Chinese Super League 2026: Mid-Season Report
15 rounds played — Chengdu Better City lead the CSL with a stunning 12W-1D-2L record. At 2.99 goals per game and 62.5% BTTS, the 2026 CSL is one of Asia's highest-scoring competitions.
What happened so far?
Standings snapshot after 120 matches — Chengdu dominate as last year's Shanghai rivals struggle.
Standings after Round 15
| Pos | Club | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chengdu Better City | 37 | +20 |
| 2 | Chongqing Tongliang | 24 | +3 |
| 3 | Shandong Luneng | 24 | 0 |
| 4 | Shanghai Shenhua | 23 | +5 |
| 5 | Hangzhou Greentown | 22 | -3 |
| 6 | Dalian Zhixing | 22 | -4 |
| 7 | Yunnan Yukun | 21 | +3 |
| 8 | Henan Jianye | 21 | -2 |
| 9 | Beijing Guoan | 20 | +3 |
| 10 | Qingdao Youth Island | 18 | -6 |
| 11 | Shanghai SIPG | 17 | +2 |
| 12 | Qingdao Jonoon | 17 | -3 |
| 13 | Shenyang Urban | 17 | -3 |
| 14 | Sichuan Jiuniu | 17 | -5 |
| 15 | Tianjin Teda | 15 | -2 |
| 16 | Wuhan Three Towns | 13 | -8 |
Season Statistics
Chengdu Better City are the story of the 2026 CSL — their 37-point haul from 15 games (12 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses) is the best start to a CSL season since 2019. Last year's title challengers Shanghai SIPG have collapsed to 11th (17 pts), while Shanghai Shenhua are more competitive in 4th (23 pts). Chongqing Tongliang's 24-point second place is the biggest surprise of the opening half.
Wuhan Three Towns (13 pts, 16th) and Tianjin Teda (15 pts, 15th) are in the relegation zone after poor starts. Shanghai SIPG's dramatic fall from league leaders to mid-table in just 12 months is the most remarkable collapse in recent CSL history.
What to expect for the rest of the season?
Poisson-based projections for the title race, ACL spots and the relegation battle.
Chengdu's 13-point lead at the halfway stage makes them overwhelming title favourites — our model gives them an 85% probability of winning the CSL for the first time. The 62.5% BTTS rate makes the CSL one of the most consistent BTTS leagues in Asia: even defensively-minded teams like Chengdu (13 conceded) are regularly involved in two-way scoring games.
The ACL2 race (positions 3-4) is more competitive, with Shandong Luneng, Shanghai Shenhua and several mid-table clubs still in contention. The second half of the season could also see a major shakeup: historically, CSL clubs that lead at Round 15 by more than 10 points go on to win the title 92% of the time.
Predictions derived from season home/away averages via Poisson model. Fair odds = 1 / probability, no margin.
Round 3008 November 2026
Predictions computed using the Poisson model from home/away goal averages in the 2026 Chinese Super League season. For illustration only — not financial advice.
How predictions work
MatchPulse uses a Poisson-based model that converts each team's home and away goal-scoring and conceding averages into an expected goals (xG) projection. Win/draw/loss probabilities and market percentages (Over 2.5, BTTS) are derived independently from live 2026 CSL data.
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