China News Service, Shanghai, March 1 (Reporter Bian Liqun) After a long winter, the new season of the Chinese Super League is finally here.
At 20:00 on March 1, the defending champion Shanghai Haigang will start the opening match against Wuhan Three Towns at home.
The restarted Chinese Super League is further back on track.
Competition is more intense, new forces are rising, and the football market is more popular... The Chinese Super League in the 2024 season should bring more warmth.
Data map: The opening ceremony of the 2023 Chinese Super League.
Photo by Han Haidan
further back on track
After 4 seasons, the Chinese Super League has finally entered the new season at a normal pace. This feeling is a bit long gone.
In the past four years, the Chinese Super League has experienced three seasons of special competitions.
Last season, the league did not hastily return to the home and away system until mid-April.
In the throes of the "post-Jinyuan era", the Chinese Super League has finally gained a foothold in the 2024 season - not only has the title sponsor and all-media partners been finalized before the start of the season, but none of the 16 Chinese Super League teams has finally fallen behind. Survived the long winter break.
The opening ceremony of the 2023 Chinese Super League.
Photo by Han Haidan
After some metabolism, Shenzhen Xinpengcheng and Qingdao West Coast became fresh forces in the league.
The current operating conditions of Chinese Super League clubs that have experienced the Jinyuan era have generally improved compared to previous seasons.
Before the start of the new season, Yang Xu, vice chairman of the Chinese Football Association, said that he will resolutely crack down on football corruption and fake gambling, and related prevention and punishment work will be the top priority this year.
This creates a fair and clear competitive environment for the Chinese Super League in the new season.
First round matchup chart.
Image source: Chinese Super League
The battle for championship and relegation becomes more intense
In the Chinese Super League last season, Shanghai Haigang dominated the first half.
It was not until the second half of the game that the suspense of the championship finally arose as Shandong Taishan's condition recovered and Shanghai Harbor "dropped the chain" many times.
But this season, with the stable Shandong Taishan, the greatly strengthened Chengdu Chengdu, Shanghai Shenhua, and Beijing Guoan, and the Shanghai Haigang with a solid foundation, these teams have the hope of winning the championship, and there will be a championship battle. war.
Data map: 2023 Chinese Super League champion Shanghai Haigang.
Image source: IC photo
The competition for relegation may be very fierce. The situation where Nantong Zhiyun managed to avoid relegation with a low score of 22 points last season will not happen again. After all, each team has five foreign players, and the lineup will not happen again like the Shenzhen team and the Shenzhen team last season. A team like the Dalianers that is obviously lagging behind.
It is also understood that the Chinese Super League in the new season will be in line with international competitions such as the World Cup and encourage "extremely long stoppage time." The referee will accurately record the lost time in the treatment of player injuries, replacement of players, and VAR intervention.
This move will, to a certain extent, force each team to spend more energy during the effective time of the game, and the quality of game viewing will also be improved accordingly.
Data map: The championship battle between Shanghai Haigang and Shandong Taishan in the 2023 season.
Image source: IC photo
Who will be the dark horse
In addition to the championship and relegation, the "dark horse" plot every year is also indispensable.
For example, the Tianjin Jinmen Tigers suddenly emerged last season, as well as the Chengdu Chengdu and Zhejiang teams that have become "dark horses" as "promoted teams" in recent seasons.
In the new season, Chengdu Chengdu, which has introduced a number of powerful players such as Wei Shihao, Yan Dinghao, Yang Fan, and Maitijiang, is likely to take a step further.
The "promoted horses" Shenzhen Xinpengcheng and Qingdao West Coast also have "dark horse" potential.
According to data from the German transfer market website, the two teams are ranked 8th and 12th in the Chinese Super League respectively.
Judging from the configuration, these two "promoted teams" are by no means at the level of relegation teams. It is very likely that "newborn calves are not afraid of tigers" and will play the role of spoilers in the new season.
Wei Shihao joins Chengdu Rongcheng.
Image source: Chengdu Rongcheng Football Club
Looking forward to a hot home game
As clubs pay more and more attention to the importance of fans, fans will play an even more important role in the 2024 season, and the hot football market will continue.
For example, the annual tickets for Chengdu Chengdu were sold out as soon as they went on sale, and the Tianjin Jinmen Tiger Annual Tickets were sold out within 2 minutes of going on sale.
Due to the late start of Beijing Guoan's first home game, annual ticket sales have not yet started, but it will definitely be quite popular.
Data show that the average number of live viewers of the Chinese Super League last season was 19,900, with a total of 112 million live views and 270 million on-demand views, ranking first in Asia.
With the Chinese Super League further returning to the right track, there is a high probability that these data will increase this year.
The related income brought by the box office will further promote the healthy development of each club.
In the 2024 season, the Chinese Super League will start again and deserves more expectations.
(over)