2021 Chinese Super League
The 2021 Chinese Super League, officially the Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, was the league’s 18th season. It featured major changes off the pitch and a title won on the field.
Season dates and format
- Regular season ran from 20 April to 15 August 2021.
- Championship and relegation rounds were played 12 December 2021 to 4 January 2022.
- Promotion-relegation play-offs took place 7–12 January 2022.
- In total, 176 matches were played, with 447 goals scored.
Champions and international spots
- Champions: Shandong Taishan. This was their 4th CSL title and 5th Chinese title overall.
- AFC Champions League qualifiers from the league: Shandong Taishan, Shanghai Port, Guangzhou, and Changchun Yatai.
Top players and records
- Top scorer: Júnior Negrão with 14 goals.
- Biggest home wins: Guangzhou 5–0 Qingdao (11 Aug 2021); Shanghai Port 5–0 Tianjin Jinmen Tiger (15 Aug 2021); Guangzhou City 5–0 Beijing Guoan (19 Dec 2021).
- Biggest away win: Qingdao 0–6 Guangzhou (21 July 2021).
- Highest scoring matches: Tianjin Jinmen Tiger 1–6 Shanghai Port (22 Apr 2021); Guangzhou 5–2 Cangzhou Mighty Lions (2 Aug 2021); Qingdao 2–5 Wuhan (15 Dec 2021).
- Longest winning run: 10 matches by Shandong Taishan.
- Longest unbeaten run: 13 matches by Shandong Taishan.
- Longest winless run: 12 matches by Wuhan.
- Longest losing run: 11 matches by Qingdao.
- Attendance: highest 28,252 (Guangzhou 2–0 Shenzhen, 2 May 2021); lowest 335 (Cangzhou Mighty Lions 0–0 Henan Songshan Longmen, 27 Apr 2021); total attendance 111,732; average attendance 4,656.
Off-field changes and notable events
- Jiangsu were the defending champions but folded in early 2021.
- Several clubs were renamed to comply with a policy to neutralize sponsor names and non-Chinese terms.
- A salary cap was introduced: total club wages capped at 600 million yuan; foreign player wage cap at 10 million euros; individual salaries capped at 5 million yuan for Chinese players and 3 million euros for foreign players.
- Promotion and relegation playoffs determined new clubs joining the CSL for 2022: Chengdu Rongcheng and Zhejiang were promoted after their aggregate playoff wins (Chengdu Rongcheng won 2–1 on aggregate; Zhejiang won 1–0 on aggregate).
- Dalian Pro were set for direct relegation, but were reprieved after Chongqing Liangjiang Athletic and Qingdao both folded. Qingdao also folded, influencing the promotions and relegations.
In short, 2021 was a season marked by significant off-field restructuring and renaming, capped by Shandong Taishan’s championship and a slate of changes shaping the league for 2022.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:12 (CET).