The top three teams in the southwest region dominate the standings, and the three strongest fan markets set records—wherever the spring breeze reaches, there is scenery.

Chief reporter Chen Yong reports In the spring of 2026 Chinese football, the spring breeze of China's professional football leagues is crisp and sweeping, reaching everywhere and bringing scenery: in the lush southwest Chongqing, the Chengdu-Yu derby is fiery and thrilling, and after three rounds Chengdu Rongcheng, Yunnan Yukun, and Chongqing Tonglianglong occupy the top three spots; in the northwest Xi'an where willow trees have turned green, the U23 national team four-nation tournament is about to be held, and fans are also awaiting the historic moment of Xi'an professional football returning to a professional stadium; in the northeast Dalian where ice and snow have melted, two consecutive losses cannot dampen fans' enthusiasm, as Dalian Yingbo Haifa successfully defended their home ground against defending champion Shanghai Port.

In this spring, the intensity of the Chinese Super League is everywhere, and fans' thoughts freely soar. Over the past weekend, Beijing Workers' Stadium, Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium, and Chongqing Longxing Football Stadium together contributed an attendance of 178,323 people, resulting in a total attendance of 285,546 for the third round of the 2026 CSL season, with an average of 35,693 per match, breaking the single-round attendance record after a decade. Is it surprising? Not really; after the火爆 of the 2025 season,各方 had clear expectations for the火爆 of the 2026 season. Even the moment to break this round's attendance record has been explicitly predicted: during the fifth round of the 2026 CSL from April 10 to 12, Beijing Guoan, Dalian Yingbo Haifa, and Chongqing Tonglianglong will again host home matches, with Beijing Guoan versus Chengdu Rongcheng being particularly crucial, along with Shanghai Shenhua's home match and the Shanghai derby between Shanghai Shenhua and Shanghai Port.

Let's review the timeline and key points of this round. On the 20th, before the Beijing-Shanghai clash, Beijing Guoan Football Club released a video showing chairman Zhou Jinhui visiting players in the locker room after training, joking with Wang Gang "Isn't this the War God?" lightening the mood with laughter. That evening, the more focused match was Dalian Yingbo's home game against Shanghai Port; Dalian Yingbo, after two opening losses, defeated Shanghai Port 1-0 with the support of 58,337 cheering fans. The defending champion started with one win and two losses, reflecting the残酷 and intensity of the CSL.

On the afternoon of the 21st, Beijing Guoan drew 1-1 with Shanghai Shenhua witnessed by 64,118 fans, an attendance surpassing last season's final round record of 62,330 at Suoyuwan Football Stadium, ranking second in CSL history. Like Shanghai Port, these two CSL powerhouses also managed only one win in their first three rounds.

The title "War God" is not exclusive to Wang Gang; Chongqing Tonglianglong is also called the "Migu War God": this stems from调侃 by many fans in CSL live streams during the 2025 season about "Chongqing Tonglianglong sweeping the CSL." Chongqing fans believe such remarks are mostly反串, but the nickname "Migu War God" spread widely. When Chongqing Tonglianglong promoted to the CSL last season,自媒体 used headlines like: Tremble, CSL!

This Chengdu-Yu derby between Chongqing Tonglianglong and Chengdu Rongcheng possessed all thrilling elements: 55,868 fans现场观看, exceeding 93% attendance; the match过程跌宕起伏, Chongqing Tongliang龙 trailed 0-2 at home but scored three consecutive goals to反超, and CSL powerhouse Chengdu Rongcheng最终扳平 in stoppage time;外援 and国脚竞相出彩, with new and veteran国脚 scoring together.

Chengdu has a火爆球市, Chongqing has a火爆球市. The last Chengdu-Yu derby dates back 17 years, but after 17 years, the excitement remains and surpasses the past, especially with two专业足球场 making现场观赛妙不可言.

Thus, unexpectedly, a神奇格局 emerged: after the third round of the 2026 CSL, the top three are southwest powerhouses Chengdu Rongcheng, Yunnan Yukun, and Chongqing Tonglianglong, with Yunnan Yukun defeating山东泰山 4-0 at home after泰山's two consecutive wins. Consequently, the six title contenders Shanghai Port, Shanghai Shenhua, Chengdu Rongcheng, Beijing Guoan,山东泰山, and Zhejiang Club all failed to achieve three consecutive wins, and no team among the 16 CSL clubs managed three连胜. The southwest三强位居三甲 is partly due to扣分 affecting other teams;实际上抛开扣分, the southwest三强排名也非常好: top, fourth, and seventh.

Alongside the火爆 of the 2026 season Chinese professional football leagues, we can unfold the最美画卷 of Chinese football: in recent years, the most stable足球发展 regions are华北,华东, and华南;华中足球 is also relatively stable, with this round's match between河南俱乐部彩陶坊队 and Wuhan三镇 being a华中对决; now,西南足球强势归来, with三强占据中超三甲,东北足球正在复苏,辽宁重现一省双超,西北足球也开始回归, as陕西联合 will正式亮相 at Xi'an International Football Center on April 5.

While we欣慰 for the professional leagues at this moment, we can also imagine that the即将大规模到来的城市联赛 will一如既往精彩. Thus, this画卷 of Chinese football, beyond its精美, gains deeper层次感. Perhaps we can say: this spring, for Chinese football, why recall江南? Everywhere is春风!