The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in China, operating under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The league was established in 2004 by the rebranding of the former top division, Chinese Jia-A League. Initially contested by 12 teams in its inaugural year, the league has since expanded, with 18 teams competing in the 2023 season. A total of 37 teams have competed in the CSL since its inception, with 9 of them winning the title: Guangzhou (eight), Shandong Taishan (four), Shenzhen, Dalian Shide, Changchun Yatai, Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Port, Jiangsu, and Wuhan Three Towns (one title each). The current Super League champions are Wuhan Three Towns, who won the 2022 edition. The Chinese Super League is one of the most popular professional sports leagues in China, with an average attendance of 24,107 for league matches in the 2018 season. This was the twelfth-highest of any domestic professional sports league in the world and the sixth-highest of any professional association football league in the world, behind Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Liga MX. The League is now running under the authorization of the Chinese Football Association, The CSL Company, which is currently the commercial branch of the League, is a corporation in which the CFA and all of the member clubs act as shareholders. It is planned that the CFA will ultimately transfer their shares of The CSL Company to the clubs and professional union which consists of CSL clubs will be established as the League's management entity. Overview Competition Unlike many top European leagues like Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A, the Chinese Super League starts in February or March and ends in November or December. In each season, each club plays each of the other clubs twice, once at home and another away. With 18 clubs currently in the Super League, teams play 10 games each, for a total of 90 games in the season. The two lowest-placed teams by the end of the season are relegated to the China League One and the top two teams from the League One are promoted, taking their places. The League position is determined by the highest number of points accumulated during the season. If