# 2016 in Chinese football

The 2016 season was the 66th season of competitive association football in China.

## Promotion and relegation

| League | Promoted to league | Relegated from league |
| Chinese Super League | Yanbian Funde Hebei China Fortune | Shanghai Shenxin Beijing Renhe |
| China League One | Meizhou Hakka Dalian Transcendence | Beijing BIT Jiangxi Liansheng |
| China League Two | Suzhou Dongwu Hainan Seamen Shenzhen Renren Shenyang Urban | |

## National teams
### China national football team
#### FIFA ranking

| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Points | 413 | 365 | 351 | 423 | 423 | 423 | 422 | 445 | 445 | 419 | 423 | 427 |
| Ranking (World) | 82 | 93 | 96 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | 78 | 78 | 84 | 83 | 82 |
| Ranking (AFC) | 8 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |

#### Results and fixtures
### China women's national football team
#### FIFA ranking

| Month | Mar | Jun | Sept | Dec |
| Points | 1918 | 1914 | 1892 | 1892 |
| Ranking (World) | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Ranking (AFC) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |

#### Results and fixtures
## AFC competitions
### 2016 AFC Champions League
#### Qualifying play-off
##### Preliminary round 2

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Shandong Luneng | 6–0 | Mohun Bagan |

##### Play-off round

| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Shanghai SIPG | 3–0 | Muangthong United |

#### Group stage
##### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | JHM | TOK | JIA | BBD |
| 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| 2 | FC Tokyo | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | 0–3 | — | 0–0 | 3–1 |
| 3 | Jiangsu Suning | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 9 | | 3–2 | 1–2 | — | 3–0 |
| 4 | Becamex Binh Duong | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 4 | | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |

##### Group F

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SEO | SHD | HIR | BUR |
| 1 | FC Seoul | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 5 | +12 | 13 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Shandong Luneng | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 11 | Advance to knockout stage | 1–4 | — | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| 3 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 9 | | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | 3–0 |
| 4 | Buriram United | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 16 | −15 | 1 | | 0–6 | 0–0 | 0–2 | — |

##### Group G

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SSI | MEL | SSB | GAM |
| 1 | Shanghai SIPG | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 12 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| 2 | Melbourne Victory | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| 3 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 9 | | 3–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 |
| 4 | Gamba Osaka | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 2 | | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — |

##### Group H

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SYD | URA | GZE | POH |
| 1 | Sydney FC | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 10 | Advance to knockout stage | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Urawa Red Diamonds | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 8 | | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | 0–0 |
| 4 | Pohang Steelers | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 5 | | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | — |

#### Knockout stage
##### Round of 16

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| FC Tokyo | 2–2 (a) | Shanghai SIPG | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Shandong Luneng | 3–3 (a) | Sydney FC | 1–1 | 2–2 |

##### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Shanghai SIPG | 0–5 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 0–0 | 0–5 |
| FC Seoul | 4–2 | Shandong Luneng | 3–1 | 1–1 |

## Men's Football
### League season
#### Chinese Super League

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao (C) | 30 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 62 | 19 | +43 | 64 | Qualification to Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Jiangsu Suning | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 57 | Qualification to Champions League group stage |
| 3 | Shanghai SIPG | 30 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 56 | 32 | +24 | 52 | Qualification to Champions League play-off round |
| 4 | Shanghai Greenland Shenhua | 30 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 46 | 31 | +15 | 48 | Qualification to Champions League play-off round |
| 5 | Beijing Guoan | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 34 | 26 | +8 | 43 | |
| 6 | Guangzhou R&F | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 40 | |
| 7 | Hebei China Fortune | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 34 | 38 | −4 | 40 | |
| 8 | Chongqing Lifan | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 43 | 50 | −7 | 37 | |
| 9 | Yanbian Funde | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 39 | 41 | −2 | 37 | |
| 10 | Tianjin TEDA | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 38 | 50 | −12 | 36 | |
| 11 | Liaoning Whowin | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 38 | 47 | −9 | 36 | |
| 12 | Changchun Yatai | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 30 | 44 | −14 | 35 | |
| 13 | Henan Jianye | 30 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 26 | 44 | −18 | 35 | |
| 14 | Shandong Luneng Taishan | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 34 | |
| 15 | Hangzhou Greentown (R) | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 28 | 37 | −9 | 32 | Relegation to League One |
| 16 | Shijiazhuang Ever Bright (R) | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 28 | 53 | −25 | 30 | Relegation to League One |
* ↑ Shanghai Greenland Shenhua qualified for the 2017 AFC Champions League Qualifying play-offs round as Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao and Jiangsu Suning are 2016 Chinese FA Cup finalists.

#### China League One

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Tianjin Quanjian (C, P) | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 61 | 27 | +34 | 59 | Promotion to Super League |
| 2 | Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng (P) | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 48 | 27 | +21 | 59 | Promotion to Super League |
| 3 | Qingdao Huanghai | 30 | 19 | 2 | 9 | 52 | 42 | +10 | 59 | |
| 4 | Beijing Renhe | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 49 | 35 | +14 | 49 | |
| 5 | Dalian Yifang | 30 | 14 | 3 | 13 | 43 | 44 | −1 | 45 | |
| 6 | Wuhan Zall | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 43 | |
| 7 | Nei Mongol Zhongyou | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 37 | 35 | +2 | 41 | |
| 8 | Beijing Enterprises Group | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 40 | 38 | +2 | 41 | |
| 9 | Shenzhen F.C. | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 36 | 43 | −7 | 40 | |
| 10 | Shanghai Shenxin | 30 | 12 | 4 | 14 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 40 | |
| 11 | Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 31 | 36 | −5 | 39 | |
| 12 | Meizhou Hakka | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 39 | |
| 13 | Zhejiang Yiteng | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 39 | 49 | −10 | 38 | |
| 14 | Dalian Transcendence | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 32 | 36 | −4 | 38 | |
| 15 | Qingdao Jonoon (R) | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 30 | 43 | −13 | 33 | Relegation to League Two |
| 16 | Hunan Billows (R) | 30 | 2 | 6 | 22 | 16 | 61 | −45 | 12 | Relegation to League Two |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head points: Tianjin Quanjian 9 pts, Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng 6 pts, Qingdao Huanghai 3 pts.
* 1 2 Head-to-head results: Nei Mongol 1–0 Beijing Enterprises Group, Beijing Enterprises Group 0–0 Nei Mongol.
* 1 2 Head-to-head results: Shenzhen 4–2 Shanghai Shenxin, Shanghai Shenxin 1–1 Shenzhen.
* 1 2 Head-to-head results: Xinjiang 1–0 Meizhou, Meizhou 1–1 Xinjiang.
* 1 2 Head-to-head results: Zhejiang 1–0 Dalian Transcendence, Dalian Transcendence 2–2 Zhejiang.

#### China League Two
##### Overall table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Lijiang Jiayunhao (C, P) | 23 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 21 | +11 | 44 | League One |
| 2 | Baoding Yingli ETS (P) | 23 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 34 | 22 | +12 | 39 | League One |
| 3 | Jiangxi Liansheng | 23 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 31 | 20 | +11 | 41 | |
| 4 | Sichuan Longfor | 23 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 27 | 20 | +7 | 36 | |
| 5 | Yinchuan Helanshan | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 32 | 13 | +19 | 42 | |
| 6 | Hebei Elite | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 33 | 18 | +15 | 39 | |
| 7 | Meizhou Meixian Hakka | 20 | 8 | 11 | 1 | 26 | 17 | +9 | 35 | |
| 8 | Shenyang Urban | 20 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 30 | 19 | +11 | 33 | |
| 9 | Chengdu Qbao | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 19 | +5 | 30 | |
| 10 | Heilongjiang Lava Spring | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 28 | 24 | +4 | 31 | |
| 11 | Shenzhen Renren | 20 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 26 | |
| 12 | Baotou Nanjiao | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 23 | 36 | −13 | 19 | |
| 13 | Tianjin Huochetou | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 26 | −4 | 20 | Disbanded after season |
| 14 | Suzhou Dongwu | 20 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 20 | −8 | 19 | |
| 15 | Beijing BIT | 20 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 29 | −10 | 22 | |
| 16 | Nantong Zhiyun | 20 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 22 | −8 | 18 | |
| 17 | Hainan Boying & Seamen | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 20 | 25 | −5 | 23 | |
| 18 | Jiangsu Yancheng Dingli | 20 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 34 | −18 | 13 | |
| 19 | Shenyang Dongjin | 20 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 43 | −25 | 11 | |
| 20 | Shanghai JuJu Sports | 20 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 36 | −19 | 13 | |
* 1 2 Lijiang 2:0 Baoding
* 1 2 Jiangxi 3:2 Sichuan
* 1 2 3 4 Yinchuan, 1pts, GD=-1; Elite, 1pts, GD=-2, Pts=38; Meixian, 1pts, GD=-2, Pts=34; Urban, 0pts
* 1 2 Chengdu 2:2 Heilongjiang; Heilongjiang 1:2 Chengdu
* 1 2 Baotou 0:1 Renren; Renren 6:1 Baotou
* ↑ Dongwu 1:1 Huochetou; Huochetou 5:1 Dongwu
* ↑ TJL
* 1 2 BIT 2:1 Nantong; Nantong 0:1 BIT
* 1 2 Yancheng 3:5 Hainan; Hainan 3:0 Yancheng
* 1 2 JuJu Sports 2:1 Dongjin; Dongjin 3:0 JuJu Sports

##### North Group

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or Qualifying |
| 1 | Yinchuan Helanshan (Q) | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 30 | 10 | +20 | 41 | Qualification to Play-offs |
| 2 | Hebei Elite (Q) | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 32 | 15 | +17 | 38 | Qualification to Play-offs |
| 3 | Shenyang Urban (Q) | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 28 | 15 | +13 | 33 | Qualification to Play-offs |
| 4 | Baoding Yingli ETS (Q, P) | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 16 | +12 | 32 | Qualification to Play-offs |
| 5 | Heilongjiang Lava Spring | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 25 | 20 | +5 | 30 | Qualifying to Play-offs |
| 6 | Baotou Nanjiao | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 22 | 29 | −7 | 19 | Qualifying to Play-offs |
| 7 | Tianjin Huochetou | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 24 | −8 | 16 | Qualifying to Play-offs |
| 8 | Beijing BIT | 18 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 28 | −12 | 16 | Qualifying to Play-offs |
| 9 | Jiangsu Yancheng Dingli | 18 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 26 | −13 | 13 | Qualifying to Play-offs |
| 10 | Shenyang Dongjin | 18 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 14 | 41 | −27 | 8 | Qualifying to Play-offs |

##### South Group

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or Qualifying |
| 1 | Meizhou Meixian Hakka (Q) | 18 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 25 | 14 | +11 | 34 | Qualification to Play-offs |
| 2 | Lijiang Jiayunhao (Q, C, P) | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 26 | 18 | +8 | 34 | Qualification to Play-offs |
| 3 | Jiangxi Liansheng (Q) | 18 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 31 | Qualification to Play-offs |
| 4 | Sichuan Longfor (Q) | 18 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 21 | 14 | +7 | 29 | Qualification to Play-offs |
| 5 | Chengdu Qbao | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 20 | 16 | +4 | 26 | Qualifying to Play-offs |
| 6 | Shenzhen Renren | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 20 | Qualifying to Play-offs |
| 7 | Suzhou Dongwu | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 14 | −4 | 18 | Qualifying to Play-offs |
| 8 | Nantong Zhiyun | 18 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 19 | −6 | 18 | Qualifying to Play-offs |
| 9 | Hainan Boying & Seamen | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 22 | −10 | 17 | Qualifying to Play-offs |
| 10 | Shanghai JuJu Sports | 18 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 15 | 32 | −17 | 10 | Qualifying to Play-offs |

##### Play-offs
###### Nineteenth place match

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Shanghai JuJu Sports | 2–4 | Shenyang Dongjin | 2–1 | 0–3 |

###### Seventeenth Place Match

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Jiangsu Yancheng Dingli | 3–8 | Hainan Seamen | 3–5 | 0–3 |

###### Fifteenth Place Match

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Beijing BIT | 3–1 | Nantong Zhiyun | 2–1 | 1–0 |

###### Thirteenth Place Match

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Suzhou Dongwu | 2–6 | Tianjin Huochetou | 1–1 | 1–5 |

###### Eleventh Place Match

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Baotou Nanjiao | 1–7 | Shenzhen Renren | 0–1 | 1–6 |

###### Nineteenth place match

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Chengdu Qbao | 4–3 | Heilongjiang Lava Spring | 2–2 | 2–1 |

###### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Sichuan Longfor | 3–2 | Yinchuan Helanshan | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Shenyang Urban | 2–4 | Lijiang Jiayunhao | 0–1 | 2–3 |
| Baoding Yingli ETS | 3–1 | Meixian Hakka | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| Jiangxi Liansheng | 3–1 | Hebei Elite | 2–0 | 1–1 |

###### Semi-finals

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Lijiang Jiayunhao | 1–1 (2–1 p) | Sichuan Longfor | 0–1 | 1–0 (a.e.t.) |
| Jiangxi Liansheng | 3–3 (a) | Baoding Yingli ETS | 3–1 | 0–2 |

###### Final
### Cup competitions
#### Chinese FA Cup
##### Final
###### Second leg

3–3 on aggregate. Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao won on away goals.

#### Chinese FA Super Cup
## Women's Football
### League season
#### China Women's Super League
##### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
| 1 | Dalian Quanjian (C) | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 7 | +22 | 31 | |
| 2 | Shanghai GTJA Yung Park | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 11 | +15 | 30 | |
| 3 | Changchun Rural Commercial Bank | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 9 | +16 | 27 | |
| 4 | Shandong Elite Sports Stylish | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 17 | −3 | 18 | |
| 5 | Tianjin Huisen | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 25 | −8 | 18 | |
| 6 | Beijing Enterprise Holding | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 17 | |
| 7 | Jiangsu Suning | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 16 | −4 | 16 | Super League Relegation Playoffs |
| 8 | PLA (R) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 39 | −33 | 0 | Relegated to League One |

#### China Women's League One
##### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | Hebei China Fortune (C)(P) | 14 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 3 | +42 | 38 | Promoted to Super League |
| 2 | Zhejiang Lander | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 33 | 6 | +27 | 33 | Super League Relegation Playoffs |
| 3 | Henan Huishang | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 26 | 13 | +13 | 26 | |
| 4 | Sichuan WFC | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 22 | |
| 5 | Wuhan Jianghan University | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 13 | 20 | −7 | 16 | |
| 6 | Shaanxi WFC | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 15 | |
| 7 | Guangdong Suoka | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 19 | −5 | 12 | |
| 8 | Nei Mongol Hengjun Beilian | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 63 | −61 | 0 | |

#### China Women's Super League Relegation Playoffs
### Cup competitions
#### Chinese FA Women's Super Cup
## Scandals
### Wuhan Hongxing–Jiangsu Suning brawl

On 11 May 2016, an on-field brawl occurred in the third-round game of FA Cup between amateur club Wuhan Hongxing and first tier club Jiangsu Suning. Jiangsu's striker Ge Wei scored in the 7th minute of stoppage time as Jiangsu edged Wuhan Hongxing 1–0 and advanced to the next round. Players and staff of Wuhan Hongxing lost control and attacked their counterparts following the final whistle. Jiangsu's Xie Pengfei was hit onto the ground by several Wuhan players, while scorer Ge Wei was injured on his rib; many other Jiangsu's players also suffered injuries in the melee. Some reporters from Jiangsu were also assaulted in the incident. Jiangsu's staff Wu Bo, who was recording the match, was beaten up by a group of unidentified people.
Jiangsu Suning left Wuhan on a high-speed train immediately after the match. The officials of Wuhan Hongxing condemned the brawl and vowed to punish the players involved later that day. They also emphasized that the cause of the brawl could not ascribed to Wuhan only as they believed the goal celebration of Jiangsu was a deliberate provocation. On 12 May 2016, Wuhan Hongxing issued an apology to Jiangsu and announced that five players who were involved the brawl had been sacked by the club. However, Wuhan was exposed to use ineligible players in the match on the same day.
On 20 May 2016, the Chinese Football Association published the survey results and punishments. Jiangsu was awarded a 3–0 win. Wuhan Hongxing Bairun F.C. was fined 200,000 RMB and banned from all future matches organised by the Chinese Football Association. Six players and two staff of Wuhan received a life ban from football, four players of Wuhan received a 36-month ban from football and ten players of Wuhan received a 24-month ban from football.