Professional League Admission: After the "Debt Settlement" Comes the "Review Stage"

Reporter Chen Yong reports On the evening of December 26, the CFA League released the second batch list of nine clubs that have cleared their debts for the 2026 season admission. Among the ten clubs excluded from the initial list, including Beijing Guoan, Qingdao West Coast, and Qingdao Hainiu, only Guangxi Pingguo Football Club was missing, indicating that Guangxi Pingguo has lost its qualification for admission.

However, looking back at the 2025 season admission review, all clubs were listed as having completed debt settlement, yet three clubs — Cangzhou Mighty Lions, Guangzhou, and Hunan Xiangtao — ultimately failed to gain league admission. This shows that the post-announcement review is also a significant hurdle for admission.

The second batch of debt clearance announcements did not include Guangxi Pingguo Football Club, which means they will lose their eligibility for the 2026 professional league season. The CFA League officially concluded in its announcement: "Guangxi Pingguo Football Club did not meet the debt settlement requirements and failed the 2026 professional league admission review."

In an additional statement, the CFA League also emphasized: "The CFA League will strictly scrutinize the admission materials submitted by each club. Only clubs that pass both the first and second batches of debt clearance announcements and other admission material reviews will be granted eligibility for all levels of the 2026 professional leagues."

Of course, clubs on the list of completed debt settlement are not guaranteed admission. On one hand, the CFA League will rigorously examine all submitted admission documents; on the other hand, if any creditors object to clubs listed in the first article of this notice, they may submit relevant evidence to the CFA League during the announcement period, and the CFA League will address these matters promptly based on the materials received.

The announcement period for this second batch runs from December 29 to 31, 2025, while the previous first batch announcement period was from December 19 to 23 (with December 20 and 21 being non-working days).

With Guangxi Pingguo confirmed to be ineligible, according to regulations, Hubei Youth Star will be promoted back to China League Two. Regarding the replacement rules for relegated China League One teams, the CFA League’s published "Principles and Procedures for Replacement of Participation Qualifications in Chinese Football Professional Leagues" clearly states: "If a relegated club loses eligibility for the lower league due to failure to meet admission requirements or other reasons, vacancies will be filled by clubs relegated in the previous season who meet admission criteria, in order of their league rankings."

For the 2026 season, the three-tier professional leagues will include a total of 51 clubs with 56 teams: 16 clubs in the Chinese Super League, 16 clubs in China League One, and 19 clubs plus 5 Chinese Super League B teams in China League Two. Additionally, there are 3 relegated China League Two clubs with replacement qualifications and 5 clubs from the Chinese Champions League also holding China League Two replacement eligibility.

So far, only one of the 51 professional clubs has withdrawn, which seems relatively stable. However, the CFA League’s promise of "strict review" is more than just words: for the 2025 season admission, two batches of debt clearance lists were announced, and clubs like Cangzhou Mighty Lions, Guangzhou, and Hunan Xiangtao appeared in the second batch, yet none of these three ultimately gained league admission.

The main reason these three clubs failed to gain admission was due to player wage arrears complaints. After the Chinese Football Association accepted the complaints, it notified the clubs and gave them time to resolve the issues, but the clubs did not manage to do so. Consequently, the CFA League revoked their admission qualifications according to regulations.

Being granted admission does not mean a club is free from wage arrears. In fact, some clubs still have outstanding wage issues. However, this does not necessarily prevent admission; instead, clubs need to negotiate and sign agreements with creditors to defer debt resolution, and these agreements must be filed with the CFA League. The CFA League will then monitor the implementation of these agreements going forward.