80 Teams Vie for 3.5 Promotion Spots to China League Two; China Champions League Regional Stage Draw Completed

Reported by Wang Wei On March 20 afternoon, the draw ceremony for the 2026 China Football Association Champions League (China Champions League) regional stage was held in Xi'an. This year's China Champions League registration set a historical record, with 80 teams participating. Through the draw, they were placed into 20 groups across ten competition zones. Guangdong has 9 teams participating this year, and Liaoning has 8, setting a record for participating provinces. Notably, teams like Guizhou Village Super Kaida from Rongjiang and Guangdong Morning Star聚力 (Evergrande Football School) are participating, reflecting a new trend where grassroots village super, city super teams, and youth training teams hope to step onto the professional stage through the China Champions League platform.

The 2026 China Champions League has several highlights. Firstly, it serves as a bridge, allowing outstanding teams from amateur leagues and city leagues to ascend to the national stage. As a "bridge" connecting amateur and professional football, this season's China Champions League features clubs formed by 19 winning teams from city leagues across 8 provinces and municipalities nationwide. Additionally, the澳门U23 representative team has been specially invited to participate. This move not only allows top performers from city leagues to truly enter the national competitive arena but also opens a pathway for grassroots football to grow upward. Among them is Guizhou Village Super Kaida Football Club from the village super phenomenon. In the new season, these teams will undoubtedly become a major focus for fans.

This year's China Champions League has 9 teams from Guangdong, with 4 from Guangzhou: Guangzhou Huangpu Zhicheng, Guangzhou Haizhu Xingpai, Guangzhou Huadu Shudi Hong, and Guangzhou Lian Zengcheng Ao Ti. These teams were the top four in last year's Guangzhou City Football League. Additionally, teams from the Guangdong Provincial Super League—Guangdong Wuchuan Youth, Meizhou Qiangmin, and Guangdong Morning Star聚力—also secured spots in the China Champions League. These are all outstanding teams emerging from city football leagues.

Among the record-breaking 80 teams this year, many are youth football forces. They will inject fresh vitality and sharpness into this traditional competition. For example, Guangdong Morning Star聚力 team is composed of players from the Evergrande Football School's 2008-2009 age group, featuring several national youth team players with considerable strength. Guangzhou Huangpu Zhicheng, placed in the Yingde Zone Group G alongside Guangdong Morning Star聚力, is mainly formed from former Guangzhou R&F 2007 age group players. The clash between these two teams is worth anticipating.

During the draw ceremony, Guangdong Morning Star聚力 and江苏常晋 voiced the same ambitious goal—promotion to China League Two. New season, new teams, new objectives—the emergence of this fresh force undoubtedly fuels imagination about the future of the China Champions League.

The 2026 China Champions League has undergone certain reforms in its format, making competition more intense. The race for positions heats up right from the regional stage. With the draw completed, 80 clubs have been allocated to ten zones based on principles like geographical proximity. According to the new season's rules, the path to the national finals presents both challenges and opportunities: The group winners from each zone will directly advance to the national finals. The six best-performing group runners-up will directly enter the playoff second round (home-and-away). The remaining four group runners-up and the eight best-performing group third-place teams will start from the playoff first round home-and-away matches, competing for the precious spots to enter the final 16 of the national finals.

Then, the 16 teams in the national finals will be divided into 2 groups for competition. The promotion rules allocate 3.5 spots to China League Two: The top three in the China Champions League finals gain China League Two qualification. The fourth-place team will play a single decisive match against the U20 League champion to determine the fourth promotion spot.

According to the plan, this year's ten China Champions League zones are Xingyi,日照,常州, Wuchuan,渭南,银川,宝鸡,唐山, Yingde, and曲靖. The first zone competition will kick off on April 6 in the Xingyi Zone, Guizhou. The Guangdong Yingde Zone will be held from June 1 to June 11 at the Changlu International Industry Yingde Demonstration Base and the National Women's Football Yingde Training Base. Teams Guangzhou Huangpu Zhicheng, Guangdong Morning Star聚力, Wuhua Huajing, and Guangzhou Lian Zengcheng Ao Ti are all placed in the Yingde Zone.