Football inChina is administered by theChinese Football Association. It does not includeHong Kong andMacau. In 2018, 21% of Chinese people said that basketball is their favourite sport, followed by association football with 17%.[1] In recent years, the popularity of association football grew harder than the popularity of basketball. 22% of Chinese people called basketball their favourite sport in 2022, followed by 21% for association football.[2]
A version of football called "cuju" was already practiced more than 2300 years ago in the city of Lin Zi as a military sport that served to train the troops and check the physical condition of the soldiers,[3] with "cu" meaning "to kick" and "ju" meaning "a type of leather ball". Cuju is regarded as an ancient Chinese ball game. It is a competitive game involving kicking the ball through a large opening and into a net, and just like modern-day American football, hands can be used when playing Cuju. This sport was quite popular in medieval China, and it was also more pervasive among the higher ranks and classes in ancient China. It was also played and enjoyed by the intellectuals, royalty, soldiers, and even the peasants.[4] There were two forms of cuju. One served as a competition, in which teams played each other trying to score as many goals as possible with goals and keepers. The other type of exhibition was more for entertainment, which even had live music in the background and female players were allowed, with its main purpose was to demonstrate technique and dexterity.
The first recorded references to cuju in Chinese literature dates back to the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). Following this period came the rule of the Han dynasty from 202 BC to 220 AD. The Han dynasty brought wealth and cultural sophistication to China and allowed for cuju to flourish. However, after the falling out of the Han dynasty in 220 AD, cuju began to slowly decline in popularity. Despite its brief disappearance, the sport was revived during the Tang dynasty (618–907) where it was no longer restricted to nobility, but instead became a part of folk tradition and played at Chinese festivals. Cuju continued to cement itself in Chinese culture during the Song dynasty (960–1279) when China had reached new heights in economic, cultural and social development.[5] There were many written records of Cuju and its influence in ancient China. A book called the Splendours of the Eastern Capital recorded the history of Cuju. Players of Cuju were usually men that came from wealthy families, some of whom played professionally. However, Cuju was not only limited to men, and other writers in the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 AD) recorded stories of women playing alongside men. The sport was often played as entertainment for banquets and ceremonies, and even the Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty was seen in a painting playing Cuju.[6] However, cuju again lost its importance during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). The first Ming ruler even banned cuju altogether because it was believed to be a distraction from work and military training. After this disappearance, there never was another revival of cuju because western influences, like association football, officially got rid of cuju altogether.[7]
| Association football in China | |
|---|---|
| Governing body | CFA |
| National team | China |
| National competitions | |
| Club competitions | |
Chinese Super League China League One China League Two CMCL Member Football Association Leagues Chinese Women's Super League Chinese Women's Football League Chinese Futsal League | |
| International competitions | |
TheChinese Super League (CSL;Chinese:中超联赛) is the highest tier of professionalassociation football inMainland China, operating under the auspices of theChinese Football Association (CFA).[8] The Super League was created by the re-branding of the former top division, Chinese Football Association Jia-A League, in 2004. While the league originally consisted of 12 teams, 16 teams now compete in it. The league has witnessed match-fixing, illegal betting, and violence on and off the pitch[9][10] which thegovernment of the People's Republic of China has promised to fix.[11] Two former top executives of the Football Association of China were arrested and prosecuted for taking bribes.[12] The Super League is criticized for overusing of foreign players in clubs, including some record-breaking transfers of foreign players.[13][14] Racist sentiment against foreign players, including African ones, has been seen.[15][16]
The sport is covered by the media.[17] National competitions are generally televised onCCTV-5 andCCTV-5+.Guangdong Television reserves rights, however, for thePremier League and theUEFA Champions League. Since 1996, CCTV-5 has had weekly programmes televising live games in the ItalianSerie A and GermanBundesliga toFootball Night (足球之夜). Serie A, Bundesliga andLa Liga are broadcast on CCTV-5. Shanghai's Dongfang Sports channel also has coverage.
Initiatives have been developed, including Vision China, a part FIFA Vision Asia. The program covers marketing, development, training,sports medicine, competitions,media, and fans. It also includes assessments on association football in China, planning matches, and monitoring them. Goal Project for China, a part of FIFA Goal Project, invested in China to help build the new headquarters of CFA.[18] The government has created at least 70,000 fields and 24,000 schools.[19]
In that year,Beijing Guoan,Guangzhou Evergrande and Shandong Luneng Taishan were the only Chinese sports clubs with at least 5 million followers on Weibo.[20]
Chinese football clubs are the most popular Chinese sports clubs on social media. The table shows the popularity of the Chinese clubs on Weibo as of 15 June 2015:[21]
| # | Football club | City | Followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guangzhou FC | Guangzhou | 5.4 million |
| 2 | Shandong Taishan | Jinan | 5.2 million |
| 3 | Beijing Guoan | Beijing | 5 million |
| 4 | Tianjin Jinmen Tiger | Tianjin | 4.9 million |
| 5 | Shanghai Shenhua | Shanghai | 4.7 million |
As of 2025, China has fewer than 100,000 registered players.[22] In response to this situation, theMinistry of Education, in cooperation and coordination with the Chinese FA, announced the expansion of theChinese Youth Football Elite League (est. 2014) in 2021; creation of the first-ever nationwide, school-basedChina Youth Football League in 2022, with the aim to promote football in schools and universities, and cultivate talents from the school tables; and finally, making physical education (PE) mandatory across China on early 2025, making football effectively core part of the curriculum rather than being treated as a secondary thought.[23][24][25]
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The Chinese Super League is carried out in a double-round way of home and away games. There are 34 rounds in the whole season. The Chinese Super League implements the "up 3 down 3" policy, that is, the 16th, 17th and 18th places in the Chinese Super League are directly relegated to the A League. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in the A League are directly promoted to the Chinese Super League.
Each team has 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss.
After all the competitions of the Chinese Super League in the current year are completed, the team with the most points will rank first. If two or more teams have an equal number of points, they will be ranked in the following order:
1. Teams with equal points and more points in each other's competitions will be ranked first;
2. Teams with equal points and more goal difference in each other's games will be ranked first;
3. The team with the same score and the highest number of goals in each other's games will be ranked first;
4. The reserve team of the club to which it belongs is ranked first in the reserve team league this season, and it ranks first;
5. Teams with equal points that have the most goal difference in all competitions of the Chinese Super League in that year will rank first;
6. The team with equal points that scored the most goals in all the competitions of the Chinese Super League in that year will be ranked first;
7. The player with the highest fair play points is in the front (red and yellow cards will be deducted, 1 point will be deducted for each yellow card, and 3 points will be deducted for each red card);
8. Ranking will be determined by drawing lots.
There are three main pathways for Chinese youth to play football:[26]: 7–8
SpanishLa Liga clubBarcelona is the most popular football club on theChinese internet, being the most followed football club onDouyin (the Chinese version ofTikTok) and the most followed Spanish football club onWeibo.[27]
| Most supported European football clubs in China (Statista, 2019)[28] | |
|---|---|
| Club | Fans |
 AC Milan | 106 million |
 Bayern Munich | 90 million |
| Inter Milan | 106 million |
 Manchester United | 107 million |
 Real Madrid | 127 million |
The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:
| Season | League average | Best club | Best club average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 19,431 | Beijing | 46,444 |
| 2023 | 19,866 | Beijing | 43,769 |
| 2022 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | — | — | — |
| 2020 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | 23,341 | Guangzhou | 45,795 |
| 2018 | 24,107 | Guangzhou | 47,002 |
| 2017 | 23,766 | Guangzhou | 45,587 |
| 2016 | 24,159 | Guangzhou | 44,883 |
| 2015 | 22,193 | Guangzhou | 45,889 |
| 2014 | 18,986 | Guangzhou | 42,154 |
| 2013 | 18,571 | Guangzhou | 40,428 |
| 2012 | 18,740 | Guangzhou | 37,250 |
| 2011 | 17,651 | Guangzhou | 45,666 |
| 2010 | 14,581 | Beijing | 33,342 |
| 2009 | 16,059 | Beijing | 36,805 |
| 2008 | 13,444 | Shandong | 26,501 |
| 2007 | 15,112 | Shaanxi | 24,643 |
| 2006 | 10,611 | Shandong | 30,679 |
| 2005 | 10,284 | Shandong | 26,000 |
| 2004 | 10,838 | Shandong | 23,636 |
Sources: League pages on Wikipedia
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