The speculation about the booming market in the Chinese Super League: When will the two attendance records be broken?

Reporter Chen Yong reports After the beginning of autumn, the scorching heat prevails across the country, yet the recent market for the Chinese Super League continues to thrive: Following the 10th round, which set the record for the second highest single-round attendance in history, the 17th, 19th, and 20th rounds have consecutively reset the record for the third highest single-round attendance. However, the record of 265,539 attendees in a single round remains unbroken to this day.

In terms of single-match attendance records, after the 17th round saw two matches simultaneously surpass 60,000 for the first time in history, the 20th round again featured two matches exceeding 60,000 attendees. Thus, all top 10 single-match attendance records in the Chinese Super League have surpassed 60,000, whereas before the 2025 season, only one match had a single-match attendance over 60,000, which remains the record—65,769 attendees.

So, when will the single-match attendance record and the single-round attendance record be broken?

In the 20th round of the Chinese Super League, 60,031 fans attended the match between Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Port, setting a new single-match attendance record in Shanghai football history and entering the top 10 for single-match attendance in the league. Similarly, in this round, 61,611 fans watched the match between Dalian Yifang and Chengdu Rongcheng, setting a new attendance record for Dalian's Suoyu Bay Stadium and breaking the record for the third highest single-match attendance in history.

As a result, all matches in the top 10 single-match attendance records in the Chinese Super League have surpassed 60,000, with records for positions 2 to 9 all created in this season. The highest single-match attendance record is 65,769, set by Jiangsu Suning at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center in the 2nd round of 2016, against Guangzhou Evergrande.

Regarding the single-round attendance records, in this season's 10th round, 257,724 attendees broke the record for the second highest single-round attendance in history; the 17th round saw 244,693 attendees break the record for the third highest; the 19th round had 250,463 attendees again breaking the third highest record; and the 20th round with 254,029 attendees reset the third highest record for the third time.

The single-round attendance record was also set in the 2nd round of 2016, with 265,539 attendees.

In comparison, breaking the season attendance record has become inevitable, especially as the enthusiasm of Chinese Super League fans continues to grow, indicating that records will not only be broken but may even see significant increases.

The booming market of the Chinese Super League is crucial for the development of professional football in China, as it signifies the protection of existing sponsors' interests and enhances the appeal of the Chinese professional football league to potential sponsors. Of course, for the Chinese Football Association, various measures are still needed for commercial promotion; in fact, from the perspective of the league's management, commercial development is its most core task.

First, looking at the single-match attendance record, the record of 65,769 is indeed very difficult to break. For instance, professional stadiums like Dalian Suoyu Bay Stadium and Chengdu Wuliangye Cultural Sports Center do not have enough seating capacity to reach this number, making it impossible to break this record.

The Beijing Workers' Stadium has a seating capacity of 68,000, theoretically capable of breaking the record, but in practice, it is very challenging due to the need for a buffer zone between the home and away stands. However, if the goal is solely to break the record through extreme testing, it is not outside the realm of possibility.

Currently, Shanghai Stadium is the most likely venue to break this record. The renovated Shanghai Stadium can accommodate 72,000 spectators, and if extreme testing is conducted during a key match, breaking the attendance record is within reach. In terms of scheduling, the match between Shanghai Shenhua and Chengdu Rongcheng on September 21 could be a crucial battle. Considering the title race, the 28th and 29th rounds at home also have a certain possibility.

Now, looking at the single-round attendance record, breaking 265,539 attendees is relatively easier. For example, the 10th round of the Chinese Super League is only 7,815 attendees short of the record, and in this round, both Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua played as away teams.

The key to breaking this record lies in having at least three of the four teams—Shanghai Shenhua, Beijing Guoan, Dalian Yifang, and Chengdu Rongcheng—play at home simultaneously. In the last 10 rounds, only in the 24th round did Chengdu Rongcheng, Shanghai Shenhua, and Dalian Yifang all play at home. Additionally, in the 26th round of the Chinese Super League, although only Shanghai Shenhua and Beijing Guoan played at home, clubs like Shandong Taishan, Zhejiang, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, Shenzhen New Pegasus, and Shanghai Port also have relatively high attendance, indicating that there is still hope for breaking the record.

What we can be sure of is that even if the single-round attendance record is broken in the 2025 season, with the arrival of the 2026 season, the market will become even more frenzied, and the single-round attendance record will inevitably be refreshed, with the key being the two teams likely to be promoted: Liaoning Steelman and Chongqing Tonglianglong.

Currently, Liaoning Steelman leads the third place by 14 points, and Chongqing Tonglianglong leads by 10 points, making the promotion suspense minimal. In the 2026 season, Chongqing Tonglianglong is likely to relocate its home ground to Chongqing Longxing Football Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 60,000, potentially contributing over 50,000 attendees. Liaoning Steelman's home ground, Tiexin Stadium, has been renovated to accommodate over 40,000, with recent home attendances consistently above 38,000, peaking at 39,868.

In the 2026 season, just the two promoted teams could likely reach over 100,000 in attendance, which will further elevate the single-round attendance record and overall attendance figures in the Chinese Super League.