The 2026 Chinese Super League is right around the corner, but which teams will contest the top tier of Chinese football this season?
The league season begins on March 6th in China, and the Chinese Super League will look quite different to begin with, thanks to the sweeping punishments made during the off-season.
Nine of the 16 teams in the league have been handed points deductions for historic infractions, including gambling, match fixing, and general corruption – meaning the starting order of the league will not be alphabetical as is usually the case.
But who are the first eight teams set to contest the league this season? Where did they finish the 2025 season, and how many points have been deducted from them to start the year?
Shanghai Port
Champions of three consecutive domestic titles, Shanghai Port will be looking to make it four in a row in 2026. This will be made challenging, however, as the club will begin the season on -5 points – giving some of their title rivals a head start.
The red side of Shanghai retains a strong core group, who have been involved in all three of their recent league successes, but have made some notable signings this offseason to continue strengthening.
Hong Kong international forward Matt Orr has joined from Shenzhen Peng City, while 20-year-old right back Yang Xi (also known as Alex Yang) has joined from Qingdao West Coast.
The club have brought in a couple of new import players in the form of Togo midfielder Jean Claude, on loan from Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos, and Brazilian winger Gabrielzinho from Moreirense.
They may be starting on the back foot, but the strength of Port’s squad should see them competing for the title once again and eliminating their points deficit early on.
Last Season: 1st
Points Deducted: 5
Shanghai Shenhua
Shanghai Port’s biggest rivals and closest title challenger in the 2025 season, Shanghai Shenhua, have a tall order to overcome to come anywhere close to challenging this time around.
The blue half of China’s largest city will begin this campaign with the largest points deduction of all teams, starting on -10 for their historic infractions.
The one reassurance that Shenhua fans have is the fact that the team has a strong foundation and hasn’t needed to make too many changes, giving them hope that positive results could overturn their misfortune.
Ma Zhen looks set to take the reins as the starting goalkeeper, having impressed on loan for Yunnan Yukun last season, while centre back Yang Shuai has joined from Chengdu Rongcheng to provide depth and options alongside Zhu Chenjie and Jiang Shenglong.
Two new import players have arrived this offseason, in the form of Brazilian winger Rafael Ratão, who joins after a strong season playing for Japanese club Cerezo Osaka, where he scored 18 goals in 36 J1 League games.
Senegalese forward Makhtar Gueye has also joined the club after spending the last season-and-a-half with English Championship side Blackburn Rovers. With a strong squad and new additions, Shenhua will be hoping to push as close to the top as possible after erasing their hefty deficit.
Last Season: 2nd
Points Deducted: 10
Chengdu Rongcheng
Chengdu Rongcheng enter the 2026 Chinese Super League season as early favourites for the title, thanks largely to their previous two seasons, where they finished third both times, as well as the fact that they did not receive any points deduction.
This gives Chengdu a head start over Shanghai Port and Shanghai Shenhua, the only two teams to do better over the past two campaigns.
Chengdu has worked hard to add some quality new additions to their roster, taking a leaf out of Shanghai Port’s book, quite literally, by bringing in Hong Kong international right back Alex Jojo and Brazilian defensive midfielder Matheus Jussa from the reigning champions.
The signings haven’t stopped there, as talented young China Under-23 international centre back He Yiran has joined from Changchun Yatai, his fellow international striker Behram Abduweli arrived from Shenzhen Peng City, and experienced forward Wang Ziming moved from Beijing Guoan.
Russian centre back Igor Sorokin has joined from Kairat Almaty, and Brazilian winger Wellington Silva signed from Qingdao Hainiu. With these new faces, coupled with their early points advantage, Chengdu will be hoping to stake a claim for their first-ever piece of silverware.
Last Season: 3rd
Points Deducted: 0
Beijing Guoan
Beijing Guoan has suffered a fate similar to Shanghai Port, being deducted five points ahead of the start of the 2026 season.
Another club with a strong foundation, Beijing has brought in several new faces to provide depth and competition throughout the squad. Right back Abduhamit Abdugheni and defensive midfielder Wang Yu have arrived from the recently relegated Changchun Yatai, while Hong Kong international right back Yue Tze-Nam (known as Ru Zinan in Mandarin) has moved to the capital city from Meizhou Hakka.
Multiple other transfers have been made, but predominantly from clubs in the lower leagues and younger players who may develop further down the road.
Beijing has brought in a couple of new import players, including Portuguese centre back Gui Ramos from German club Hamburger SV and French winger Béni Nkololo, who arrives from Greek club Panetolikos GFS.
The club is unlikely to win the title, with their five-point early deficit, but they will be hoping to make a real challenge and hope for some upsets to push them close towards the top after finishing fourth last time out.
Last Season: 4th
Points Deducted: 5
Shandong Taishan
Shandong Taishan begins the 2026 Chinese Super League season in a worse position than Shanghai Port and Beijing Guoan, suffering a six-point deduction.
The club has also made very few changes, with many players returning from loan spells, players in the B team being promoted, and just one import signing in the form of Portuguese centre-back Pedro Álvaro, arriving from Greek side Aris Thessaloniki.
With the points deficit and few signings made, it’s difficult to project Shandong’s ultimate potential, and last season’s fifth-place finish may be the very best the club could hope for in 2026.
Had Kurt Zouma’s fitness not been an issue, perhaps he could’ve given the club more to build on, but that is not the case, and simply reaching the top five will be viewed as a success this year.
Last Season: 5th
Points Deducted: 6
Tianjin Jinmen Tiger
Handed the joint-most points deduction in the league, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger face a tall order to do better than last season’s sixth-place finish.
Ten points will see the club rooted to the bottom of the league and require at least three wins and a draw to set the club back to zero. From there, Tianjin can work on achieving the best result possible, but hopes of reaching the top five are likely out of reach, barring any shock collapses.
The club has made a number of new import signings this winter, bringing in Brazilian forward Guilherme Schettine from Moreirense, Spanish midfielder Jaume Grau from Avs Futebol, and Spanish centre back Aitor Córdoba from Burgos CF.
Last Season: 6th
Points Deducted: 10
Zhejiang
Zhejiang FC is another club slapped with a five-point deduction this season. After finishing seventh last season, the hope will be that the deduction won’t be enough to prevent the club from pushing for another top-half finish.
The team has strengthened in different areas, bringing in South Korean centre back Park Jin-seob from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Croatian attacking midfielder Marko Tolic from Slovan Bratislava, and Chinese winger Fang Hao, who arrives from Beijing Guoan.
The club has seen some turnover, with players such as Dong Yu, Leung Nok-Hang, Franko Adrijasevic, and Jean Evrard Kouassi all moving on to pastures new.
Replicating last year’s finish may be the goal, considering the points deduction, and 2026 could be one of transition for Zhejiang as the club looks to build a new look for the long-term future.
Last Season: 7th
Points Deducted: 5
Yunnan Yukun
Yunnan had a very respectable finish in 2025 and is looking to take advantage of not receiving any points deduction this time around.
The club have made a whole host of signings to strengthen across the squad, looking to mount a challenge for a place further up the standings.
With goalkeeper Ma Zhen returning to Shanghai Shenhua, the club has brought in Bao Yaxiong (from Shenhua) and Wang Zhifeng from Changchun Yatai to strengthen between the sticks.
In defence, Yunnan have signed experienced centre back Shi Ke from Shandong Taishan and brought in left back Yang Zihao from Tianjin Jinmen Tiger. Right backs Deng Hanwen and Chen Yuhao have also arrived from Wuhan Three Towns, providing depth and competition along the back line.
Midfielder Xu Xin has joined from Shanghai Port, winger Huang Zichang from Henan, and even striker Fei Ernanduo has joined the club from Shanghai Shenhua.
Two import signings the club has made are Brazilians Caio Vinicius and Cléber, who play as da efensive midfielder and striker, respectively.
The new additions should see Yunnan be a real wildcard this year, particularly with the points deductions affecting so many. This could be a positive year for the club and their best chance to cause a few upsets along the way.
Last Season: 8th
Points Deducted: 0