48 teams to compete in China's professional football leagues in 2023 season

BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Football Association (CFA) and Chinese Football League preparatory group announced on Wednesday that 48 clubs will compete in China's professional leagues in the 2023 season.

China's top three tiers, namely the Chinese Super League (CSL), China League One and China League Two, will each feature 16 clubs in the upcoming season, with eight clubs who competed in last season's professional leagues disqualified due to multiple reasons.

Among the eight clubs, five failed to pay off debts, including CSL side Guangzhou City and second-tier clubs Kunshan FC and Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic. Hebei FC didn't submit the required documents, while Wuhan Yangtze River and Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard withdrew from their respective leagues.

As the transfer window is due to close on April 7, Shi Qiang, head of the preparatory group, said that the group would guarantee the right of players who quit their clubs to continue playing.

"We will look at what has been done in previous years and open another smaller transfer window for these players. In the near future, there will be specific policies for the clubs who quit," said Shi.

According to Guo Bingyan, a senior official from the group, the CSL is preparing for its new season to kick off on April 15. "All related work, including field inspection and league regulations, are in full progress."

"The promotion and relegation rules for the upcoming season are still being worked out, as they will directly affect the scale of the 2024 season," Guo added.