The Rise and Fall of the Chinese Super League

Written by Andrew Song

When Oscar quietly left Shanghai Port FC in early 2025, few outside China paid attention. There were no official farewells, no blockbuster transfer sagas, no headlines in Europe. Just a modest appreciation post from the club captain marking the end of his 8-year spell in red. However, Oscar’s exit was more than it seemed as it marked the symbolic end of one of football’s most ambitious and short-lived projects: the Chinese Super League’s dream of global dominance.

Oscar Emboaba, Brazilian footballer

Oscar arrived in 2017 during the peak of China’s football boom. Entering his prime at just 25 years old, he was considered one of the most promising midfielders. Shanghai Port (then known as Shanghai SIPG) bought him out from Chelsea for a record fee of 60 million Euros. The world was in shock. Questions were raised about why promising young players like Oscar were all making a move to China. Oscar was one of many players brought over to China in the hopes of establishing a football empire. Alongside him came the likes of Carlos Tevez, Paulinho, Marek Hamsik, and Hulk, all established European stars lured by lucrative contracts and the promise of being part of China’s grand football revolution. At the time, it seemed like the start of a new footballing empire. In hindsight, it was the beginning of a bubble waiting to burst.

The CSL "Furious Five"

General Secretary Xi’s plan for Football in China

The rise of the CSL was not a coincidence. In 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping, a known football fan, set out a three-step plan: to qualify for, host, and eventually win a World Cup by 2050. Football quickly became a national priority. Large amounts of money were invested in Chinese clubs and even in European teams. For example, 99.93 percent of AC Milan was bought for 740 million euros, and Suning Group purchased 70 percent of Inter Milan. Property developers, tech companies, and local governments all spent heavily, aiming to gain political influence and prestige. The excitement was real. Viewership reached record highs, and some clubs began generating revenue.

But as quickly as it rose, the Chinese Super League’s momentum began to crumble. Beneath the glamour of impressive signings lay structural weaknesses ready to be exposed: unsustainable financial practices, a lack of grassroots development, and overdependence on foreign talent. Clubs were paying outrageous wages. Carlos Tevez reportedly earned 40 million Euros for one year. Oscar landed over 175 million Euros purely in wages over his 8 seasons. Many of these clubs were owned by real estate conglomerates and tech giants, who were less interested in long-term football success and more in political favor or corporate branding.

The Turning Point: Crackdowns and COVID

By 2019, the Chinese government began to reel in the chaos. The CFA introduced salary caps, foreign player limits, and clubs to adopt “neutral names,” meaning no more corporate branding in the club’s name. The goal was to encourage local identity and sustainability, but it also dismantled some of the CSL's appeal and business model. Then came COVID-19, which devastated the league’s fragile ecosystem. With closed borders, reduced revenue, and mounting debts, many clubs began to collapse.

In 2021, Jiangsu FC, the reigning champions at the time and owned by the same Suning Group that held a stake in Inter Milan, shut down just months after lifting the title. Other clubs followed. Wages went unpaid, contracts were terminated, and foreign stars fled. What was once touted as Asia’s premier football league suddenly resembled a cautionary tale.

In January of 2025, Guangzhou FC, previously known as Guangzhou Evergrande, was disbanded after failing to comply with CFA qualifications following the failure to pay off their debt.

Later in 2025, Oscar’s quiet departure symbolized more than the end of a player’s chapter;, it rather reflected the fading vision of a footballing superpower. Without stars like him, the CSL lost international relevance. Chinese football began turning inward, focusing on its youth academies, domestic coaches, and structural reforms.

A promising future

However, the future isn’t all darkness. Youth academies in China are beginning to see the results of the foundations laid almost a decade ago. In June of 2025, Wang Yudong, an 18-year-old forward for Zhejiang FC, became the youngest Chinese player to score in a World Cup Qualifier, netting a calm penalty against Bahrain in the dying minutes of the game. Other youngsters, such as Liu Chengyu and Kuai Jiwen, are also lighting up the CSL and gaining attention from international scouts, setting a promising future for football in China. China may be just in time to achieve their goal of becoming a football superpower before 2050.

Wang Yudong with the MOTM trophy after netting China's only goal in a 1-0 win at home against Bahrain