Computer used for first time as full 2016 Chinese Super League fixture list appears

Guangzhou R&F will host Ezequiel Lavezzi and Gervinho-totting Hebei China Fortune on the first match of the 2016 season on Friday March 4.

The official CSL opening ceremony will take place the following day as Jiangsu Suning host Shandong Luneng. All eyes will be on the match in Nanjing as glamour Brazilian signings Teixeira and Ramires are expected to make their debuts with Jiangsu.

A fixture list of sorts has been circulating for a month or so, however according to Chinese sports news sources the list below is the final version and not more adjustments will be made until after the season begins.

This year, in a departure from the usual proceedure in which teams play each other in the order they finished in the league the previous season, the CSL fixture department has finally entered the information technology era and used a computer to devise the fixture list.

According to the CSL, the computer was given the following conditions:

1. In general, teams cannot play more than two games in a row home or away
2. In the final two rounds each team will have one match away and one at home.
3. As far as possible, avoid teams from the same city provinces playing at the same time. Such teams will not play against each other in the final rounds. This includes teams in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Jilin and Hebei.
4. As far as possible, avoid a club playing consecutive games against top-ranked teams (according to last year’s placings)
5. In each round, feature one or two “matches of interest” such as games between top-ranked teams, two promoted teams, a derby, or a game between Jiangsu and a Shanghai team.
6. Each team can have no less than 7 and not more than 8 home games in each half of the season.
7. For cold climate reasons, Yanbian, Changchun, Liaoning and Hebei China Fortune will play their opening two games away from home 、Due to the G20 being hosted in Hangzhou, arrange as few home games as possible in this city during July and August.
8. Arrange as few “games of interest” as possible during the Olympic Games
9. To improve TV ratings, and to fit with broadcasting company requirements, all floodlight systems must be checked so stadums are suitable for HD broadcast. As far as possible, arrange each game so that they take place on weekend evenings and afternoons, all teams will have games in the afternoon.

Please note the list below will not be updated, and that you should always confirm the fixture date and stadium of the match you wish to attend before travelling to watch any CSL. Official club websites are your best bet for such confirmation, English fixture lists such as those on gambling websites are prone to inaccuracies.