CFA: Total U21 goals in the three-tier leagues reached 375, with nearly 9 million spectators overall

Reporter Chen Yong reporting On December 5, the CFA published statistics for the top three tiers—CSL, League One, and League Two—where the fan enthusiasm and youth player achievements stood out: U21 players netted 375 goals, and total live attendance reached 8,957,759, with the CSL audience exceeding 6 million for the first time, a landmark for Chinese professional football.

In the CSL, U21 players appeared 554 times, starting 307 matches, with a total playing time of 33,937 minutes; average appearances per game increased by 172% and average playing minutes rose by 238.7% compared to the 2024 season, representing a significant growth.

A total of 61 U21 players participated throughout the season, scoring 35 goals; Zhejiang’s Wang Yudong, born in 2006, ranked eighth in the league’s top scorers with 11 goals and first among domestic players.

In League One, 97 U21 players appeared with a total playing time of 69,888 minutes and scored 53 goals; in League Two, 323 U21 players played a combined 284,999 minutes, scoring 287 goals, accounting for 35.3% of total goals, the highest in the past six seasons.

The combined U21 goals in the three professional tiers reached 375, clearly reflecting the revival of Chinese youth football at this level; additionally, national youth teams have improved: although the 00, 01, and 02 age groups missed the U17 and U20 Asian Cups three times, from the 03 age group onward, all youth teams have fully returned to Asian Cup finals and frequently reached the quarterfinals, getting closer to qualifying for the U17 and U20 World Cups.

The total live attendance for the 2025 season across the three leagues reached 8,957,759, an 18% increase compared to 2024.

The CSL broke through the 6 million mark for the first time, a 32.54% rise over the 4,663,507 spectators in 2024; at the club level, Yingbo led with an average attendance of 58,268, while Guoan and Rongcheng also averaged over 40,000 per game.

League One attracted a total of 1,896,473 spectators, averaging 7,902 per match.

League Two had a total attendance of 880,295, with an average of 2,445 per game.

Regarding event influence, the hashtag #CSL# garnered 10.25 billion views; CCTV broadcasted 62 CSL matches, accumulating 357.1 million viewers, a 16.62% increase year-on-year; CSL’s new media platforms reached a total of 182.7 million views, up 30.21%.

These figures indicate greater commercial value for professional football leagues, especially the CSL, which not only saw nearly a one-third increase this year but is widely expected to grow further in 2026. The overall commercial revenue for the three-tier leagues in 2025 rose by 13% compared to 2024, with CSL commercial income up 10%. It should be noted that the CSL’s market and viewership growth tends to lag in commercial value, so expectations are high for further commercial revenue growth in the 2026 season.

In competition terms, the CSL’s average effective playing time reached 54 minutes and 8 seconds, up from 54 minutes and 1 second in 2024, marking the third consecutive year of steady improvement; League One averaged 52 minutes and 32 seconds, the highest in six seasons; League Two averaged 53 minutes and 53 seconds, also the highest in six seasons.

The CSL scored a total of 771 goals, averaging 3.21 goals per game, a very impressive figure linked to the generally more open tactical style of the league, which has greatly enhanced its appeal to fans.

League One scored 627 goals, averaging 2.61 per game; League Two scored 812 goals, averaging 2.26 per game; comparatively, the lower-tier leagues have fewer goals, indicating a more conservative tactical approach overall.

The CSL’s average total running distance per match (both teams) was 225,602.37 meters, with high-intensity running reaching 17,560.87 meters, showing a clear increase from previous seasons; average successful tackles per game were 20.97, clearances 57.83, and duels 109.48.

Strict discipline was a key theme in the 2025 season for China’s three-tier professional leagues, reflected in the data: the CSL averaged 4.13 yellow cards and 0.22 red cards per match, with a significant drop in red cards; disciplinary actions in the CSL totaled 21, down 16%.

Regarding referees, the 2025 CSL appointed referees 1,680 times, including 8 foreign referees officiating 13 matches and the first female referee serving as the main official in the CSL; the CFA reviewed 193 referee decisions across the three leagues.