Surging phenomenon

The ripple effects of soccer fever extended far beyond the pitch, giving a powerful kick along to the tourism and catering sectors.

During the tournament, the Yongzhou government launched a series of tourist-friendly initiatives inviting all traveling soccer fans to explore the city. Thirty-eight scenic areas waived entrance fees, star-rated hotels offered discounts for visitors, and public parking lots in the city center were free for out-of-town vehicles.

The economic impact was significant. According to provincial government data, the tournament attracted 148,000 stadium attendees. Outside the stadium, 1.8 million tourists visited the city during the seven-day event, with approximately 800 million yuan ($115 million) spent across the tourism, dining, accommodation, and retail sectors.

During the Yongzhou team's championship run in the Xiangchao league from September to December, the city leveraged that tournament to provide a massive boost to the local economy, resulting in 13.6 billion yuan in consumer spending across the province.

These powerful benefits to Yongzhou are a microcosm of a much broader, nationwide enthusiasm for grassroots soccer.

According to the Chinese Football Association, 2025 saw an explosive growth in grassroots soccer across the country, with city leagues established in 16 provincial-level regions.

In 2025, nationwide, 432,400 amateur matches were held across 14,400 tournaments, representing growth rates of 88 percent and 140 percent, respectively, with 39,300 teams taking part. The number of registered amateur players surged to 980,000, marking a 95 percent increase from the previous year, according to the CFA.

The trend was led by the breakout success of the Suchao, or the Jiangsu Football City League, which ran from May to November. The league drew a total of 2.43 million stadium spectators, with an average attendance of 28,600 per match — a record for provincial soccer leagues in China — as well as 1.2 billion online livestream views.

The Suchao not only captured the imagination of ordinary people, and their love of the sport and their hometowns, but also inspired many to take up soccer, said Liu Hongming, Party secretary of the Nanjing Sport Institute.

"Some of my relatives and friends excitedly told me that their children wanted to play soccer," he said.

The league's popularity was successfully converted into economic opportunities, inspiring the rise of similar city soccer tournaments across the country, Liu added.