# 2012 Chinese Super League

The 2012 Chinese Super League was the ninth season since the establishment of the Chinese Super League, the nineteenth season of a professional football league and the 51st top-tier league season in China. It began on March 10, 2012 and ended on November 3, 2012.
The matches that were intended to be held on September 15 and 16, 2012 were suspended for a later date due to an international dispute between China and Japan over the Senkaku Islands. With Hangzhou Greentown having a Japanese manager and several Chinese demonstrations arising throughout China it was decided that the September 23, 2012 match against Liaoning Whowin should be played behind closed doors with the Xianghe National Football Training Base used as a neutral venue.

## Promotion and relegation

Teams promoted from 2011 China League One
* Dalian Aerbin
* Guangzhou R&F
Teams relegated to 2012 China League One
* Chengdu Blades
* Shenzhen Ruby

## Teams
### Clubs and locations

| Club | Head coach | City | Stadium | Capacity | 2011 season | Jersey sponsor |
| Beijing Guoan | Jaime Pacheco | Beijing | Workers' Stadium | 66,161 | 2nd | China CITIC Bank |
| Changchun Yatai | Svetozar Šapurić | Changchun | Development Area Stadium | 25,000 | 7th | Bank of Jilin |
| Dalian Aerbin | Aleksandar Stanojević | Dalian | Jinzhou Stadium | 30,775 | CL1, 1st | Shangpintang |
| Dalian Shide | Nelo Vingada | Dalian | Jinzhou Stadium | 30,775 | 12th | Bank of Dalian |
| Guangzhou Evergrande | Marcello Lippi | Guangzhou | Tianhe Stadium | 60,151 | 1st | Evergrande Group |
| Guangzhou R&F | Sérgio Farias | Guangzhou | Yuexiushan Stadium | 30,000 | CL1, 2nd | R&F Properties |
| Guizhou Moutai | Gao Hongbo | Guiyang | Guiyang Olympic Sports Center | 51,636 | 9th | Maotai |
| Hangzhou Greentown | Takeshi Okada | Hangzhou | Huanglong Sports Center | 52,672 | 8th | Daikin |
| Henan Jianye | Shen Xiangfu | Zhengzhou | Hanghai Stadium | 29,860 | 13th | Central China Real Estate Limited |
| Jiangsu Sainty | Dragan Okuka | Nanjing | Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre | 61,443 | 4th | Guoxin Properties |
| Liaoning Whowin | Ma Lin | Shenyang | Tiexi New District Sports Center | 30,000 | 3rd | Whowin Group |
| Qingdao Jonoon | Chang Woe-ryong | Qingdao | Qingdao Tiantai Stadium | 20,525 | 6th | Hisense |
| Shandong Luneng | Wu Jingui (caretaker) | Jinan | Shandong Provincial Stadium | 43,700 | 5th | Yingda Stock |
| Shanghai Shenhua | Sergio Batista | Shanghai | Hongkou Football Stadium | 33,060 | 11th | Firefall |
| Shanghai Shenxin | Zhu Jiong | Shanghai | Jinshan Sports Centre | 30,000 | 14th | Bank of Shanghai |
| Tianjin TEDA | Alexandre Guimarães | Tianjin | TEDA Soccer Stadium | 37,450 | 10th | Master Kong |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Guangzhou R&F | Li Shubin | Sacked | Pre-season | N/A | Sérgio Farias | Pre-season |
| Changchun Yatai | Shen Xiangfu | Resigned | Pre-season | N/A | Svetozar Šapurić | Pre-season |
| Dalian Aerbin | Aleksandar Stankov | Sacked | Pre-season | N/A | Chang Woe-ryong | Pre-season |
| Henan Jianye | Jo Bonfrère | Mutual consent | Pre-season | N/A | Jan Versleijen | Pre-season |
| Hangzhou Greentown | Wu Jingui | Resigned | Pre-season | N/A | Takeshi Okada | Pre-season |
| Shandong Luneng | Manuel Barbosa | End of contract | Pre-season | N/A | Henk ten Cate | Pre-season |
| Shanghai Shenhua | Dražen Besek | End of contract | Pre-season | N/A | Jean Tigana | Pre-season |
| Tianjin TEDA | Arie Haan | End of contract | Pre-season | N/A | Josip Kuže | Pre-season |
| Qingdao Jonoon | Chang Woe-ryong | End of contract | Pre-season | N/A | Blaž Slišković | Pre-season |
| Qingdao Jonoon | Blaž Slišković | FIFA Arbitration | 13 March 2012 | 10th | Yang Weijian (caretaker) | 13 March 2012 |
| Dalian Aerbin | Chang Woe-ryong | Resigned | 3 April 2012 | 15th | Aleksandar Stanojević | 4 April 2012 |
| Shanghai Shenhua | Jean Tigana | Resigned | 26 April 2012 | 10th | Florent Ibengé (caretaker) | 26 April 2012 |
| Guangzhou Evergrande | Lee Jang-soo | Sacked | 17 May 2012 | 1st | Marcello Lippi | 17 May 2012 |
| Qingdao Jonoon | Yang Weijian (caretaker) | – | 24 May 2012 | 16th | Chang Woe-ryong | 24 May 2012 |
| Tianjin TEDA | Josip Kuže | Sacked | 28 May 2012 | 11th | Alexandre Guimarães | 1 June 2012 |
| Shanghai Shenhua | Florent Ibengé (caretaker) | – | 30 May 2012 | 9th | Sergio Batista | 30 May 2012 |
| Henan Jianye | Jan Versleijen | Sacked | 15 July 2012 | 16th | Shen Xiangfu | 15 July 2012 |
| Shandong Luneng | Henk ten Cate | Resigned | 6 September 2012 | 12th | Wu Jingui (caretaker) | 6 September 2012 |

### Foreign players

The number of foreign players is restricted to five per CSL team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries. A team can use four foreign players on the field in each game, including at least one player from the AFC country. Players from Hong Kong, Macau and Chinese Taipei are deemed to be native players in CSL.
* Players name in bold indicates the player was registered during the mid-season transfer window.
* Players in italics were out of the squad or left the club within the season, after the pre-season transfer window, or in the mid-season transfer window, and at least had one appearance.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | AFC player | Additional players | Former players |
| Beijing Guoan | Reinaldo | Darko Matić | Joffre Guerrón | Frédéric Kanouté | | | Manú François Andrija Kaluđerović |
| Changchun Yatai | Kassio | Weldon | Marquinhos | Edixon Perea | Anzur Ismailov | | John Mosquera Marko Ljubinković |
| Dalian Aerbin | Fábio Rochemback | Lee Addy | Seydou Keita | Peter Utaka | Daniel Mullen | | Mile Sterjovski Gustavo Canales |
| Dalian Shide | Adriano | Martin Kamburov | Ricardo Esteves | James Chamanga | Park Dong-hyuk | | |
| Guangzhou Evergrande | Darío Conca | Cléo | Muriqui | Paulão | Cho Won-hee | Lucas Barrios Kim Young-gwon | |
| Guangzhou R&F | Davi | Jumar | Rafael Coelho | Yakubu | Rostyn Griffiths | | Leonardo |
| Guizhou Moutai | Zlatan Muslimović | Nano | Rafa Jordà | Rubén Suárez | Dino Djulbic | | Gustavo Rodas |
| Hangzhou Greentown | Fabrício | Mazola | Renatinho | Jeong Dong-ho | Kim Dong-jin | | |
| Henan Jianye | Adaílton | Leandro Netto | Christopher Katongo | Isaac Chansa | Son Seung-joon | | Marcos Flores Enis Hajri |
| Jiangsu Sainty | Sergey Krivets | Eleílson | Cristian Dănălache | Aleksandar Jevtić | Kamoliddin Tajiev | | Miljan Mrdaković |
| Liaoning Whowin | Pablo Brandán | Vlatko Grozdanoski | Miloš Trifunović | | Kim Yoo-jin | | |
| Qingdao Jonoon | Bruno Meneghel | Léo San | Gabriel Melkam | | Aziz Ibragimov | | Krunoslav Lovrek |
| Shandong Luneng | Leonardo Pisculichi | Gilberto Macena | Simão Mate Junior | José Ortigoza | Roda Antar | | Fabiano Obina |
| Shanghai Shenhua | Moisés Moura | Giovanni Moreno | Nicolas Anelka | Didier Drogba | Joel Griffiths | | Mario Božić Mathieu Manset |
| Shanghai Shenxin | Anselmo | Antônio Flávio | Jaílton Paraíba | Johnny | Jonas Salley | | |
| Tianjin TEDA | Vladimir Jovančić | Veliče Šumulikoski | Sjoerd Ars | Lucian Goian | Milan Susak | | Akpo Sodje |
* ^1 Specially, Guangzhou Evergrande can use seven foreign players since June 2012, for it is the only team still active at 2012 AFC Champions League.

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Guangzhou Evergrande (C) | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 51 | 30 | +21 | 58 | 2013 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Jiangsu Sainty | 30 | 14 | 12 | 4 | 49 | 29 | +20 | 54 | 2013 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 3 | Beijing Guoan | 30 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 34 | 35 | −1 | 48 | 2013 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 4 | Guizhou Moutai | 30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 45 | 2013 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 5 | Dalian Aerbin | 30 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 51 | 46 | +5 | 44 | |
| 6 | Changchun Yatai | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 37 | 40 | −3 | 44 | |
| 7 | Guangzhou R&F | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 47 | 49 | −2 | 42 | |
| 8 | Tianjin TEDA | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 29 | 30 | −1 | 40 | |
| 9 | Shanghai Shenhua | 30 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 39 | 34 | +5 | 38 | |
| 10 | Liaoning Whowin | 30 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 40 | 41 | −1 | 36 | |
| 11 | Hangzhou Greentown | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 34 | 46 | −12 | 36 | |
| 12 | Shandong Luneng | 30 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 46 | 43 | +3 | 36 | |
| 13 | Qingdao Jonoon | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 26 | 34 | −8 | 36 | |
| 14 | Dalian Shide (D, R) | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 39 | 49 | −10 | 34 | Disbanded after season |
| 15 | Shanghai Shenxin | 30 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 36 | 35 | +1 | 30 | |
| 16 | Henan Jianye (R) | 30 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 28 | 56 | −28 | 26 | Relegation to China League One |
* ↑ Guizhou Moutai qualified for the 2013 AFC Champions League because league champions Guangzhou Evergrande also won the 2012 Chinese FA Cup.
* 1 2 Dalian 1–2 Changchun; Changchun 1–2 Dalian
* 1 2 3 4 Liaoning, 10pts; Hangzhou, 9pts; Shandong, 6pts, GF=4, GA=5; Qingdao, 6pts, GF=4, GA=5
* ↑ On 30 November 2012, Dalian Shide were acquisited by Aerbin Group and merged into Dalian Aerbin after their owner was arrested.

## Positions by round

| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| Guangzhou Evergrande | 3 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jiangsu Sainty | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Beijing Guoan | 16 | 9 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Guizhou Moutai | 5 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Dalian Aerbin | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 |
| Changchun Yatai | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Guangzhou R&F | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Tianjin TEDA | 6 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 8 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 |
| Liaoning Whowin | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 10 |
| Hangzhou Greentown | 9 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
| Shandong Luneng | 12 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 |
| Qingdao Jonoon | 10 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 13 |
| Dalian Shide | 13 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 |
| Shanghai Shenxin | 11 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Henan Jianye | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
* Leader and qualification to AFC Champions League group stage
* Qualification to AFC Champions League group stage
* Relegation to League One
* Disbanded after season

## Results

| Home \ Away | BJ | CC | DLA | DL | GZ | GZR | GZM | HZ | HN | JS | LN | QD | SD | SH | SSX | TJ |
| Beijing Guoan | | 0–4 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| Changchun Yatai | 0–1 | | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Dalian Aerbin | 3–1 | 1–2 | | 3–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Dalian Shide | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | | 3–1 | 4–1 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 4–1 |
| Guangzhou Evergrande | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Guangzhou R&F | 3–1 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 |
| Guizhou Moutai | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | | 5–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Hangzhou Greentown | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Henan Jianye | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 0–2 |
| Jiangsu Sainty | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 5–1 | | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 |
| Liaoning Whowin | 0–0 | 3–3 | 5–3 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 |
| Qingdao Jonoon | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Shandong Luneng | 4–0 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 3–3 | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| Shanghai Shenhua | 3–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Shanghai Shenxin | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 0–1 |
| Tianjin TEDA | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | |

## Goalscorers
### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Cristian Dănălache | Jiangsu Sainty | 23 |
| 2 | Peter Utaka | Dalian Aerbin | 20 |
| 3 | Rafael Coelho | Guangzhou R&F | 14 |
| 4 | Anselmo | Shanghai Shenxin | 13 |
| 4 | Sjoerd Ars | Tianjin TEDA | 13 |
| 6 | Zlatan Muslimović | Guizhou Moutai | 12 |
| 6 | Muriqui | Guangzhou Evergrande | 12 |
| 8 | Darío Conca | Guangzhou Evergrande | 10 |
| 8 | Gilberto Macena | Shandong Luneng | 10 |
| 8 | Martin Kamburov | Dalian Shide | 10 |
| 8 | Wang Yongpo | Shandong Luneng | 10 |
| 8 | James Chamanga | Dalian Shide | 10 |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Cristian Dănălache | Jiangsu Sainty | Henan Jianye | 5–1 | 28 April 2012 |
| James Chamanga | Dalian Shide | Tianjin TEDA | 4–1 | 6 May 2012 |
| Rafael Coelho | Guangzhou R&F | Changchun Yatai | 5–1 | 27 May 2012 |
| Muriqui | Guangzhou Evergrande | Jiangsu Sainty | 5–1 | 17 June 2012 |
| Peter Utaka | Dalian Aerbin | Shandong Luneng | 5–2 | 21 July 2012 |
| Cristian Dănălache | Jiangsu Sainty | Shandong Luneng | 3–3 | 5 August 2012 |
| Miloš Trifunović | Liaoning Whowin | Hangzhou Greentown | 4–0 | 23 September 2012 |

## Awards

* Chinese Football Association Footballer of the Year: Cristian Dănălache (Jiangsu Sainty)
* Chinese Super League Golden Boot Winner: Cristian Dănălache (Jiangsu Sainty)
* Chinese Super League Domestic Golden Boot Award: Wang Yongpo (Shandong Luneng)
* Chinese Football Association Goalkeeper of the Year: Deng Xiaofei (Jiangsu Sainty)
* Chinese Football Association Young Player of the Year: Zhang Xizhe (Beijing Guoan)
* Chinese Football Association Manager of the Year: Dragan Okuka (Jiangsu Sainty)
* Chinese Football Association Referee of the Year: Tan Hai (Beijing)
* Chinese Super League Fair Play Award: Hangzhou Greentown, Jiangsu Sainty, Shandong Luneng
* Chinese Super League Team of the Year (442):
** GK Deng Xiaofei (Jiangsu Sainty)
** DF Sun Xiang (Guangzhou Evergrande), Du Wei (Shandong Luneng), Dino Djulbic (Guizhou Moutai), Zheng Zheng (Shandong Luneng)
** MF Yu Hanchao (Liaoning Whowin), Zheng Zhi (Guangzhou Evergrande), Darío Conca (Guangzhou Evergrande), Wang Yongpo (Shandong Luneng)
** FW Cristian Dănălache (Jiangsu Sainty), Gao Lin (Guangzhou Evergrande)

## Attendance
### League attendance

| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 558,743 | 39,997 | 31,295 | 37,250 | −18.4%$^†$ |
| 2 | Beijing Guoan | 553,179 | 51,795 | 21,909 | 36,879 | −8.7%$^†$ |
| 3 | Jiangsu Sainty | 467,446 | 65,769 | 20,953 | 31,163 | +81.5%$^†$ |
| 4 | Guizhou Moutai | 443,615 | 52,888 | 20,012 | 29,574 | +6.2%$^†$ |
| 5 | Shandong Luneng | 302,224 | 33,453 | 10,783 | 20,148 | +66.3%$^†$ |
| 6 | Liaoning Whowin | 279,577 | 27,823 | 0 | 18,638 | −5.0%$^†$ |
| 7 | Henan Jianye | 262,884 | 24,086 | 11,557 | 17,526 | +7.3%$^†$ |
| 8 | Dalian Aerbin | 236,603 | 25,791 | 7,954 | 15,774 | n/a$^†$ |
| 9 | Shanghai Shenhua | 221,419 | 24,635 | 8,236 | 14,761 | +50.2%$^†$ |
| 10 | Tianjin TEDA | 212,622 | 35,868 | 6,485 | 14,175 | −22.3%$^†$ |
| 11 | Changchun Yatai | 190,516 | 21,365 | 10,125 | 12,701 | −8.2%$^†$ |
| 12 | Shanghai Shenxin | 173,958 | 18,060 | 3,950 | 11,597 | +10.8%$^†$ |
| 13 | Dalian Shide | 166,388 | 28,921 | 5,219 | 11,093 | −35.3%$^†$ |
| 14 | Hangzhou Greentown | 158,443 | 20,073 | 4,396 | 10,563 | +23.0%$^†$ |
| 15 | Qingdao Jonoon | 143,068 | 15,195 | 6,098 | 9,538 | +12.7%$^†$ |
| 16 | Guangzhou R&F | 126,893 | 19,217 | 4,344 | 8,460 | n/a$^†$ |
| | League total | 4,497,578 | 65,769 | 0 | 18,740 | +6.2%$^†$ |
Updated to games played on 3 November 2012 Source: CSL data (in Chinese) Notes: $^†$ Teams played previous season in CL1.

### Top 10 attendances

| Attendance | Round | Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Weekday | Time of Day |
| 65,769 | 28 | 20 October 2012 | Jiangsu Sainty | 1–1 | Guangzhou Evergrande | Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre | Saturday | Night |
| 52,888 | 20 | 4 August 2012 | Guizhou Moutai | 2–1 | Guangzhou Evergrande | Guiyang Olympic Sports Center | Saturday | Night |
| 52,836 | 29 | 27 October 2012 | Jiangsu Sainty | 0–0 | Beijing Guoan | Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre | Saturday | Afternoon |
| 51,983 | 1 | 10 March 2012 | Guizhou Moutai | 2–1 | Shandong Luneng | Guiyang Olympic Sports Center | Saturday | Night |
| 51,795 | 2 | 16 March 2012 | Beijing Guoan | 3–2 | Shanghai Shenhua | Workers' Stadium | Friday | Night |
| 42,668 | 16 | 7 July 2012 | Beijing Guoan | 1–0 | Guangzhou R&F | Workers' Stadium | Saturday | Night |
| 42,241 | 4 | 2 April 2012 | Guizhou Moutai | 1–2 | Henan Jianye | Guiyang Olympic Sports Center | Monday | Afternoon |
| 41,287 | 6 | 13 April 2012 | Beijing Guoan | 2–1 | Shandong Luneng | Workers' Stadium | Friday | Night |
| 39,997 | 19 | 28 July 2012 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 2–2 | Shanghai Shenhua | Tianhe Stadium | Saturday | Night |
| 39,991 | 17 | 15 July 2012 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 0–1 | Guangzhou R&F | Tianhe Stadium | Sunday | Night |