The Sichuan Super League divisional round ends, the top nine are announced and will compete for the championship in March next year

Chuanguan News Reporter Chen Yu

On November 23, the first phase of the 2025/2026 Sichuan Bank Sichuan Provincial City Football League (referred to as "Sichuan Super League") ended. This amateur football feast, which lasted for more than two months and covered 21 cities and states in Sichuan, eventually produced 9 promotion teams including Chengdu Jincheng, Nanchong Silk Source, and Dazhou Sichuan Hanzi. In March next year, these 9 teams will start the ultimate showdown in the finals and launch an impact towards the championship.

National participation, fruitful results

The Sichuan Super League was unveiled at the Shuangliu Sports Center in Chengdu on September 20. As the largest amateur football event in Sichuan Province, it adheres to the concept of "one city, one team, fighting for the city". The event is open to amateur football enthusiasts aged 18 to 45. It is clearly stipulated that professional athletes are not allowed to participate, ensuring the amateur nature and universal participation of the game.

The province’s 21 participating teams are divided into four competition areas: east, west, south and north according to geographical location. From September to November, each division adopts a home and away double round-robin system to start fierce competition in the divisional competition. After more than two months of fierce battles, nine teams from the Eastern Sichuan Division: Chengdu Jincheng, Nanchong Silk Yuandian and Dazhou Sichuan Hanzi; Western Sichuan Division’s Leshan Weiweiwei Team and Liangshan Good Doctor Team; Southern Sichuan Division’s Zigong Dengcheng Shenlong Team and Yibin Yangtze Shoucheng Team; and Northern Sichuan Division’s Mianyang Jiuzhou Changhong Team and Deyang Heavy Equipment Team, stood out and successfully qualified for the finals.

On November 23, the Deyang Heavy Equipment Team faced the Guangyuan Jianmen Xiongguan Team at home. Photo by Chen Yu

In the last key round of the divisional competition on November 23, the Deyang Heavy Equipment Team defeated the Guangyuan Jianmen Xiongguan Team 2:0 at home and took the last train to advance. The head coach of the Deyang team said after the game: "We will conduct an in-depth summary of the first stage of the divisional competition, carry out targeted training based on the stronger characteristics of the opponents in the finals, and strive to achieve better results."

From "writing a challenge" to "writing a love letter"

The Sichuan Super League is not only a competitive stage, but also a platform for urban cultural exchanges. During the event, the interaction between the participating cities gradually evolved from the initial "afternoon letter" to "writing a love letter", forming a unique cultural phenomenon. On October 17, Ya'an sent a letter to Liangshan, ranging from "I am the last one, never underestimate a heart that longs for victory" to "Both sides are never just opponents." The warm interaction triggered enthusiastic responses from netizens.

Similar tender scenes continue to be staged in the Sichuan Super League. Panzhihua, Meishan, Nanchong and other cities have also joined in writing "love letters" to each other, showing off their literary talent. The Nanchong team shouted in a letter to the Chengdu team: "Rong, I'm waiting for you!" The two places have connected the thousands of years of culture of the Three Kingdoms through football.

Mianyang fans cheer for their team in Ganzi. (File photo) Photo by Luo Rong Nyima

As the game progresses, the influence of the Sichuan Super League continues to expand, especially the simultaneous live broadcast of integrated media in many places. For example, a single live broadcast in Dazhou attracted more than 2.7 million viewers, and the comprehensive reading volume of the entire Bazhong network exceeded 5 million.

The popularity of the event has also promoted the integrated development of sports, culture and tourism. Various localities have cleverly integrated sports events with urban resources, launched a series of policy packages, actively promoted the "ticket economy", and carried out discounts on scenic spots, accommodation, catering and other activities.

With the end of the divisional competition, the Sichuan Super League has entered the offseason. The nine advanced teams will rest and prepare for the finals starting in March next year. According to the competition schedule, the finals will last from March to June next year, with a total of 18 rounds and 72 games. After the finals, the Championship Challenge will be held in July 2026. The 20 participating teams will form a joint team to compete with the champion. ‌