dalianjin, Yatai and Wuhan;
Notably, teams such as Guangzhou City, Guangzhou Team, Shenhua and Seaport have the advantage of home ground and are expected to take the lead in the competition. After the 14 rounds of the first stage, the top four teams in each group will be merged with the last four rounds of the other group to start an intense double round robin competition. Teams that have played each other in the first phase will not meet again in the second phase. After 8 rounds of Stage 2, the top 4 teams from each group will regroup for a new round of double round robin matches, where the teams that have played each other before will face each other again.
The new Super League season will kick off on April 20 with a packed schedule as follows:
First 5 rounds of Phase I: April 20 to May 17; (before the Top 40)
Phase I, rounds 6 to 14: June 21 to August 5; (after Top 40)
Phase II, Rounds 15 to 22: August 21 to September 29
Phase III, rounds 23 to 30: October 24 to December 1st.
It is worth mentioning that the 2021 season of the Chinese Super League will usher in the expansion of the 15 and 16 teams ranked at the bottom of the league will play qualifying matches with the 3rd and 4th place in the Central League, while the top two teams in the Central League will be directly promoted to the 2022 season of the Chinese Super League.
