China's football map quietly shifts as new regional powers rise

The past weekend suggests that the domestic football map in China is quietly shifting, and in some parts, significantly.

The Chinese Super League (CSL) saw a rare scene as none of the top-four teams in the standings managed to secure a victory in the 28th round. With just two rounds remaining, only the two Shanghai clubs and Chengdu Rongcheng remain in contention for the league title. If Chengdu were to take the crown, it would break a two-year streak of champions from Shanghai and signal that the football center of gravity in China is beginning to spread.

At the same time, the surge in success from other regions points to something deeper: More clubs outside the traditional power bases are gaining traction, and crucially, so are their young players. That, in turn, benefits national-team talent selection: The more competitive regions there are, the stronger the pool of prospects becomes.

Take the example of Liaoning Tieren. Historically one of China's football hot-beds, Liaoning faced collapse when the former professional club Liaoning FC was disqualified in 2020 due to wage arrears. Yet the new team in the province has captured the second-tier Chinese Football League 1 title with two rounds to go and gained promotion to the top flight CSL.

Simultaneously, the Liaoning U18 team recently won the U18 competition by defeating their Shandong counterparts at the National Games for the first time in 12 years, conceding zero goals in the tournament. These twin successes in senior and youth levels signal that the province may be staging a comeback as a football talent base. Liaoning has the infrastructure and heritage in terms of football.

Other regional stories are emerging. In the third-tier China League Two, Guangxi Hengchen finished their China League Two campaign with the league title over the weekend, a first for South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It secured their promotion to League 1.

Meanwhile, Wuxi Wugou, a club based in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province, also earned promotion from League Two, setting up a slew of regional derbies within the province alongside clubs like Nantong Zhiyun, Nanjing City and Suzhou Dongwu. The rise of these clubs, built partly on local talent and regional identity, suggests the domestic landscape is broadening.

More competitive regions mean more playing time for young players, less concentration of power, and a wider scouting net for the national team. With China's ambition to raise the standard of domestic football and produce international-caliber players, the expansion of competitive regions is essential.

Historically, the CSL has been dominated by a small number of clubs, with the big money and big cities dictating success, as is the case for Guangzhou. But when clubs from other regions that have not traditionally held sway begin to win promotion, challenge for titles, or build youth systems that perform, the competitive equilibrium shifts.

For decades, provinces like Liaoning, as well as the other U18 finalists Shandong, were vital feeders for the national team, but many provincial systems stagnated amid the professional era's upheavals in the last decade. The return of strength in these systems is a positive sign. The pool of players available for national team selection becomes deeper when more provinces are full participating members of the professional ecosystem.

When regional derbies proliferate, players face meaningful competitive matches, local rivalry adds intensity, and the region's infrastructure strengthens. That has knock-on benefits for national talent: More young players are battle-tested, as is the case for young guns in Jiangsu honing their skills in the amateur but fan-favorite Jiangsu City Football League, more scouting scopes open up beyond the few big clubs, and regional systems can produce players who might otherwise slip through the net.

If the domestic map remains narrow, only clubs from major cities dominate, then the national team effectively draws from a smaller set of talent ecosystems. But if more provinces are competitive, the net widens. That increases the chance of uncovering hidden gems, late-bloomers, or players whose environments are less glamorized but fundamentally strong. For domestic football talent cultivation, this is vital: A wider base leads to better selection, deeper competition, and ultimately a stronger Chinese football ecosystem. That would be good news for the sport, for the fans, and for China's ambition on the international stage.