SafekipediaList of Chinese football champions
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
The Chinese football champions show us all the teams that have won the top football league in China since it began in 1951. This league has a rich history, with many exciting moments and talented players.
In 1994, China started a professional football league called the Chinese Jia-A League. After ten years, the league changed its name and became the Chinese Super League. Over the years, many teams have fought to be the best.
Since 1994, there have been 32 seasons of professional football, with 22 of those seasons being part of the Chinese Super League. Two teams stand out as the most successful: Dalian Shide and Guangzhou FC. Both teams have won eight league titles each. Dalian Shide won three titles in a row twice, once from 1996 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2002. Guangzhou FC achieved something even more amazing by winning seven titles consecutively from 2011 to 2017.
List of champions
The top football league in China started in 1951. Over the years, different leagues have been the top competition, with the latest being the Super League which began in 2004.
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
1954 | North East China (2) | South Central China | East China |
1955 | Central Sports Institute | Dalian Shipyards | Locomotive (Railways) |
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
1956 | Beijing Youth B | Shanghai Sports Institute | Shenyang Sports Institute |
1957 | Beijing Youth (2) | Tianjin | August 1st |
1958 | Beijing | Shenyang | Tianjin |
1960 | Tianjin | Liaoning | Shanghai |
1961 | Shanghai | August 1st | Tianjin |
1962 | Shanghai (2) | August 1st | Liaoning |
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
1964 | Beijing Sports Institute | Shanghai | August 1st |
1965 | Jilin | August 1st | Beijing |
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
1973 | Beijing (2) | Shanghai | Liaoning |
1974 | August 1st (2) | Tianjin | Beijing |
1977 | August 1st (3) | Beijing | Guangdong |
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
1978 | Liaoning | August 1st | Beijing |
1979 | Guangdong | Liaoning | August 1st |
1980 | Tianjin (2) | Liaoning | Beijing Army Unit |
1981 | August 1st (4) | Shandong | Beijing |
1982 | Beijing (3) | Shandong | Tianjin |
1984 | Beijing (4) | Tianjin | Liaoning |
1985 | Liaoning Dongyao (2) | August 1st | Dalian Pearl |
1986 | August 1st (5) | Hubei | Beijing |
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liaoning Dongyao (3) | Tianjin Seagull | Shanghai | |
| Liaoning Dongyao (4) | China B | Tianjin Seagull | |
| China B | Liaoning Dongyao | Shenzhou Shanghai | |
| Liaoning Dongyao (5) | August 1st | Dalian Xinghai | |
| Liaoning Dongyao (6) | Shanghai Shenhua | Beijing Shenzhou | |
| Liaoning Dongyao (7) | Guangzhou Baiyun | Dalian Xinghai | |
| Liaoning Dongyao (8) | Guangdong Hongyuan | Beijing Guoan |
Total titles won
All-time (1951–present)
Teams shown in bold are still playing in the top league of Chinese football as of the 2025 season. Clubs in italics are no longer active.
Professional era only (1994–present)
Teams shown in bold are still playing in the top league of Chinese football as of the 2025 season. Clubs in italics are no longer active.
| Club | Champions | Runners-up | Winning seasons | Runners-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liaoning | 8 | 6 | 1978, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 | 1960, 1963, 1979, 1980, 1989, 1999 |
| Guangzhou | 8 | 4 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 | 1992, 1994, 2018, 2020 |
| Dalian Shide | 8 | 0 | 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005 | |
| Bayi | 5 | 6 | 1953, 1974, 1977, 1981, 1986 | 1961, 1962, 1965, 1978, 1985, 1990 |
| Shandong Taishan | 5 | 6 | 1999, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2021 | 1981, 1982, 2004, 2013, 2022, 2023 |
| Shanghai Port | 4 | 3 | 2018, 2023, 2024, 2025 | 2015, 2017, 2021 |
| Beijing | 4 | 1 | 1958, 1973, 1982, 1984 | 1977 |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 3 | 13 | 1961, 1962, 1995 | 1964, 1973, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2024, 2025 |
| Beijing Youth | 3 | 0 | 1956, 1957, 1963 | |
| Tianjin Jinmen Tiger | 2 | 5 | 1960, 1980 | 1957, 1974, 1984, 1987, 2010 |
| North East China | 2 | 1 | 1951, 1954 | 1953 |
| Beijing Guoan | 1 | 5 | 2009 | 1995, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2019 |
| Jiangsu | 1 | 2 | 2020 | 2012, 2016 |
| Guangdong Winnerway | 1 | 1 | 1979 | 1993 |
| China B | 1 | 1 | 1989 | 1988 |
| Shenzhen | 1 | 1 | 2004 | 2002 |
| Changchun Yatai | 1 | 1 | 2007 | 2009 |
| Central Sports Institute | 1 | 0 | 1955 | |
| Beijing Sports Institute | 1 | 0 | 1964 | |
| Yanbian Funde | 1 | 0 | 1965 | |
| Wuhan Three Towns | 1 | 0 | 2022 | |
| East China | 0 | 1 | 1951 | |
| South Central China | 0 | 1 | 1954 | |
| Dalian Shipyards | 0 | 1 | 1955 | |
| Shanghai Sports Institute | 0 | 1 | 1956 | |
| Shenyang | 0 | 1 | 1958 | |
| Hubei | 0 | 1 | 1986 | |
| Beijing Chengfeng | 0 | 1 | 2003 |
| Club | Champions | Runners-up | Winning seasons | Runners-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guangzhou | 8 | 3 | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 | 1994, 2018, 2020 |
| Dalian Shide | 8 | 0 | 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005 | |
| Shandong Taishan | 5 | 4 | 1999, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2021 | 2004, 2013, 2022, 2023 |
| Shanghai Port | 4 | 3 | 2018, 2023, 2024, 2025 | 2015, 2017, 2021 |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 1 | 10 | 1995 | 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2024, 2025 |
| Beijing Guoan | 1 | 5 | 2009 | 1995, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2019 |
| Jiangsu | 1 | 2 | 2020 | 2012, 2016 |
| Shenzhen | 1 | 1 | 2004 | 2002 |
| Changchun Yatai | 1 | 1 | 2007 | 2009 |
| Wuhan Three Towns | 1 | 0 | 2022 | |
| Liaoning | 0 | 1 | 1999 | |
| Beijing Chengfeng | 0 | 1 | 2003 | |
| Tianjin Jinmen Tiger | 0 | 1 | 2010 |
Total titles won by city/town
- Professional era only (1994–present)
| City/Town | Titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Dalian | 8 | Dalian Shide (8) |
| Guangzhou | 8 | Guangzhou (8) |
| Jinan | 5 | Shandong Taishan (5) |
| Shanghai | 5 | Shanghai Port (4), Shanghai Shenhua (1) |
| Beijing | 1 | Beijing Guoan (1) |
| Changchun | 1 | Changchun Yatai (1) |
| Shenzhen | 1 | Shenzhen (1) |
| Nanjing | 1 | Jiangsu (1) |
| Wuhan | 1 | Wuhan Three Towns (1) |
Total titles won by region
This section shows the number of championship wins by different areas, but only counting the years from 1994 to now when the league became professional.
| Region | Titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| East | 11 | Shandong Taishan (5), Shanghai Port (4), Shanghai Shenhua (1), Jiangsu (1) |
| South Central | 10 | Guangzhou (8), Shenzhen (1), Wuhan Three Towns (1) |
| Northeast | 9 | Dalian Shide (8), Changchun Yatai (1) |
| North | 1 | Beijing Guoan (1) |
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on List of Chinese football champions, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.