--- title: Grassroots soccer fever spreads across nation description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. canonical: https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/grassroots-soccer-fever-spreads-across-nation/ article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-06-18T14:28:49.782Z article:modified_time: 2026-06-09T07:28:06.133Z article:section: Paid Content og:title: Grassroots soccer fever spreads across nation og:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription.  _This content was paid for and prepared by China Daily, an official publication of the People's Republic of China. The TIME editorial and advertising departments were not involved in the creation of this content._ Players from teams representing two districts of Weifang, Shandong province, compete during the Victory Football Super Cup, the province's first prefecture-wide league, on July 26\. LI HAITAO / FOR CHINA DAILY By ZHAO RUINAN/QIU QUANLIN/ZHANG XIAOMIN The Jiangsu Football City League phenomenon has ignited a nationwide wave of popular grassroots soccer leagues this summer, and rekindled supporters’ passion for the sport. Dubbed the “Jiangsu Super League” or “Suchao,” the amateur provincial league has been a sensation — both online and in stadiums — loved for its huge crowds, exciting play, lively fan exchanges and viral memes. Now soccer leagues in Jiangxi, Guangdong, and other provinces are also vying for the national spotlight by focusing on fierce inter-city rivalries, innovative formats, or rebranding existing competitions. During the fourth round of the 2025 Jiangxi City Football Super League on Aug. 2-3, more than 70,000 spectators packed stadiums across Yingtan, Shangrao, and Xinyu, with stands echoing with the roars of proud supporters. The marquee match on Aug. 2, when Yingtan hosted Jiujiang, drew 19,108 spectators. Over 1,100 Jiujiang fans traveled on Jiangxi’s first soccer-dedicated high-speed train scheduled for the game. “It was timely aid,” said Huang Ruilu, vice-chairman of the Jiangxi Football Association. “Originally we planned to organize fan buses to Yingtan, but a one-way trip takes four hours. With matches ending around 10 pm, same-day return was nearly impossible. The special train arrived like coal in a snowstorm,” he said. Cities nationwide are following the model. Harbin, Heilongjiang province, launched its seven-a-side “Hachao” tournament on July 12, which features 32 teams in youth, adult, and senior divisions. In Weifang, Shandong province, the “Victory Football Super Cup,” dubbed “V Chao,” ignited citywide passion with its core philosophy: “For every citizen, fight for our hometown.” As Shandong’s first prefecture-wide home-and-away league, it includes teams from all 16 Weifang counties or districts. The opening match drew nearly 30,000 fans. “This tops watching the Chinese Super League!” exclaimed fan Zhang Lei. “These players are our neighbors — delivery guys, teachers, factory workers... Seeing them pour their hearts out for our hometown is electrifying!” The latest provincial league to launch is the 2025 Guangdong Football Super League which started on Aug. 9 and runs for four months. The competition has taken a different approach by calling itself the “Shengchao,” or Provincial Super League and undertaking a qualification and knockout format. It was organized by the Guangdong Football Association with municipal sports bureaus and local soccer associations as co-organizers. Unlike the city-based format in Jiangsu, the new Guangdong league features amateur clubs. “Registration enthusiasm was extraordinary this year. By late June, we had 26 teams applying — 18 more than last year,” said Liang Junjie, head of the association’s commercial development department. After rigorous vetting, 22 teams from 13 of Guangdong’s 21 prefecture-level cities were selected. From Aug. 9 to 17, matches will be played in two venues in Meizhou and Zhaoqing, to select 11 teams who did not participate in the provincial league last year. Those 11 teams, and five teams who participated in last year’s competition, will play each other from Aug. 23 to Sept. 27 to decide the top four. The semifinalists will play home-and-away games from Nov. 2 to Nov. 29, to determine the winner and have the chance to represent the province in the 2026 Chinese Football Association Member Association Champions League, the highest-level national amateur soccer competition. Nearly 70 matches will be played to determine the finalists. “Previously, all matches used home-and-away formats, burdening teams with high venue rental, security, and travel costs,” said Liang. “This year, only the semifinalists play home-and-away fixtures, drastically reducing expenses.” In 1999, Guangdong staged China’s first regional competition organized by a provincial soccer association. Xie Changjing, chairman of the Guangdong Football Association, said the new competition serves as the primary platform for amateur clubs to advance into professional leagues. The league enforces strict amateur eligibility rules to ensure fair competition. Off the field, the league will collaborate with municipal culture and tourism departments to integrate sports, culture, tourism, agriculture and commerce. “The popularity of the Suchao is a remarkable development in China’s grassroots sports scene,” said Michał Dahl, an associate professor from Alberta International School of Recreation, Sport and Tourism of Beijing Sport University. “It has rightly gained attention not only across the country but internationally as well,” he said. The development of amateur leagues like the Suchao is a valuable contribution to both national well-being and global sports culture, he said. “Rooted in inclusivity, diversity, and shared passion, this model offers a vision of sport that is more community-centered and accessible. It opens the field to everyone — not just professionals or celebrities,” he said. _He Chun in Changsha, Zhou Huiying in Harbin, and Zhao Ruixue in Jinan contributed to this story._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/grassroots-soccer-fever-spreads-across-nation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/grassroots-soccer-fever-spreads-across-nation/"},"headline":"Grassroots soccer fever spreads across nation","datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:28:49.782Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T07:28:06.133Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/grassroots-soccer-fever-spreads-across-nation/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"Paid Content","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/china-daily/grassroots-soccer-fever-spreads-across-nation/","name":"Grassroots soccer fever spreads across nation"}}]}] ```