Chengdu Rongcheng one point from first Chinese Super League title
The gist
Chengdu Rongcheng need one point away to Shandong Taishan in the final round to win their first CSL title.
The club finished third last year and leads Dalian Yingbo by three points.
How it unfolded
- Jan 29, 2026The Chinese Football Association banned 73 people from football for life and deducted points from 13 professional clubs, including CSL holders Shanghai Port, over alleged match-fixing.
- Jan 29, 2026Shanghai Shenhua and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger received 10-point reductions and one-million-yuan ($144,000) fines; Shanghai Port and Beijing Guoan were deducted five points and fined 400,000 yuan.
- Mar 8, 2026Nine teams began the new CSL season on minus points after the corruption investigation.
Key terms
- Chinese Super League
- Professional association football league that is the highest level of the Chinese football league system, established in 2004.
- AFC Champions League Elite
- An annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation for Asia's top-division clubs.
- match-fixing
- Act of playing or officiating a contest to achieve a predetermined result, violating the rules and often the law.
Source: Wikipedia