September 3: CCTV to Broadcast Three CSL Matches This Week, Including Shandong Taishan and Shanghai Shenhua; Beijing Guoan Face Shanghai Port on CCTV16

The 2026 Chinese Super League season is about to resume, with this round being the final battle before a one-month window period. CCTV has selected three high-profile matches for live broadcast on CCTV5 and CCTV16, sending a message that every game will be a tough contest.

Shanghai Port vs Beijing Guoan: A battle for honor, Port regain form, Guoan missing key duo

On Wednesday, September 5 at 19:30, CCTV16 Olympic Channel will begin its broadcast five minutes early, focusing on Shanghai Port hosting Beijing Guoan. Although Beijing Guoan sit above Shanghai Port in the standings with 37 points compared with Port's seventh-place 32 points, Port have shown a remarkable recovery recently. In their last five league matches, Port have recorded four wins and one draw for 13 points, while veteran Wu Lei has returned to form. Three days earlier, Port swept Shandong Taishan 3-0 away from home in the FA Cup quarter-final, displaying strong overall ability, especially with an impressive attacking and defensive system under a 3-4-3 formation.

Compared with Port's strong momentum, Beijing Guoan face a difficult challenge. Although they have remained unbeaten for 14 matches across league and FA Cup competitions and defeated lower-tier side Lanzhou Longyuan Athletic 3-1 midweek, problems have also emerged. Midfielder Davin will be suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, while key attacking foreign player Fabio Abreu may miss the match through injury. Davin's role in linking Guoan's midfield is crucial, and his absence will undoubtedly weaken their attacking strength.

Another significance of this matchup is that both teams were deducted five points for violations, meaning the title race has become a thing of the past for them. However, this does not prevent two teams with highly valued foreign players and many national team players from fighting for honor despite starting from negative points. Port have just gone through a tough FA Cup battle, making fitness a concern; Guoan advanced easily but will be without two foreign players, making their away trip more difficult.

Shandong Taishan host Shenzhen Peng City: AFC Champions League qualification battle, Taishan seek home victory

At 20:00 the same evening, CCTV5 will take over coverage of Shandong Taishan hosting Shenzhen Peng City. Taishan are currently in a complicated position. In the previous league round, they narrowly defeated Shanghai Shenhua 3-2 away from home, with Crysan's late winner helping the team remain fifth with 36 points after a six-point deduction and preserve their hopes of qualifying for the AFC Champions League. However, in the FA Cup quarter-final midweek, Taishan suffered a 0-3 home defeat to Shanghai Port and were eliminated, being dominated throughout the match and suffering a significant blow to morale.

For Shenzhen Peng City, they lost 0-1 away to Shanghai Port in the previous league round and sit 11th with 27 points, eight points above the relegation zone, leaving their survival situation relatively positive. However, the team have gone two matches without a win, foreign player Wesley is still recovering, Xia Dalong's injury status remains unclear, and their attacking threat is limited.

Historical head-to-head records strongly favor Shandong Taishan. Since Shenzhen Peng City were promoted to the CSL this season, Taishan have won all five meetings between the teams, scoring 16 goals and conceding five. Playing two consecutive home matches, Taishan urgently need a victory to lift morale after their FA Cup defeat, and against a relatively weaker Shenzhen Peng City side, the entire team will surely fight hard for three points.

Chongqing Tonglianglong vs Shanghai Shenhua: A key relegation battle, both teams need to end their struggles

On the evening of September 6, CCTV5 will continue its live coverage. However, because it will also broadcast the Women's Basketball World Cup at the same time, Chongqing Tonglianglong's home match against Shanghai Shenhua will start 20 minutes later at 19:20.

This match can be considered one of the most dramatic pairings of the round, with two teams currently in difficult situations facing each other. Shanghai Shenhua have struggled recently. After being deducted 10 points, they lost 0-1 away to Dalian Yingbo Haifa midweek, missed out on the FA Cup semi-finals, suffered two consecutive defeats across competitions, and rank ninth with 28 points. In the league, their previous home 2-3 loss to Shandong Taishan exposed defensive problems.

As newly promoted side Chongqing Tonglianglong are also in a difficult situation. They rank eighth with 31 points but have gone nine consecutive CSL matches without a win, falling from second place early in the season. In the midweek FA Cup, they also faced a tough match at home against Yunnan Yukun.

Fitness will be the biggest variable in this match. Shenhua played an away FA Cup match midweek and must travel to Chongqing again within three days, creating a major test for their squad depth. Although Tonglianglong have gone nine matches without a win, they have home advantage, and facing a Shenhua side also struggling for form gives them the best opportunity to end their winless run. Shenhua urgently need to stop their decline, while Tonglianglong hope to use home support to escape their slump. The intensity of this match will be no less than the Port versus Guoan clash.

The CCTV Video app will simultaneously provide online live streams of all three matches, while Migu Video (Migu Vision and mobile high-definition services) will offer online broadcasts of all eight CSL matches, although half of them require payment.

It is worth noting that after this round, the CSL will enter a one-month window period. The true focus has shifted from the title race to the fierce competition for AFC Champions League qualification. On the standings, Chengdu Rongcheng are leading by a large margin and could win the title early, while only six points separate the teams from second to eighth place, making the competition extremely intense. The three matches selected by CCTV cover the core teams involved in this battle, whether they are fighting for honor, AFC Champions League qualification, or a return to form, providing plenty of talking points.