2021 China League One

China League One
Season	2021
Dates	24 April – 22 December
Champions	Wuhan Three Towns
Promoted	Wuhan Three Towns; Meizhou Hakka; Zhejiang; Chengdu Rongcheng
Matches played	306
Goals scored	830 (2.71 per match)
Top goalscorer	Nyasha Mushekwi; (23 goals)
Biggest home win	Kunshan 6–0 Jiangxi Beidamen; (15 May 2021); Chengdu Rongcheng 6–0 Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard; (11 August 2021)
Biggest away win	Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard 0–7 Chengdu Rongcheng; (23 July 2021); Guizhou 2–9 Chengdu Rongcheng; (21 December 2021)
Highest scoring	Guizhou 2–9 Chengdu Rongcheng; (21 December 2021)
Longest winning run	14 matches; Wuhan Three Towns
Longest unbeaten run	18 matches; Wuhan Three Towns
Longest winless run	32 matches; Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard
Longest losing run	8 matches; Jiangxi Beidamen; Suzhou Dongwu
	← 2020 2022 →

The 2021 China League One (Chinese: 2021中国足球协会甲级联赛) is the 18th season of the China League One, the second tier of the Chinese football league pyramid, since its establishment in 2004.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

The 2021 China League One season was scheduled to start on 17 March 2021, but later was postponed.^[1]

On 1 April, the Chinese Football Association announced that the season would start on 24 April 2021 and the format of the season.^[2]^[3] The season was divided into 4 stages (10, 8, 8 and 8 rounds respectively). In the first stage, 18 teams were divided into 3 groups based on the hosts and last season's rankings. In the second, third and fourth stage, the teams in 3 groups will be switched to ensure that each team can play against each other 2 times.

Groups

The draw for the stages took place on 1 April 2021.^[4]

Team		Draw order	No.	Group
Team		Draw order	No.	First S.	Second S.	Third S.	Fourth S.
Meizhou Hakka	Host	—	A1	A	D	G	J
Zhejiang	2nd, 2020 season	1	A2	A	D	G	J
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	10th, 2020 season	6	A3	A	E	H	K
Sichuan Jiuniu	11th, 2020 season	7	A4	A	E	H	K
Zibo Cuju	2nd, CL2, 2020 season	12	A5	A	F	I	L
Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	18th, 2020 season	13	A6	A	F	I	L
Chengdu Rongcheng	Host	—	B1	B	F	H	J
Kunshan	3rd, 2020 season	2	B2	B	F	H	J
Beijing BSU	9th, 2020 season	5	B3	B	D	I	K
Nantong Zhiyun	12th, 2020 season	8	B4	B	D	I	K
Jiangxi Beidamen	16th, 2020 season	11	B5	B	E	G	L
Nanjing City	3rd, CL2, 2020 season	14	B6	B	E	G	L
Wuhan Three Towns	Host	—	C1	C	E	I	J
Guizhou	7th, 2020 season	3	C2	C	E	I	J
Suzhou Dongwu	8th, 2020 season	4	C3	C	F	G	K
Liaoning Shenyang Urban	14th, 2020 season	9	C4	C	F	G	K
Heilongjiang Ice City	15th, 2020 season	10	C5	C	D	H	L
Beijing BIT	4th, CL2, 2020 season	15	C6	C	D	H	L

Centralised venues

Dates

First stage (Round 1–10): 24 April – 10 June
Second stage (Round 11–18): 11 July – 17 August
Third stage (Round 19–26): 3 September – 5 October
Fourth Stage (Round 27–34): 20 November – 22 December

Teams

Team changes

To League One

Teams promoted from 2020 China League Two

From League One

Teams promoted to 2021 Chinese Super League

Changchun Yatai

Dissolved entries

Name changes

Ahead of the 2021 season, the Chinese Football Association ordered all clubs to eliminate any corporate references in their names.^[7]

Chengdu Better City F.C. changed their name to Chengdu Rongcheng in January 2021.^[8]
Guizhou Hengfeng F.C. changed their name to Guizhou in January 2021.^[9]
Nanjing Fengfan F.C. changed their name to Nanjing City in January 2021.^[10]
Jiangxi Liansheng F.C. changed their name to Jiangxi Beidamen in February 2021.^[11]
Heilongjiang Lava Spring F.C. changed their name to Heilongjiang Ice City in February 2021.^[12]
Zhejiang Energy Greentown F.C. changed their name to Zhejiang in February 2021.^[13]

Clubs

Stadiums and locations

Team^[5]	Head Coach	City	Stadium	Capacity	2020 season
Zhejiang	Jordi Vinyals	Hangzhou	Huzhou Olympic Sports Centre	40,000	2nd (Promotion play-offs loser)
Kunshan	Sergio Zarco Díaz	Kunshan	Kunshan Sports Centre Stadium	30,000	3rd
Chengdu Rongcheng	Seo Jung-won	Chengdu	Chengdu Longquanyi Football Stadium	27,000	4th
Meizhou Hakka	Milan Ristić	Wuhua	Huitang Stadium	30,000	5th
Guizhou	Yuan Yi	Guiyang	Guiyang Olympic Sports Center	51,636	7th
Suzhou Dongwu	Gary White	Suzhou	Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre	45,000	8th
Beijing BSU	Zhang Xu	Beijing	Olympic Sports Centre	36,228	9th
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	Feng Feng (caretaker)	Xi'an	Weinan Sports Center Stadium	32,000	10th
Sichuan Jiuniu	Li Yi	Chengdu	Chengdu Longquanyi Football Stadium	27,000	11th
Nantong Zhiyun	Cao Rui	Rugao	Rugao Olympic Sports Center	15,000	12th
Liaoning Shenyang Urban	Yu Ming	Shenyang	Shenyang Urban Construction University Stadium	12,000	14th
Heilongjiang Ice City	Duan Xin	Harbin	Harbin ICE Sports Center	50,000	15th (Relegation play-offs winner)
Jiangxi Beidamen	Huang Yong	Ruichang	Ruichang Sports Park Stadium	N/A	16th (Relegation play-offs winner)
Wuhan Three Towns ^P	Pedro Morilla	Wuhan	Hankou Cultural Sports Centre	20,000	CL2, 1st
Zibo Cuju ^P	Huang Hongyi	Zibo	Zibo Sports Center Stadium	45,000	CL2, 2nd
Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	Polat Kutulk	Ürümqi	Xinjiang Sports Centre	50,000	18th (Relegation play-offs loser)
Nanjing City ^P	Fulvio Pea	Nanjing	Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park	18,000	CL2, 3rd
Beijing BIT ^P	Yu Fei	Beijing	BIT Eastern Athletic Field	5,000	CL2, 4th

Club locations

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	Kim Bong-gil	Mutual consent	29 November 2020^[15]	Pre-season	Óscar Céspedes	23 January 2021^[16]
Chengdu Rongcheng	José Carlos Granero	Mutual consent	7 December 2020^[17]		Seo Jung-won	12 December 2020^[18]
Zhejiang	Zheng Xiong	Mutual consent	31 December 2020^[19]		Jordi Vinyals	1 January 2021^[20]
Meizhou Hakka	Marcelo Rospide	Mutual consent	6 February 2021		Milan Ristić	6 February 2021
Zibo Cuju	Hou Zhiqiang	Mutual consent	19 February 2021		Park Chul	19 February 2021^[21]
Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	Polat Kutulk (caretaker)	End of caretaker spell	30 March 2021		Pei Encai	30 March 2021^[22]
Nanjing City	Tang Bo	Mutual consent	18 April 2021		Fulvio Pea	18 April 2021^[23]
Beijing BSU	Su Maozhen	Mutual consent			Zhang Xu
Zibo Cuju	Park Chul	Mutual consent			Huang Hongyi
Wuhan Three Towns	Albert Garcia Xicota	Sacked	25 July 2021	5th	Pedro Morilla	25 July 2021^[a]^[24]^[25]
Nantong Zhiyun	Xie Hui	Resigned	22 August 2021^[26]	7th	Cao Rui	26 August 2021^[27]
Kunshan	Gao Yao	Sacked	16 September 2021	9th	Sergio Zarco Díaz	16 September 2021^[28]
Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	Pei Encai	Mutual consent	2 October 2021	17th	Qeriazdan Ashar	2 October 2021^[29]
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	Óscar Céspedes	Sacked	October 2021	7th	Feng Feng (caretaker)	October 2021
Guizhou	Chen Mao	Sacked	27 November 2021	9th	Yuan Yi	27 November 2021^[30]
Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	Qeriazdan Ashar	Mutual Consent	11 December 2021	18th	Polat Kutulk (caretaker)	11 December 2021

^ Morilla was initially caretaker manager, but was then appointed as manager until the end of the season on 9 December 2021.

Foreign players

The number of foreign players clubs can register over the course of the season is limited to four and the number of foreign players allowed on each team at any given time is limited to three. A maximum of three foreign players can be registered for each match with a maximum of two can be fielded at any time during the match. In addition, each club can register a Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan player of Chinese descent (excluding goalkeepers), provided that he registered as a professional footballer in one of those three association for the first time, as a native player.

Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.

Team	Player 1	Player 2	Player 3	Hong Kong/Macau/ Taiwan Players¹	Naturalized Players	Former Players
Beijing BIT
Beijing BSU				Wen Chih-hao
Chengdu Rongcheng	Felipe	Naldinho	Rômulo			Johnathan
Guizhou	Jahmir Hyka	Stefan Mihajlović				Sérgio Mota
Heilongjiang Ice City	Donovan Ewolo	Rashid Abubakar	Evans Etti			Thievy Bifouma
Jiangxi Beidamen	Vasil Shkurti	Éder		Andy Russell		Magno Cruz
Kunshan	Bruno Pires	Hildeberto Pereira			→ Xiao Taotao
Liaoning Shenyang Urban
Meizhou Hakka	Igor Sartori	Chisom Egbuchulam		Vas Nuñez		Lonsana Doumbouya
Nanjing City	Albi Alla	Raphaël Messi Bouli	Ritus Krjauklis
Nantong Zhiyun	Mychell Chagas	Abdou Razack Traoré	Zé Turbo	Li Ngai Hoi	→ David Wang → Ming-yang Yang
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	Raoul Loé	Robert Tambe	Kingsley Onuegbu	Wang Chien-ming
Sichuan Jiuniu	Pierce Waring	Mohamed Yattara	Nemanja Vidić		→ Xia Dalong
Suzhou Dongwu	Junior Kabananga
Wuhan Three Towns	Ademilson	Marcão	Moses Ogbu	Yaki Yen		Jadson
Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	Nemanja Spasojević	Uroš Tomović
Zhejiang	Matheus	Franko Andrijašević	Nyasha Mushekwi	Leung Nok Hang		Nikola Đurđić
Zibo Cuju						Albi Alla João Silva

^1 For Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwanese players, if they are non-naturalized and were registered as professional footballers in Hong Kong's, Macau's, or Chinese Taipei's football association for the first time, they are recognized as native players. Otherwise they are recognized as foreign players.

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion, qualification or relegation
1	Wuhan Three Towns (C, P)	34	25	4	5	73	25	+48	79	Promotion to Super League
2	Meizhou Hakka (P)	34	24	3	7	79	35	+44	75	Promotion to Super League
3	Zhejiang (O, P)	34	22	8	4	69	28	+41	74	Qualification for Promotion play-offs
4	Chengdu Rongcheng (O, P)	34	21	8	5	81	28	+53	71	Qualification for Promotion play-offs
5	Nantong Zhiyun	34	20	5	9	62	30	+32	65
6	Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	34	17	11	6	55	30	+25	62
7	Heilongjiang Ice City	34	15	11	8	50	40	+10	56
8	Sichuan Jiuniu	34	13	13	8	34	27	+7	52
9	Kunshan	34	13	12	9	56	35	+21	51
10	Nanjing City	34	12	9	13	41	42	−1	45
11	Zibo Cuju	34	10	9	15	32	52	−20	39^[a]
12	Guizhou (D)	34	10	9	15	26	56	−30	39^[a]	Dissolved after season
13	Suzhou Dongwu	34	7	11	16	36	53	−17	32
14	Jiangxi Beidamen	34	7	8	19	29	68	−39	29
15	Beijing BSU	34	6	10	18	37	53	−16	28
16	Liaoning Shenyang Urban	34	7	4	23	30	62	−32	25
17	Beijing BIT (T)	34	3	5	26	24	82	−58	14	Qualification for Relegation play-offs
18	Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard (T)	34	1	6	27	16	84	−68	9	Qualification for Relegation play-offs

Source: CFA
Rules for classification:

During season: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
After season: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Disciplinary points (1 point for each yellow card, 3 points for each red card); 8) Draw
(C) Champions; (D) Disqualified; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (T) Qualified, but not yet for the particular phase indicated
Notes:

^ ^a ^b Zibo Cuju finished ahead of Guizhou on goal difference: Zibo Cuju 0–1 Guizhou, Guizhou 1–2 Zibo Cuju; Goal difference: Zibo Cuju -20 and Guizhou -30.

Results

Home \ Away	BIT	BSU	CDR	GZH	HLJ	JXB	KSH	LSU	MZH	NJC	NTZ	SCA	SCJ	SZD	WTT	XJT	ZHJ	ZBC
Beijing BIT	—	2–3	0–2	2–0	0–4	1–2	0–0	1–2	1–6	0–3	0–1	1–1	0–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	0–5	0–2
Beijing BSU	0–1	—	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–1	1–2	2–1	1–3	0–1	1–2	0–2	1–2	2–3	0–1	2–2	1–0	3–0
Chengdu Rongcheng	5–0	4–1	—	5–0	0–2	0–2	3–3	2–0	0–0	2–0	1–0	3–1	2–1	3–2	1–0	6–0	1–2	0–0
Guizhou	3–1	0–0	2–9	—	0–1	0–0	0–4	0–2	0–5	1–2	0–2	3–1	0–0	1–0	1–1	1–0	0–0	1–2
Heilongjiang Ice City	3–0	1–1	2–1	0–0	—	4–0	2–5	1–0	3–2	1–0	0–0	1–1	1–1	1–0	0–4	1–0	1–1	1–2
Jiangxi Beidamen	2–2	1–1	2–4	0–1	2–2	—	1–1	1–2	0–4	0–1	1–3	0–5	2–2	0–1	0–4	1–0	1–1	1–5
Kunshan	4–0	2–2	1–1	1–0	0–1	6–0	—	1–0	0–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1	1–2	1–0	1–2	0–1
Liaoning Shenyang Urban	3–2	0–2	0–6	0–1	1–2	0–1	2–1	—	2–4	3–3	0–3	1–4	1–2	1–1	1–3	1–0	2–2	0–1
Meizhou Hakka	5–0	2–1	1–2	4–2	2–3	4–1	1–1	2–0	—	4–2	2–1	3–2	1–0	3–1	0–2	2–1	0–1	4–0
Nanjing City	1–0	0–0	0–0	0–1	2–2	1–0	1–2	2–1	1–2	—	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–1	2–1	5–0	1–4	2–0
Nantong Zhiyun	3–0	2–1	1–2	0–1	4–3	3–2	1–0	4–0	0–1	3–1	—	1–2	2–0	3–1	1–2	3–0	1–1	4–2
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	2–0	2–0	0–0	4–1	0–0	3–2	0–2	1–0	0–1	2–0	1–1	—	1–0	3–0	1–1	4–1	2–2	2–0
Sichuan Jiuniu	1–0	1–1	1–1	1–0	1–0	3–0	1–1	1–0	0–0	2–0	0–2	0–1	—	0–0	0–1	2–1	1–0	0–0
Suzhou Dongwu	2–1	2–2	1–2	1–1	3–1	1–2	1–1	1–0	1–3	0–0	0–1	0–0	1–2	—	0–4	1–1	0–1	1–1
Wuhan Three Towns	3–1	4–0	2–1	0–1	3–1	1–0	2–0	2–3	1–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	5–1	1–1	—	3–0	2–1	3–1
Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	1–3	0–5	0–7	1–1	0–3	0–1	1–3	0–0	0–2	0–2	0–3	0–1	0–5	0–3	0–1	—	0–2	3–2
Zhejiang	3–0	3–0	1–3	6–1	3–1	2–0	2–1	1–0	5–4	1–0	1–0	1–1	0–0	3–0	2–1	4–1	—	2–1
Zibo Cuju	2–0	2–1	0–0	0–1	0–0	0–0	1–3	2–1	0–1	2–1	0–5	1–1	0–0	1–3	0–3	1–1	0–4	—

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For upcoming matches, an "a" indicates there is an article about the rivalry between the two participants.

Positions by round

To preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. For example, if a match is scheduled for round 7, but then played between rounds 8 and 9, it will be added to the standings for round 8.

Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Team ╲ Round
Wuhan Three Towns	3	1	5	3	4	3	2	2	5	4	3	4	5	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	2	1	1	1
Meizhou Hakka	5	3	8	5	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	1	2	2	2
Zhejiang	1	5	2	7	3	2	3	3	4	2	5	3	3	3	3	2	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	3	3
Chengdu Rongcheng	2	2	3	1	1	4	4	6	3	3	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	4	4
Nantong Zhiyun	10	6	4	2	6	6	5	4	2	5	4	5	4	5	6	7	6	7	7	6	7	6	5	5	6	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	6	10	6	8	5	5	6	5	6	7	6	7	6	6	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	7	7	7	7	6	6	6	6	6	6	6
Heilongjiang Ice City	16	18	11	9	8	7	8	7	7	6	7	6	7	7	8	8	8	8	8	9	8	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	7	7	7	7	7
Sichuan Jiuniu	13	14	15	11	12	14	12	13	11	10	9	10	9	10	10	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	8	9	8
Kunshan	8	12	14	10	10	8	7	8	8	8	8	8	8	8	7	6	7	6	6	7	9	9	7	6	5	6	6	7	7	8	8	9	8	9
Nanjing City	10	15	9	12	11	11	13	10	12	13	13	11	12	12	12	12	13	12	12	12	12	12	12	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	10	10	10	10
Zibo Cuju	18	17	17	17	18	18	18	16	17	15	15	14	15	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	14	15	14	14	14	14	14	13	12	13	12	12	12	11
Guizhou	6	4	1	6	9	10	10	11	13	9	10	9	10	9	9	10	9	9	9	8	6	8	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	11	11	11	12
Suzhou Dongwu	3	7	7	4	7	9	9	9	9	12	12	12	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	11	12	12	12	12	12	13	12	13	13	13	13
Jiangxi Beidamen	15	11	12	15	16	13	14	14	14	14	14	16	14	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	15	16	16	16	16	15	15	16	14	14	14
Beijing BSU	8	12	16	16	17	17	17	18	18	18	16	15	16	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	14	15	16	15	15	15	15	16	16	14	15	15	15
Liaoning Shenyang Urban	13	9	10	13	13	12	11	12	10	11	11	13	13	13	13	13	12	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	13	14	14	14	15	16	16	16
Beijing BIT	16	16	18	18	15	15	16	17	15	16	17	18	18	18	18	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	18	18	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17	17
Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	12	8	13	14	14	15	15	15	16	17	18	17	17	17	17	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	17	17	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18	18

	Leader and promotion to Super League
	Runner-up and promotion to Super League
	Qualification for Promotion play-offs
	Qualification for Relegation play-offs

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Results by match played

Team ╲ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Team ╲ Round
Beijing BIT	L	L	L	L	W	L	L	L	D	L	L	L	L	L	L	W	L	L	L	D	L	L	L	L	L	D	L	L	D	D	L	L	W	L
Beijing BSU	D	L	L	L	L	L	D	L	L	D	W	W	L	D	L	L	L	D	W	L	D	D	L	L	W	D	D	L	D	W	L	L	L	W
Chengdu Rongcheng	W	W	D	W	W	L	D	D	W	W	W	W	W	D	W	W	W	D	W	D	W	L	W	W	D	L	L	D	W	W	W	W	L	W
Guizhou	W	W	W	L	L	L	D	D	D	W	L	W	D	W	D	L	W	L	W	W	W	D	L	D	L	D	L	D	L	L	L	L	L	L
Heilongjiang Ice City	L	L	W	W	W	W	L	W	D	W	L	W	L	D	D	W	D	D	D	D	W	W	L	D	L	W	D	D	W	W	W	L	D	W
Jiangxi Beidamen	L	W	L	L	L	W	D	L	L	D	L	D	D	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	W	W	D	L	L	D	W	D	D	L	W	L	W
Kunshan	D	L	D	W	W	W	D	D	D	D	W	L	W	D	W	W	L	W	D	D	L	D	W	W	W	D	L	L	W	L	L	L	W	D
Liaoning Shenyang Urban	L	W	L	L	L	W	W	D	W	L	L	L	L	W	L	L	W	D	D	L	L	L	L	L	D	W	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L
Meizhou Hakka	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	L	W	D	W	L	W	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	L	W	W	L	L	D
Nanjing City	D	L	W	L	W	L	D	W	D	D	L	W	L	L	L	D	D	W	L	D	W	L	L	W	D	L	W	W	L	W	W	W	D	L
Nantong Zhiyun	D	W	W	W	L	W	D	W	W	L	W	L	W	L	D	D	W	L	L	W	L	W	W	W	L	W	W	W	W	L	W	W	W	D
Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	W	L	W	D	W	W	L	W	D	D	W	L	D	W	W	W	L	W	D	D	L	W	L	D	D	D	W	W	W	W	D	W	W	D
Sichuan Jiuniu	L	D	D	W	L	L	W	D	W	D	W	D	W	L	D	W	D	L	D	D	W	D	W	L	W	D	D	W	L	D	W	W	L	W
Suzhou Dongwu	W	L	W	W	D	L	D	D	D	L	L	D	W	D	L	W	D	L	W	D	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	D	D	D	L	W	L
Wuhan Three Towns	W	W	L	W	D	W	W	D	L	W	W	L	D	W	W	D	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	L	W	W	L
Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	L	W	L	L	L	L	D	L	L	L	L	D	L	L	L	L	L	D	L	L	D	L	L	D	L	L	L	L	D	L	L	L	L	L
Zhejiang	W	D	W	D	W	W	L	W	D	W	L	W	W	W	W	D	D	W	D	W	W	W	W	D	W	W	W	D	L	L	W	W	W	W
Zibo Cuju	L	L	D	L	L	L	D	D	L	D	W	W	L	D	W	L	D	D	L	L	L	L	W	L	W	L	W	D	D	L	W	W	W	W

Source: ^{[citation needed]}
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Promotion play-offs

Zhejiang and Chengdu Rongcheng will play the bottom two teams in the 2021 Chinese Super League (7th and 8th in the Relegation stage) in two-legged playoffs.

Relegation play-offs

Overview

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Qingdao Youth Island	2–2 (5–4 p)	Beijing BIT	0–0	2–2 (a.e.t.)
Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	0–1	Guangxi Pingguo Haliao	0–1	0–0

Matches

26 December 2021

14:30 UTC+8

Qingdao Youth Island	0–0	Beijing BIT

Hengbei Football Town Field 9, Meizhou

Attendance: 0^{[note 1]}

Referee: Ma Yunkun

30 December 2021

14:30 UTC+8

Beijing BIT	2–2 (a.e.t.)	Qingdao Youth Island
Geng Junyi 90' Wang Zhengyin 120+2' (pen.)		Tian Yong 38' Sun Jiangshan 117'
Penalties
Wang Si Zhang Chengyu Wang Zhengyin Guo Mengjie Geng Junyi	4–5	Ju Feng Wang Xingqiang Sun Jiangshan Chen Ao Wang Long

Hengbei Football Town Field 9, Meizhou

Attendance: 0^{[note 1]}

Referee: Gao Peng

2–2 on aggregate. Qingdao Youth Island won 5–4 on penalties.

26 December 2021

14:30 UTC+8

Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	0–1	Guangxi Pingguo Haliao
		Wang Ziming 81'

Wuhua County Olympic Sports Centre, Meizhou

Attendance: 0^{[note 1]}

Referee: Ren Tong

30 December 2021

14:30 UTC+8

Guangxi Pingguo Haliao	0–0	Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard

Wuhua County Olympic Sports Centre, Meizhou

Attendance: 0^{[note 1]}

Referee: Liang Songshang

Guangxi Pingguo Haliao won 1–0 on aggregate.

Statistics

Top scorers

As of 12 January 2022^[31]

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Nyasha Mushekwi	Zhejiang	24
2	Chisom Egbuchulam	Meizhou Hakka	20
2	Kingsley Onuegbu	Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	20
4	Moses Ogbu	Wuhan Three Towns	18
5	Raphaël Messi Bouli	Nanjing City	15
6	Liang Xueming	Meizhou Hakka	14
	Naldinho	Chengdu Rongcheng	14
	Donovan Ewolo	Heilongjiang Ice City	14
	Robert Tambe	Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	14
	Zé Turbo	Nantong Zhiyun	14

Hat-tricks

Player	For	Against	Result	Date
Lonsana Doumbouya	Meizhou Hakka	Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic	3–2 (H)	24 May 2021
Moses Ogbu	Wuhan Three Towns	Suzhou Dongwu	4–0 (A)	10 June 2021
Xiang Baixu	Chengdu Rongcheng	Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard	7–0 (A)	23 July 2021
Nyasha Mushekwi	Zhejiang	Beijing BIT	3–0 (H)	15 August 2021
Raphaël Messi Bouli	Nanjing City	Liaoning Shenyang Urban	3–3 (A)	30 September 2021
Felipe	Chengdu Rongcheng	Guizhou	9–2 (A)	21 December 2021
Meng Junjie	Chengdu Rongcheng	Guizhou	9–2 (A)	21 December 2021

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d The match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

^ "2021中国足球赛历：中超3月11日开始，世预赛9、10、11月进行". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
^ "职业联赛重要时间点确定：中超4月20日开赛，中甲4月24日开赛". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
^ "新赛季中甲赛制：全年赛会制进行，保证打满34轮比赛". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
^ "新赛季中甲分组抽签出炉，分为梅州、武汉和大连-成都赛区". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "关于公布获得2021赛季中国足球协会职业准入资格俱乐部名单的通知". thecfa.cn (in Chinese). 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
^ "官方：中甲泰州远大宣布退出中国足坛". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 20 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
^ "Renaming rules spell dilemma for Super League teams". China Daily. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
^ "成都兴城足球俱乐部正式更名为成都蓉城足球俱乐部". Dongqiudi. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
^ "官方：贵州恒丰足球俱乐部正式更名为贵州足球俱乐部". Dongqiudi. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
^ "官方：南京枫帆足球俱乐部正式更名为南京城市足球俱乐部". Dongqiudi. 17 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^ "手续完成，江西联盛更名"江西北大门"". Dongqiudi. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
^ "国家企业信用信息公示系统：黑龙江火山鸣泉已更名黑龙江冰城". Dongqiudi. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
^ "公告：浙江能源绿城足球俱乐部正式更名为浙江职业足球俱乐部". Dongqiudi. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
^ "全国主要城市经纬度表".
^ "官方：金奉吉不再担任陕西长安竞技主教练". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 29 November 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^ "官方：前青岛黄海助教奥斯卡-塞斯佩德斯执教陕西". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 23 January 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^ "公告：卡洛斯先生不再担任成都兴城人居队主教练一职". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 7 December 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^ "官方：韩国籍教练徐正源出任成都兴城主帅". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 12 December 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^ "感谢，祝福关于郑雄先生不再担任一线队主教练的公告". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 31 December 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
^ "官方：乔迪出任浙江能源绿城一线队主教练". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 1 January 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
^ "淄博蹴鞠官方：免去侯志强职务，任命朴徹为主帅". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 19 February 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^ "官方：新疆天山雪豹任命裴恩才为球队新帅". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 30 March 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^ "官方：意大利教练皮亚担任南京城市新主帅". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 18 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
^ "官方：武汉三镇主帅阿尔贝托下课，技术总监暂代主帅一职". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "武汉三镇官方：代理主帅佩德罗正式出任俱乐部一线队主教练". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
^ "谢晖：我决定辞去南通支云主教练一职，偷拍事件我也有反思". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
^ "官方：前江苏助教曹睿出任南通支云主教练". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
^ "官方发布会宣！昆山已完成换帅，球队预备队教练萨尔科取代高尧". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 16 September 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
^ "新疆队官方：主帅裴恩才因身体原因辞职，阿斯哈尔任执行教练". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
^ "贵州官方：免去主帅及一线队教练组、领队职务，后续另行安排". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
^ "China League One Topscorers". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 April 2021.

External links

[24] Morilla was initially caretaker manager, but was then appointed as manager until the end of the season on 9 December 2021.

[table_hth_ZBC0.79670089892889-32] Zibo Cuju finished ahead of Guizhou on goal difference: Zibo Cuju 0–1 Guizhou, Guizhou 1–2 Zibo Cuju; Goal difference: Zibo Cuju -20 and Guizhou -30.

[Behind_closed_doors-33] The match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[1] "2021中国足球赛历：中超3月11日开始，世预赛9、10、11月进行". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 30 December 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2021.

[2] "职业联赛重要时间点确定：中超4月20日开赛，中甲4月24日开赛". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.

[3] "新赛季中甲赛制：全年赛会制进行，保证打满34轮比赛". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.

[4] "新赛季中甲分组抽签出炉，分为梅州、武汉和大连-成都赛区". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 1 April 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.

[teams-5] "关于公布获得2021赛季中国足球协会职业准入资格俱乐部名单的通知". thecfa.cn (in Chinese). 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.

[Taizhou_Yuanda-6] "官方：中甲泰州远大宣布退出中国足坛". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 20 March 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2021.

[7] "Renaming rules spell dilemma for Super League teams". China Daily. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.

[8] "成都兴城足球俱乐部正式更名为成都蓉城足球俱乐部". Dongqiudi. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.

[9] "官方：贵州恒丰足球俱乐部正式更名为贵州足球俱乐部". Dongqiudi. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.

[10] "官方：南京枫帆足球俱乐部正式更名为南京城市足球俱乐部". Dongqiudi. 17 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.

[11] "手续完成，江西联盛更名"江西北大门"". Dongqiudi. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.

[12] "国家企业信用信息公示系统：黑龙江火山鸣泉已更名黑龙江冰城". Dongqiudi. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.

[13] "公告：浙江能源绿城足球俱乐部正式更名为浙江职业足球俱乐部". Dongqiudi. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.

[14] "全国主要城市经纬度表".

[15] "官方：金奉吉不再担任陕西长安竞技主教练". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 29 November 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.

[16] "官方：前青岛黄海助教奥斯卡-塞斯佩德斯执教陕西". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 23 January 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.

[17] "公告：卡洛斯先生不再担任成都兴城人居队主教练一职". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 7 December 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.

[18] "官方：韩国籍教练徐正源出任成都兴城主帅". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 12 December 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.

[19] "感谢，祝福关于郑雄先生不再担任一线队主教练的公告". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 31 December 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.

[20] "官方：乔迪出任浙江能源绿城一线队主教练". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 1 January 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.

[21] "淄博蹴鞠官方：免去侯志强职务，任命朴徹为主帅". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 19 February 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.

[22] "官方：新疆天山雪豹任命裴恩才为球队新帅". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 30 March 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.

[23] "官方：意大利教练皮亚担任南京城市新主帅". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 18 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.

[25] "官方：武汉三镇主帅阿尔贝托下课，技术总监暂代主帅一职". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[26] "武汉三镇官方：代理主帅佩德罗正式出任俱乐部一线队主教练". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.

[27] "谢晖：我决定辞去南通支云主教练一职，偷拍事件我也有反思". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.

[28] "官方：前江苏助教曹睿出任南通支云主教练". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.

[29] "官方发布会宣！昆山已完成换帅，球队预备队教练萨尔科取代高尧". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 16 September 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.

[30] "新疆队官方：主帅裴恩才因身体原因辞职，阿斯哈尔任执行教练". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.

[31] "贵州官方：免去主帅及一线队教练组、领队职务，后续另行安排". Dongqiudi (in Chinese). 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.

[34] "China League One Topscorers". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 April 2021.

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[a]

[note 1]

[31]