Chinese Super League sets attendance record as youth participation rises

BEIJING, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- China's professional football leagues recorded strong attendance growth in 2026, with the Chinese Super League drawing a record 7.096 million spectators and young players making an increasingly significant contribution, a league official said Tuesday.

The CSL averaged 29,567 spectators per match, up 14.8 percent from last season, Yang Xu, vice chairman of the Chinese Professional Football League, said at a press briefing.

The eighth round of fixtures in April attracted more than 307,000 spectators, setting a single-round attendance record, while Beijing Guoan's clash with Shanghai Shenhua in round three drew 64,118 fans to Workers' Stadium, the second-largest crowd in CSL history.

Attendance also rose in the lower divisions, with second-tier China League One drawing 2.194 million spectators, up 15.69 percent year-on-year, while League Two attracted 535,000. Combined attendance across the three men's professional divisions exceeded 9.8 million, including 238,810 away supporters in the CSL.

Women's football also enjoyed increased support. A record 24,193 spectators attended the Women's Super League season opener, the highest attendance for a domestic women's professional league match. Total attendance through 14 rounds reached 298,500, up 64.8 percent from the same period last year.

Yang also highlighted increased opportunities for young players, with 580 players aged under 21 registered across the three men's divisions, accounting for 34.3 percent of domestic registrations, up 5.1 percentage points year-on-year.

In the CSL, U21 player registrations rose 12.7 percent, while their playing time increased 42.9 percent and goals scored climbed 31.4 percent.

In League Two, 320 U21 players accounted for 45.1 percent of registrations and scored 257 goals, roughly one-third of the league's total.

"Young players are accelerating their development through the professional leagues, and a group of outstanding talents have emerged to join national teams at various levels, continuously strengthening the talent pipeline," Yang said.

The trend extended to women's football, where U21 players accounted for 57.5 percent of registrations in the second tier, which had an average player age of 21.6.

Meanwhile, the newly established U20 league registered 1,047 players, with 43 signing professional contracts during the summer transfer window. Of those, 22 moved to other clubs and 21 were promoted to their clubs' first teams.