Nation's soccer strength reboots for a new era

Nationwide boom

While a return to the World Cup may still be some distance away, enthusiasm for the sport at home is already surging. Last year, the Suchao staged 85 matches, drawing more than 2.43 million stadium spectators, and generating over 2.2 billion online views. The league also emerged as a powerful engine for the integrated development of sports, culture, tourism, and commerce.

That momentum is now spreading nationwide. Competitions such as the "Yuechao" league in Guangdong and the "Zhechao" league in Zhejiang have been formally placed on the calendar, with city football leagues increasingly becoming a standard feature across provinces.

In 2026, the Suchao will further refine player selection rules, strengthen players' identification with the cities they represent, and enhance its role in nurturing youth soccer.

Progress is already visible on the ground. The Zhejiang City Football League qualifiers have officially begun, with players selected through grassroots competitions organized by prefecture-level cities. The subsequent city championship phase is scheduled to run from mid-April to late July.

Guangdong plans to operate its city football league alongside the provincial competition, with the Yuechao expected to make its debut within the year. At the same time, the inaugural Northeast China City Football League will kick off in May, jointly organized by Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang provinces and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, injecting new vitality into soccer across the region.

Data from the Chinese Football Association underscores this surge. In 2025, social soccer participation recorded growth across the board: city leagues were held in 16 provinces, regions, and municipalities, with 980,000 amateur players nationwide — up 95 percent year-on-year. A total of 4,324 amateur tournaments and 144,000 matches were staged, marking increases of 88 percent and 140 percent respectively.

CFA president Song Kai has described social soccer competitions represented by the Suchao as the "harbingers of spring" for the revitalization of Chinese soccer. He noted that many regions have established coordination mechanisms led by provincial authorities, incorporating soccer development into performance assessments.

Social soccer, he added, is increasingly serving as a new platform for advancing local cultural and economic development.