Chinese Super League clubs are now required by the Chinese Football Association to establish a women’s soccer team in order to participate in the upcoming season, start date to be determined.
“This women’s team should take part in the Chinese Women’s Super League or the second- and third-tier league,” Xinhua News Agency reported.
A similar requirement was implemented during the 2019 season, when the CSL had 16 teams. It now has 18, though four folded over the last four seasons.
In October, the General Administration of Sport — China’s national sports agency — announced ambitions to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2031.
China is the current AFC Women’s Asian Cup Champion, a title the country has won nine times since 1986. Its women’s team is ranked 14th in the world and will participate in the Women’s World Cup later this year.
Earlier this week, the CSL renewed its title sponsorship agreement with insurance company Ping An in a reported one-season, $14.7 million deal. Ping An has been the title sponsor of the league since 2014.
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