September 9: Chengdu Rongcheng Also Top the No-Penalty Table! Three Records in Sight, Home Unbeaten Run Could Seal Title, 32-Year Wait Nears End

On the night of September 6 at Zhengzhou Navigation Stadium, Chengdu Rongcheng had a chance to light the championship fire away from home. A win over Henan would have allowed them to lift the first Chinese Super League trophy in club history four rounds early. However, after 90 minutes, the score remained 0-0. Rongcheng had nine shots with zero on target, and their championship point was pushed back to October 10.

After that night, the CSL standings showed the numbers clearly: Rongcheng had 52 points from 26 matches with 15 wins, 7 draws and 4 losses, while Dalian Yingbo had 40 points from 26 matches. Rongcheng led by 12 points. According to CSL rules, Rongcheng only need one point in their October 10 19:35 match against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger at Wuliangye Culture Sports Center to secure the 2026 CSL title three rounds early.

Rongcheng's remaining four fixtures are: home against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, away against Shanghai Port, home against Dalian Yingbo, and away against Shandong Taishan. The mathematics are clear: if Rongcheng reach 53 points with one more point, Dalian Yingbo's maximum even with four straight wins would be only 52 points and they could not catch up. In an even more extreme scenario, if Dalian Yingbo fail to win away against Qingdao West Coast on October 11, Rongcheng could secure the title in the same round even if they lose at home to Tianjin Jinmen Tiger on October 10. But for Rongcheng, who want to be crowned at Phoenix Mountain, a draw to win the title would be the most romantic ending.

The only theoretical combination that could cost Rongcheng the title is for them to lose all remaining four matches while Dalian Yingbo win all four. Since Dalian defeated Rongcheng 2-0 at home in the first meeting, the two sides will not meet again at Phoenix Mountain until October 31. Only if the contest reaches the head-to-head record stage would Rongcheng face danger. However, with a 12-point gap, the scenario is extremely unlikely.

Record one: winning the title three rounds early. If Rongcheng remain unbeaten at home on October 10, they will capture the first championship in club history and become the first western Chinese team to win a top-flight title since Chinese football entered the professional era. Rongcheng's predecessor Chengdu Xingcheng was founded in 2018, finished runner-up in the Chinese Champions League that year and earned promotion to League Two, moved to League One in 2019, reached the CSL in 2022, and in 2026 are only one point away from the league title, completing an eight-year rise from the lower leagues to CSL champions.

Record two: they also lead the no-penalty points table. During the Chinese Football Association's special crackdown on match-fixing, gambling and corruption in January 2026, nine CSL clubs received points deductions: Shanghai Shenhua and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger each lost 10 points, Qingdao Hainiu lost 7, Shandong Taishan and Henan lost 6 each, and Beijing Guoan, Shanghai Port, Zhejiang and Wuhan Three Towns each lost 5. Rongcheng were not among the penalized clubs and lead the official table after deductions with 52 points. On a reconstructed no-penalty table, Rongcheng also lead with 52 points, followed by Beijing Guoan and Shandong Taishan on 43, Shanghai Shenhua on 41 and Dalian Yingbo on 40. The significance of leading both tables is to respond to claims that the title came from others' deductions; the no-penalty table is only a way to objectively assess a team's performance throughout the season.

Record three: ending a 32-year wait for western football. Since Chinese football became professional in 1994, no western Chinese team has won the top division. This honor carries major significance, and the first top-flight championship for Chengdu football, Sichuan football, southwest China football, and the entire western region is only 34 days away.

That night in Zhengzhou, referee Shen Yinhao showed 10 yellow cards, with Rongcheng receiving seven of them. Wei Shihao picked up his fourth yellow card of the season for a challenge in the 61st minute and will automatically miss the next match. Baihelamu also accumulated four yellow cards and cannot play on October 10. Felipe's situation is more complicated: he received his fourth yellow card against Liaoning Tieren in the previous round and was substituted after a head collision triggered the concussion substitution mechanism. Under the concussion replacement management regulations issued by the China Football Federation in April 2026, players substituted under the concussion mechanism must rest for one match, with priority over red and yellow card suspensions. The Brazilian striker has scored 17 goals and provided 3 assists in 19 matches this season, making him Rongcheng's most reliable attacking focal point.

With the three main attacking players all absent in the same match, head coach Aloisio only has the three foreign players Romulo, Silva and Jussa available. Sorokin was placed on the bench, and the starting formation changed from the 4-4-2 used in the previous two rounds to a 4-5-1. Without Felipe's penalty-area focal point, Rongcheng's first contact on crosses was mostly won by Maidana and Lucas Maia, while Romulo, Wang Ziming and Baihelamu attacked in rotation but lacked a player to create combinations inside the box.

Tianjin Jinmen Tiger also have an interesting story. They started the season after a 10-point deduction, beginning from -10 points, and only returned to zero after the first 10 rounds. On September 6, they defeated Zhejiang 2-1 at home, with substitute Ji Shengpan scoring the winning goal with an outside-foot flick. Jinmen Tiger have 22 points from 25 matches, moved two points above Wuhan Three Towns, and temporarily climbed out of the relegation zone.

However, the relegation battle is far from over. After 26 rounds, Qingdao Hainiu are bottom with 14 points, Wuhan Three Towns are second from bottom with 20, Tianjin Jinmen Tiger are third from bottom with 22, while Liaoning Tieren with 25 points and Henan with 26 points remain under pressure. The October 10 away match at Phoenix Mountain is another key moment in Jinmen Tiger's survival fight. If Tianjin remain under relegation pressure before October 10, they will adopt a low defensive block and counterattacking approach rather than allowing a draw simply because Rongcheng are fighting for the title.

Data compiled by Zhu Yi, administrator of Transfermarkt's China section, showed that total attendance in CSL Round 26 reached 6,184,660, surpassing the 2025 season record of 6,180,990 four rounds before the end of the season. Dalian Yingbo's home attendance of 62,388 ranked first, Wuhan Three Towns' home attendance of 30,377 ranked second, and the average attendance for the round was 25,595. The Henan 0-0 Rongcheng match had 18,665 spectators in Zhengzhou, while Tianjin Jinmen Tiger's 2-1 win over Zhejiang attracted 18,157 fans. Wuliangye Culture Sports Center on October 10 is expected to be packed.