BEIJING - The 2020 Chinese Super League (CSL) will play a total of 112 matches in 14 rounds for the first stage starting on July 25th, the CSL said in its official social media account here on Monday.

The 2020 CSL was scheduled to kick off on February 22 and postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its first stage, scheduled from July 25th to September 28th, will be played in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, and Dalian, Liaoning Province. The 16 clubs will be divided into two groups according to their final standings last season.

For the season opener in Dalian, the CSL defending champion Guangzhou Evergrande will take on the Chinese Football Association (CFA) Cup 2019 winner Shanghai Greenland Shenhua.

After the first stage, the CSL will take a rest in order to help the national team tune up for the Asia Top 40 tournament for the 2022 World Cup in October and November.

The timetable for the second stage has not been finalized and the CSL is expected to continue until the end of December.