The 2020 Chinese Super League, officially known as the 2020 Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League (Chinese: 2020中国平安中国足球协会超级联赛) for sponsorship reasons,[1][2] was the 17th season since the establishment of the Chinese Super League.[3] The season was scheduled to begin on 22 February and to end on 31 October,[4] but was postponed following the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] On 1 July 2020, the Chinese Football Association announced that the season would be split into two stages. In the first stage, which began on 25 July 2020 and concluded on 29 September 2020, 16 teams were split into two groups in two locations, one in Dalian and the other in Suzhou.[6][7] On 2 September 2020, the Chinese Football Association announced that the second stage would begin on 16 October 2020 and conclude on 12 November 2020.[8] Jiangsu Suning beat defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao 2–1 on aggregate in the finals to win their first-ever top flight title. However, three months later, Jiangsu was dissolved. As a result, the fourth-placed Shanghai SIPG gained a place in the 2021 AFC Champions League along with Guangzhou and Beijing Guoan, while Shijiazhuang Ever Bright avoided relegation.
 | |
| Season | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 25 July – 12 November 2020 |
| Champions | Jiangsu Suning (1st title) |
| AFC Champions League | Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Beijing Sinobo Guoan Shanghai SIPG |
| Matches played | 160 |
| Goals scored | 451 (2.82 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Cédric Bakambu (14 goals) |
| Biggest home win | GZE 5–0 HBC (21 October 2020) |
| Biggest away win | GZF 0–5 GZE (30 July 2020) |
| Highest scoring | HN 3–4 JSS (26 July 2020) JSS 5–2 HN (30 August 2020) BJS 5–2 CQ (1 September 2020) |
| Longest winning run | 6 matches Chongqing Dangdai Lifan |
| Longest unbeaten run | 8 matches Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Shanghai SIPG Jiangsu Suning |
| Longest winless run | 14 matches Tianjin TEDA |
| Longest losing run | 8 matches Tianjin TEDA |
| Highest attendance | 9,386 GZE 1–2 JSS (12 November 2020) |
| Lowest attendance | 78 HN 0–0 TTD (6 November 2020) |
| Total attendance | 41,525 |
| Average attendance | 1,597 |
← 2019 2021 → | |
Club changes
Clubs promoted from 2019 China League One
Clubs relegated to 2020 China League One
Dissolved entries
Shijiazhuang Ever Bright return to the division after a 3-year absence; Qingdao Huanghai compete in the Chinese Super League for the first time in the club's history. Beijing Renhe were relegated to China League One after spending 2 seasons in the Chinese Super League. Shenzhen were reprieved from relegation after finishing second-bottom due to the dissolution of Tianjin Tianhai.
Name changes
- Dalian Yifang F.C. changed their name to Dalian Pro in January 2020.[10]
Clubs
Stadiums and locations
Locations
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chongqing Dangdai Lifan |  Jordi Cruyff | Mutual consent | 14 December 2019[12] | Pre-season |  Chang Woe-ryong | 18 December 2019[13] |
| Wuhan Zall |  Li Tie | Signed by China | 2 January 2020[14] |  José González | 4 January 2020[15] | |
| Guangzhou R&F |  Dragan Stojković | Mutual consent | 3 January 2020[16] | Giovanni van Bronckhorst | 4 January 2020[17] | |
| Qingdao Huanghai | Juan Manuel Lillo | Mutual consent | 5 June 2020[18] | Wu Jingui | 4 August 2020[19] | |
| Henan Jianye | Wang Baoshan | Mutual consent | 6 July 2020[20] | Yang Ji (caretaker) | 9 July 2020 | |
| Shenzhen |  Roberto Donadoni | Sacked | 11 August 2020[21] | Group A, 6th | Jordi Cruyff | 14 August 2020[22] |
| Tianjin TEDA |  Uli Stielike | Sacked | 19 August 2020 | Group B, 8th | Wang Baoshan | 19 August 2020 |
| Henan Jianye | Yang Ji (caretaker) | End of caretaker spell | 11 September 2020 | Group A, 8th | Javier Pereira | 11 September 2020 |
| Wuhan Zall | José González | Sacked | 24 September 2020 | Group B, 6th | Pang Li (caretaker) | 24 September 2020 |
| Shandong Luneng Taishan | Li Xiaopeng | Mutual consent | 5 October 2020 | Group A, 3rd | Hao Wei | 5 October 2020 |
Coach nationality
| country | Number |
|---|---|
| China | 5 |
| Netherlands | 2 |
| Spain | 2 |
| Korea Republic | 2 |
 Iran | 1 |
 Portugal | 1 |
| Italy | 1 |
 France | 1 |
 Romania | 1 |
Foreign players
- Foreign players: The number of foreign players (excluding goalkeepers) that clubs can register over the course of the season is increased from six to seven and the number of foreign players allowed on each CSL team at any given time is also increased from four to five. A maximum of five foreign players can be registered for each match with a maximum of four can be fielded at any time during the match.
- Naturalized players: There is no limits in registering naturalized players. There is no limits in fielding Chinese-descent naturalized players. However, only one non-Chinese-descent naturalized player can be fielded as native player while other non-Chinese-descent naturalized player(s) fielded will be counted as foreign player(s).
- Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan players: Each club can register one Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan player of Chinese descent (excluding goalkeepers), provided that he was registered as a professional footballer in one of those three associations for the first time in his career, as a native player.
- Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
- ^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.
Regular season
Group A
Stadiums
- Dalian Sports Center
- Dalian Youth Football Training Base Main Stadium
- Jinzhou Stadium
- Puwan Stadium (Reserve)
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao (Q) | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 31 | 12 | +19 | 34 | Qualification for Championship stage |
| 2 | Jiangsu Suning (C, Q) | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 23 | 15 | +8 | 26 | |
| 3 | Shandong Luneng Taishan (Q) | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 11 | +8 | 24 | |
| 4 | Shanghai Greenland Shenhua (Q) | 14 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 21 | |
| 5 | Shenzhen (Q) | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 17 | Qualification for Relegation stage |
| 6 | Guangzhou R&F (Q) | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 28 | −14 | 15 | |
| 7 | Dalian Pro (Q) | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 21 | −3 | 11 | |
| 8 | Henan Jianye (Q) | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 14 | 33 | −19 | 6 |
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) Scores of the weight ratio of the reserve league and youth leagues.
(C) Champions; (Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Results
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.
| Qualification to Championship stage | |
| Qualification to Relegation stage |
Results by match played
Group B
Stadiums
- Kunshan Sports Centre Stadium
- Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre
- Suzhou Sports Center
- Changshu Stadium (Reserve)
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shanghai SIPG (Q) | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 26 | 11 | +15 | 32 | Qualification for Championship stage |
| 2 | Beijing Sinobo Guoan (Q) | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 36 | 19 | +17 | 28 | |
| 3 | Chongqing Dangdai Lifan (Q) | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 22 | 19 | +3 | 24[a] | |
| 4 | Hebei China Fortune (Q) | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 25 | 23 | +2 | 24[a] | |
| 5 | Wuhan Zall (Q) | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 17[b] | Qualification for Relegation stage |
| 6 | Shijiazhuang Ever Bright (Q) | 14 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 21 | −3 | 17[b] | |
| 7 | Qingdao Huanghai (Q) | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 27 | −12 | 10 | |
| 8 | Tianjin TEDA (Q) | 14 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 30 | −22 | 3 |
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) Scores of the weight ratio of the reserve league and youth leagues.
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Notes:
Results
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.
| Qualification to Championship stage | |
| Qualification to Relegation stage |
Results by match played
Championship stage
Bracket
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hebei China Fortune | 1–8 | Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao | 1–3 | 0–5 |
| Shandong Luneng Taishan | 3–4 | Beijing Sinobo Guoan | 2–2 | 1–2 |
| Shanghai Greenland Shenhua | 1–1 (4–5 p) | Shanghai SIPG | 0–0 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) |
| Chongqing Dangdai Lifan | 1–2 | Jiangsu Suning | 1–1 | 0–1 |
First leg (Round 15)
| Hebei China Fortune | 1–3 | Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Second leg (Round 16)
| Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao | 5–0 | Hebei China Fortune |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao won 8–1 on aggregate.
Beijing Sinobo Guoan won 4–3 on aggregate.
1–1 on aggregate. Shanghai SIPG won 5–4 on penalties.
Jiangsu Suning won 2–1 on aggregate.
Semi-finals
The winners will qualify for the 2021 AFC Champions League group stage.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing Sinobo Guoan | 1–3 | Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao | 0–0 | 1–3 |
| Jiangsu Suning | 3–2 | Shanghai SIPG | 1–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
First leg (Round 17)
Second leg (Round 18)
Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao won 3–1 on aggregate.
Jiangsu Suning won 3–2 on aggregate.
5th–8th place playoffs
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hebei China Fortune | 5–8 | Shandong Luneng Taishan | 2–2 | 3–6 (a.e.t.) |
| Shanghai Greenland Shenhua | 3–3 (9–10 p) | Chongqing Dangdai Lifan | 3–1 | 0–2 (a.e.t.) |
First leg (Round 17)
| Shanghai Greenland Shenhua | 3–1 | Chongqing Dangdai Lifan |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Second leg (Round 18)
| Shandong Luneng Taishan | 6–3 (a.e.t.) | Hebei China Fortune |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Shandong Luneng Taishan won 8–5 on aggregate.
3–3 on aggregate. Chongqing Dangdai Lifan won 10–9 on penalties.
7th–8th place playoffs
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Greenland Shenhua | 5–1 | Hebei China Fortune | 4–1 | 1–0 |
First leg (Round 19)
| Shanghai Greenland Shenhua | 4–1 | Hebei China Fortune |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Second leg (Round 20)
Shanghai Greenland Shenhua won 5–1 on aggregate.
5th–6th place playoffs
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chongqing Dangdai Lifan | 5–5 (3–4 p) | Shandong Luneng Taishan | 4–3 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
First leg (Round 19)
| Chongqing Dangdai Lifan | 4–3 | Shandong Luneng Taishan |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Second leg (Round 20)
5–5 on aggregate. Shandong Luneng Taishan won 4–3 on penalties.
3rd–4th place playoffs
The winner qualified for the 2021 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai SIPG | 2–3 | Beijing Sinobo Guoan | 1–2 | 1–1 |
First leg (Round 19)
Second leg (Round 20)
Beijing Sinobo Guoan won 3–2 on aggregate.
Finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jiangsu Suning | 2–1 | Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao | 0–0 | 2–1 |
First leg (Round 19)
Second leg (Round 20)
Jiangsu Suning won 2–1 on aggregate.
Relegation stage
Bracket
9th–16th place playoffs
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tianjin TEDA | 3–1 | Shenzhen | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Dalian Pro | 3–2 | Shijiazhuang Ever Bright | 1–2 | 2–0 |
| Henan Jianye | 2–1 | Wuhan Zall | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Qingdao Huanghai | 1–2 | Guangzhou R&F | 0–0 | 1–2 |
First leg (Round 15)
| Tianjin TEDA | 2–0 | Shenzhen |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
Second leg (Round 16)
| Shenzhen | 1–1 | Tianjin TEDA |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Tianjin TEDA won 3–1 on aggregate.
Dalian Pro won 3–2 on aggregate.
Henan Jianye won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Guangzhou R&F | 2–1 | Qingdao Huanghai |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Guangzhou R&F won 2–1 on aggregate.
9th–12th place playoffs
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalian Pro | 2–3 | Tianjin TEDA | 0–2 | 2–1 |
| Guangzhou R&F | 3–5 | Henan Jianye | 1–2 | 2–3 |
First leg (Round 17)
| Dalian Pro | 0–2 | Tianjin TEDA |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Second leg (Round 18)
| Tianjin TEDA | 1–2 | Dalian Pro |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Tianjin TEDA won 3–2 on aggregate.
Henan Jianye won 5–3 on aggregate.
13th–16th place playoffs
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shenzhen | 3–2 | Shijiazhuang Ever Bright | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| Wuhan Zall | 3–3 (4–5 p) | Qingdao Huanghai | 2–1 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) |
First leg (Round 17)
Second leg (Round 18)
Shenzhen won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Qingdao Huanghai | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Wuhan Zall |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 5–4 | ||
3–3 on aggregate. Qingdao Huanghai won 5–4 on penalties.
15th–16th place playoffs
The winner of the playoff will qualify to the relegation play-offs, whereas the loser will be directly relegated to the 2021 China League One.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wuhan Zall | 2–1 | Shijiazhuang Ever Bright | 0–0 | 2–1 |
First leg (Round 19)
Second leg (Round 20)
| Shijiazhuang Ever Bright | 1–2 | Wuhan Zall |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Wuhan Zall won 2–1 on aggregate.
13th–14th place playoffs
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qingdao Huanghai | 1–4 | Shenzhen | 0–2 | 1–2 |
First leg (Round 19)
Second leg (Round 20)
Shenzhen won 4–1 on aggregate.
11th–12th place playoffs
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guangzhou R&F | 4–3 | Dalian Pro | 0–3 | 4–0 (a.e.t.) |
First leg (Round 19)
| Guangzhou R&F | 0–3 | Dalian Pro |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Second leg (Round 20)
| Dalian Pro | 0–4 (a.e.t.) | Guangzhou R&F |
|---|---|---|
| CSL Report |
|
Guangzhou R&F won 4–3 on aggregate.
9th–10th place playoffs
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henan Jianye | 2–1 | Tianjin TEDA | 0–0 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
First leg (Round 19)
Second leg (Round 20)
Henan Jianye won 2–1 on aggregate.
Relegation play-offs
Overview
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhejiang Energy Greentown | 2–3 | Wuhan Zall | 2–2 | 0–1 |
Matches
First leg
| Zhejiang Energy Greentown | 2–2 | Wuhan Zall |
|---|---|---|
Second leg
Wuhan Zall won 3–2 on aggregate and stayed in the Chinese Super League.
Final ranking
| Rank | Team | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jiangsu Suning (C, D) | Disbanded after season |
| 2 | Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao | Qualification for AFC Champions League group stage |
| 3 | Beijing Sinobo Guoan | |
| 4 | Shanghai SIPG | Qualification for AFC Champions League play-off round |
| 5 | Shandong Luneng Taishan | |
| 6 | Chongqing Dangdai Lifan | |
| 7 | Shanghai Greenland Shenhua | |
| 8 | Hebei China Fortune | |
| 9 | Henan Jianye | |
| 10 | Tianjin TEDA | |
| 11 | Guangzhou R&F | |
| 12 | Dalian Pro | |
| 13 | Shenzhen | |
| 14 | Qingdao Huanghai | |
| 15 | Wuhan Zall (O) | Qualification for relegation play-offs |
| 16 | Shijiazhuang Ever Bright | Relegation cancelled due to the dissolution of Jiangsu FC |
Goalscorers
Top assists
- As of 23 October 2020
Source:[24]
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Marouane Fellaini | Shandong Luneng Taishan | Dalian Pro | 2–3 (A) | 26 July 2020 | [25] |
 Ivan Santini | Jiangsu Suning | Henan Jianye | 5–2 (H) | 30 August 2020 | [26] |
 Cédric Bakambu4 | Beijing Sinobo Guoan | Chongqing Dangdai Lifan | 5–2 (H) | 1 September 2020 | [27] |
 Adrian Mierzejewski | Chongqing Dangdai Lifan | Shijiazhuang Ever Bright | 4–1 (A) | 25 September 2020 | [28] |
Awards
Players of the Round
The following players were named the Players of the Round.
League attendance
References
External links
- Current CSL table, and recent results/fixtures at Soccerway