Reporter Chen Yong reporting On December 12, the final significant match in Chinese football, the promotion playoff between the Chinese Champions League and the U21 League, was held. The U21 League champion Dalian Yingbo U21 team (Yingbo B team) beat the fourth-ranked Chinese Champions League team Dalian Hanyu 2-0, earning a spot in the 2026 China League Two. Before this, four CSL B teams—Taishan B, Haigang B, Rongcheng B, and Sanzhen B—had already gained entry into League Two.

Yingbo B team crowned U21 League champions

This year’s U21 League championship and ranking groups competed from November 22 to December 8. The championship group included Yingbo U21, Zhejiang U21, Shenhua U21, Henan U21, Jinmen Tiger U21, Xin Pengcheng U21, Yukun U21, and Yatai U21; the ranking group for positions 9 to 16 featured Hainiu U21, West Coast U21, Guoan U21, Meizhou U21, Lanzhou Longyuan Athletic U21, Jiangxi U21, Guangxi U21, and Kunming Chengxing U21.

The U21 League held multiple rounds of matches earlier, but the final championship group was scored separately, with eight teams playing a single round-robin to determine their final rankings.

Originally favored Shenhua U21 performed poorly, drawing 1-1 with Xin Pengcheng in the first round, losing 0-1 to Yingbo in the second, and 0-1 to Henan in the third, quickly losing their chance to compete for the title. The top performers in the first four rounds were Yingbo U21 and Zhejiang U21, both achieving four consecutive wins.

In the fifth round, Yingbo U21 faced Zhejiang U21 directly, with both sides fielding several Chinese Super League players—Zhejiang featured Wang Yudong and Zhang Aihui, while Yingbo had Zhu Pengyu and Mao Weijie. Yingbo ultimately won 2-1, gaining the upper hand in the title race. Afterwards, Yingbo U21 continued winning against Jinmen Tiger U21 and Xin Pengcheng U21, finishing with seven straight victories in the final stage to claim the championship.

In the previous two seasons, U21 League promotion to China League Two was granted to the top two teams of the season. However, this season the rules tightened, reducing the quota from two to 0.5, meaning the U21 League champion must face the fourth-placed Chinese Champions League team in a playoff, with the winner advancing to League Two.

Interestingly, both teams in the playoff came from Dalian: Dalian Hanyu and Yingbo U21. The match was held at the Haikou Mission Hills Football Training Base, where Yingbo U21 won 2-0 and secured promotion to China League Two.

This season, the top three from the Chinese Champions League have already advanced to China League Two: champions Xiamen 1026 (returning to professional leagues), runners-up Shanghai Saigengda Jucheng, and third-place Dalian Kewei (marking Dalian’s presence in CSL, League One, and League Two). With Yingbo U21’s addition, Dalian football now features one CSL team, one League One team, and two League Two teams.

Chinese Super League B teams show strong performance in China League Two

CSL B teams started participating in China League Two in the 2024 season, with the 2023 U21 League champion and runner-up Taishan and Haigang forming B teams to compete. In the 2024 China League Two, both Taishan and Haigang B teams reached the championship group, finishing sixth and ninth respectively.

In the 2024 season, the U21 League champion and runner-up were Sanzhen and Rongcheng B teams, increasing the number of CSL B teams in the 2025 China League Two to four. This season, Rongcheng and Taishan B teams both made it to the championship group, with Rongcheng B finishing fourth and Taishan B seventh. Although Sanzhen B and Haigang B did not reach the championship group, they never faced relegation threats, ending the season third in the relegation B group and fourth in the relegation A group respectively.

It can be said that China League Two has provided many young players with opportunities for development, improvement, and growth. For example, five starters from the 2005 national youth team come from Taishan B team. This season, Peng Xiao did not register for China League Two in the second half of the 2025 season but played 11 matches in the Chinese Super League with increasingly impressive performances. Despite this, he was still selected for the China League Two Best Player and Best Young Player awards, winning the 2025 China League Two Best Young Player honor. Rongcheng’s 2009-born Shuai Weihao appeared in 20 matches this season, starting 11 times, averaging 54 minutes per game, and scoring five goals. A year ago, he was still competing in the U15 League. Currently, Shuai Weihao is the main striker for the 2009 national youth team.

In the 2025 China League Two season, 375 U21 players registered to compete, accounting for 44.8% of all registrations. Among them, 13 clubs registered more than 10 U21 players. In terms of appearances, 323 U21 players took part, totaling 4,404 appearances and 284,999 minutes played. Additionally, U21 players scored 287 goals, representing 35.3% of all goals—the highest proportion in the past six seasons.