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Guangzhou Football Club (), previously Guangzhou Evergrande (), was a Chinese professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club based in
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
,
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
. Historically, Guangzhou FC played its home matches at various grounds in their home city, most notably at
Tianhe Stadium Tianhe Stadium (), officially Tianhe Sports Centre Stadium (), is a multi-purpose stadium in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It is currently used for football matches. History Construction of the stadium began on 4 July 1984 at ...
and
Yuexiushan Stadium The Yuexiushan Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, named after its location at the foot of Yuexiu Hill. It is currently mostly used for Association football, football matches and also sometimes for athletics. It ...
, and most recently at
Huadu Stadium Huadu Stadium is a stadium in Guangzhou, China. It was a venue for the 16th Asian Games and has hosted some international football matches. It was most recently the home ground of China League One club Guangzhou F.C., Guangzhou. References

...
. The club's majority shareholders were the now-bankrupt
Evergrande Real Estate Group The China Evergrande Group was a Chinese property developer, and it was the second largest in China by sales. It was founded in 1996 by Hui Ka Yan (Xu Jiayin). It sold apartments mostly to upper- and middle-income dwellers. Evergrande was in ...
and the
e-commerce E-commerce (electronic commerce) refers to commercial activities including the electronic buying or selling products and services which are conducted on online platforms or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile co ...
company
Alibaba Group Alibaba Group Holding Limited, branded as Alibaba (), is a Chinese Multinational corporation, multinational technology company specializing in E-commerce in China, e-commerce, retail, Internet, and technology. Founded on 28 June 1999 in Hangzho ...
, while the rest of the shares were traded in the Chinese OTC system. The club was founded in 1954, and won several second tier titles before turning professional in 1993. Their results improved, leading to a runners-up spot in China's top tier. Unable to improve upon these results, the club went through a period of stagnation and decline before they experienced a brief revival, when they won the 2007 second division. In 2009, the club was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal and was subsequently relegated. In 2010, the Evergrande Real Estate Group decided to purchase the club and pumped significant funds into the team. They immediately won promotion and gained their first top tier title in the 2011 season. Guangzhou was the most successful Chinese football club in continental competitions with two
AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...
titles (
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
and
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
), and participated in the
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
in both years as a result. Between 2011 and 2017, Guangzhou won seven consecutive
Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...
titles, and after winning another Chinese Super League title in 2019, the club were relegated after the 2022 season amid financial difficulties. After the 2024 season, the club was dissolved due to failure to repay high debts. According to a ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' report from 2016, the team was valued at US$282 million, the highest out of all Chinese football teams, with a reported operating loss of over US$200 million in 2015.


History


Early history

In June 1954, the local
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
sports body founded Guangzhou Football Team to take part in the newly formed Chinese national football league. They entered the club in the 1955 league season and named Luo Dizhi as their first manager. He guided them to an eighth spot finish in their debut campaign. The league had grown to incorporate a second tier and their debut season performance final standing relegated them to the second division. Guangzhou won the division championship, however the
Chinese Football Association The Chinese Football Association (), abbreviated as CFA (), is the governing body for association football, beach soccer and futsal in the People's Republic of China (Mainland China). The CFA organizes the men's and women's national teams an ...
decided to restructure the league at the beginning of the 1957 season and Guangzhou were denied promotion. Despite this, Luo Rongman managed the team to win the 1958 second division title; however, the club were unable to gain promotion because this time they went into receivership. They were not re-established until April 1961 and were allowed to take part in the top tier. Back within the top division Guangzhou often struggled within the league and were again relegated to the second tier at the end of the 1963 league season. They remained there until 1966 when the
Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...
halted football in China.


Back-to-back promotions and sponsorship deal

When the Chinese football league restarted, Guangzhou took the unusual step of abstaining from the competition and instead on 26 October 1977 brought Luo Rongman to manage their youth team. The team played within the National Youth League until 1980 when it was decided that they were mature enough to play in the senior football league pyramid. They started in the recently established third division. The club's youth team development immediately paid off and players such as
Mai Chao Mai Chao (born on March 9, 1964, in Guangzhou, Guangdong) is a Chinese football coach and a former international football player. He spent his whole playing career for Guangzhou Apollo as an attacking left-back. After retiring, he moved into ...
,
Zhao Dayu Zhao Dayu (; 17 January 1961 – 18 March 2015), also known as , was a Chinese coach, businessman and a former international football striker. He was a naturalized citizen of Japan. As a footballer he played his whole career for Guangzh ...
and later
Wu Qunli Wu Qunli (born March 20, 1960, in Guangzhou) is a Chinese football coach and former international midfield player. As a player he represented Guangzhou FC and Hong Kong First Division League side South China, while internationally he also pla ...
all rapidly rose into Chinese international footballers. Guangzhou gained successive promotions until they reached the top tier. At the end of the 1982 league season Guangzhou were relegated again. They returned to the top division at the end of the 1984 season via the
Chinese FA Cup The Chinese FA Cup (, abbreviated as CFA Cup) is the national knockout cup competition in China organized by the Chinese Football Association. The current holders are Shanghai Port, having beaten Shandong Taishan in 2024 for their first title. H ...
. Guangzhou also became the first Chinese team to gain sponsorship when the Guangzhou Baiyunshan Pharmaceutical Factory signed a $200,000 annual deal with the club.


Becoming fully professional and match-fixing scandal

Throughout the 1990s, the Chinese Football Association were demanding more professionalism from their football teams. Guangzhou was one of the first fully professional football clubs in China after the Apollo Group took over the club on 8 January 1993. The investment aided the manager
Zhou Sui'an Zhou Sui'an (born 29 January 1961) is a Chinese football coach. He most recently worked as the manager of China Super League side Hangzhou Greentown. Managerial career Guangzhou Apollo Zhou Sui'an was born in Guangzhou. He became a profe ...
to help create a competitive squad.
Hu Zhijun Hu Zhijun ( zh, s=胡志军, p=Hú Zhìjūn; ; born July 24, 1970) is a retired Chinese football player. He won the first Golden Boot Award of Chinese professional football league after scoring 17 goals in the 1994 Chinese Jia-A League. Club c ...
won the top goalscoring award. Guangzhou were able to gain a runners-up spot in the 1994 league season. The following season Zhou Sui'an left the team after having twice guided the club to a runners-up position within the league and a runners-up spot against
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
in the 1991
Chinese FA Cup The Chinese FA Cup (, abbreviated as CFA Cup) is the national knockout cup competition in China organized by the Chinese Football Association. The current holders are Shanghai Port, having beaten Shandong Taishan in 2024 for their first title. H ...
. After his exit, the club were unable to replicate the same results. When influential international footballers Peng Weiguo and Hu Zhijun left the club, the team went into free fall and were relegated at the end of the 1998 league season. With the management concerned about the team's performance, an investigation was launched which discovered that Wen Junwu and three other players were in collusion with gambling groups and were immediately expelled from the club. In 2001, the Guangzhou Sports Bureau took over the club again. With significant investment coming from the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd it was hoped that the club could push for promotion. The division was rocked by a match-fixing scandal involving
Changchun Yatai Changchun Yatai Football Club () is a Chinese professional football club based in Changchun, Jilin, that competes in . Changchun Yatai plays its home matches at the Changchun Stadium, located within Nanguan District. The club's founder and main ...
, Chengdu Wuniu, Jiangsu Sainty, and Zhejiang Greentown. Guangzhou's new sponsors Geely immediately pulled their funding from the team to distance themselves from the bad publicity. The club went through a tough transitional period until the Sunray Cave Group took over the club in 2004 and started to invest money in hopes of pushing for promotion. When the Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals group took over the club in 2006, they were able to realize the ambition of gaining promotion. The club won the 2007 second division title and entry to the
Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...
. In February 2010, Guangzhou was relegated back to the
China League One The Chinese Football League 1 (), also known as China League One or Chinese Jia League (), is the second level of professional football in China, under the Chinese Super League. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association ...
in the fallout of a match-fixing scandal despite having achieved a ninth-place finish in the 2009 season. The match in question was the 19 August 2006 league game against Shanxi Wosen Luhu, which Guangzhou won 5–1 when they were still playing in the China League One. It was discovered by the police that the Guangzhou general manager Yang Xu paid ¥200,000 to the opposing general manager Wang Po to secure a win at home and that Guangzhou's vice presidents Wu Xiaodong and Xie Bin knew about it. With the offending participants sentenced to jail for fraud, the club was put up for sale. On 28 February 2010,
Evergrande Real Estate Group The China Evergrande Group was a Chinese property developer, and it was the second largest in China by sales. It was founded in 1996 by Hui Ka Yan (Xu Jiayin). It sold apartments mostly to upper- and middle-income dwellers. Evergrande was in ...
took over the club for a fee of ¥100 million. Xu Jiayin, chairman of Evergrande Real Estate Group, said that they would pump more funds into the transfer market. His first act was to sign in Chinese national team striker
Gao Lin Gao Lin (; born 14 February 1986) is a Chinese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is the all-time top goalscorer for Guangzhou Evergrande with 113 goals, and has also made the most appearances for the club. Gao is ...
from
Shanghai Shenhua Shanghai Shenhua Football Club () is a Chinese professional football club based in Shanghai, that competes in . Shanghai Shenhua plays its home matches at the Shanghai Stadium, located within Xuhui District. The owner of Shanghai Shenhua is ...
for a reported fee of ¥6 million. Then, he replaced the head coach Peng Weiguo with former
Beijing Guoan Beijing Guoan Football Club (), known in AFC competitions as Beijing FC, is a Chinese professional football club based in Beijing, that competes in . Beijing Guoan plays its home matches at the Workers' Stadium, located within Chaoyang Distr ...
manager Lee Jang-soo with no indication. In the 2010 summer transfer window, the club signed Sun Xiang, the first Chinese footballer to play in the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
with
PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional association football, football department, which has pla ...
, and the Chinese national team captain
Zheng Zhi Zheng Zhi (; born 20 August 1980) is a Chinese people, Chinese professional Manager (association football), football manager and former player. He is the currently assistant coach of China national football team, China. As a player, Zheng pla ...
on 28 June 2010. On 30 June 2010, Guangzhou confirmed that they had signed
Muriqui The muriquis, also known as woolly spider monkeys, are the monkeys of the genus ''Brachyteles''. They are closely related to both the spider monkeys and the woolly monkeys. Species The two species are: They are the two largest species ...
on a four-year deal from
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (; English: "Brazilian Championship A Series"), commonly referred to as the Brasileirão (; English: "Big Brazilian" or "Great Brazilian"), the Série A or the Brazilian Série A (to distinguish it from the I ...
side
Atlético Mineiro Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to: Sports Teams Athletico *Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy *Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic Cl ...
with a domestic record fee of ¥23 million. On 30 October 2010, Guangzhou became League One champions for the second time and returned to the Super League after a 3–1 win against
Hunan Billows Hunan Billows Football Club () is a Chinese professional football club based in Changsha, Hunan. Historically, Hunan Billows has played its home matches at various grounds across their home province, and last played at the Loudi Sports Center in ...
.


Domestic domination and international success

During the 2011 season, Guangzhou Evergrande further strengthened its squad with the purchase of Argentinean Dario Conca and Brazilian Cléo. Although the team was promoted to the Super League in the first year, they clinched the league title in late September 2011 although there were four games yet to play. In March 2012, Guangzhou played and won their first-ever
AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...
match, defeating South Korean champions
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC () is a South Korean professional football club based in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Jeonbuk have won the K League a record nine times, including ...
5–1. In addition, Paraguayan
Lucas Barrios Lucas Ramón Barrios Cáceres (; born 13 November 1984) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a forward. Barrios is known for his effectiveness in the target area. This earned him his nickname ''La Pantera'', which means ...
left the German champions
Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...
in summer 2012 to join Guangzhou Evergrande.
Marcello Lippi Marcello Romeo Lippi (; born 12 April 1948) is an Italian former professional association football, football player and manager, who led the Italy national football team, Italy national team to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was appoin ...
replaced Lee Jang-soo as the head coach and brought in South Korean defender
Kim Young-gwon Kim Young-gwon (; born 27 February 1990) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays for Ulsan HD and the South Korea national football team. Early life Kim is a native of Jeonju. When he was in middle school, he was not a highly reg ...
and Chinese midfielder Huang Bowen. Guangzhou was knocked out of the
2012 AFC Champions League The 2012 AFC Champions League was the 31st edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 10th under the current AFC Champions League title. Ulsan Hyundai from South Korea wo ...
when they lost 5–4 on aggregate to
Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad may refer to: Sports Football Men Teams * Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia * Al Ittihad SCSC (Tripoli), Tripoli, Libya * Al Ittihad Gheryan, Gharyan, Libya * Al Ittihad Misurata SC, Misurata, Libya * Al Ittihad SC ...
in the quarter-finals. They became the first Chinese side to reach the quarter-finals since 2006. During the 2012 season, Guangzhou won the league for the second time in a row, becoming the first team in China to win the Super League title twice in a row, while also securing the Chinese FA Cup to become double winners for 2012. In the 2013 season, Guangzhou Evergrande strengthened their squad by signing Chinese goalkeeper Zeng Cheng and Brazilian Elkeson. This proved to be beneficial to Guangzhou as they became the first team in China to win the Super League three times in a row. The club also won the
2013 AFC Champions League The 2013 AFC Champions League was the 32nd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 11th under the current AFC Champions League title. The defending champions, Ulsan ...
by defeating
FC Seoul FC Seoul () is a South Korean professional Association football, football club based in Seoul that competes in the K League 1, the top flight of Football in South Korea, South Korean football. The club is owned by GS Sports, a subsidiary of GS G ...
in the final on the
away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
, after drawing 2–2 in the first leg in
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
and 1–1 in the second leg in Guangzhou, becoming the first Chinese side to win the tournament since 1990. By winning the AFC Champions League, Guangzhou was assured a place in the
2013 FIFA Club World Cup The 2013 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was the 10th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament between t ...
, entering in the quarter-finals, beating the African champions Al-Ahly 2–0. In the semi-finals, they were defeated by the European champions
Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...
3–0. In the third place match, the club lost against the
South American champions South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...
Atlético Mineiro 3–2 and finished in fourth place. Guangzhou won its fourth and fifth consecutive Chinese Super League titles in
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
and
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, respectively. On 21 November 2015, the club won its second continental championship, defeating Al-Ahli 1–0 on aggregate in the 2015 AFC Champions League Final. In the
2015 FIFA Club World Cup The 2015 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2015 presented by Alibaba E-Auto for sponsorship reasons) was the 12th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament betw ...
, Guangzhou won 2–1 against
Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
in the quarter-finals before losing 3–0 against
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in the semi-finals. Guangzhou also lost the third place match 2–1 against Hiroshima Sanfrecce, ending up in the same position as in the 2013 edition. By 2020, Guangzhou Evergrande won a total of eight Super League championships, including seven consecutive titles from 2011 to 2017.


Financial troubles, relegation and disbandment

Ahead of the 2021 season, the team was renamed Guangzhou FC due to the Chinese Football Association's request for "neutral" names that would omit references to the investors and companies that own the club. In the same year, the Chinese financial crisis and the problems of the Evergrande Group caused the financial collapse of the club. After losing several key players, the team was relegated from the Super League in
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, ending their twelve-season stay in the top flight. In January 2025, Guangzhou FC were expelled from the professional leagues of Chinese football, following the failure to pay off enough of their debt. As a result, the club announced its disbandment.


Stadiums

Before the start of the
2023 China League One The 2023 Chinese Football Association League 1 ( zh, 2023中国足球协会甲级联赛) was the 20th season of China League One, the second tier of the Chinese football league pyramid, since its establishment in 2004. Clubs Club changes To ...
season, Guangzhou moved to
Yuexiushan Stadium The Yuexiushan Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, named after its location at the foot of Yuexiu Hill. It is currently mostly used for Association football, football matches and also sometimes for athletics. It ...
, the former ground of
Guangzhou City Guangzhou, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about northwest of Hong Kong and north of Macau, Guangzhou has a history of over 2, ...
. Previously, they played their home games at
Tianhe Stadium Tianhe Stadium (), officially Tianhe Sports Centre Stadium (), is a multi-purpose stadium in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It is currently used for football matches. History Construction of the stadium began on 4 July 1984 at ...
with a capacity for 54,856 spectators. In April 2020, construction work began on the new 100,000-capacity Guangzhou Evergrande Football Stadium. Completion was scheduled for December 2022, in time to host the opening ceremony of the
2023 AFC Asian Cup The 2023 AFC Asian Cup was the 18th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It involved 24 national teams after its expansion in 20 ...
. However, due to the Chinese property sector crisis, sparked by the
Evergrande Group The China Evergrande Group was a Chinese property developer, and it was the second largest in China by sales. It was founded in 1996 by Hui Ka Yan (Xu Jiayin). It sold apartments mostly to upper- and middle-income dwellers. Evergrande was i ...
, the project was cancelled in mid-2022. On 29 February 2024, Guangzhou announced a move to the
Huadu Stadium Huadu Stadium is a stadium in Guangzhou, China. It was a venue for the 16th Asian Games and has hosted some international football matches. It was most recently the home ground of China League One club Guangzhou F.C., Guangzhou. References

...
.


Ownership and naming history


Sponsorship


Kit manufacturers


Rivalries

When professionalism was established within the Chinese football leagues in 1994, it allowed more than one team to play within each region. This saw the establishment of
Guangzhou Matsunichi Guangzhou Matsunichi Football Club () was a Professional sports, professional football (soccer), football club based in Guangzhou, Guangdong, PR China who last played in the 21,570 capacity Shaoguan City Xihe Sports Centre, Xihe Sports Centre in ...
which used to be the youth academy of Guangzhou FC before being sold to Matsunichi Digital Holdings Limited. Direct ties between these two teams also saw them share the
Yuexiushan Stadium The Yuexiushan Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, named after its location at the foot of Yuexiu Hill. It is currently mostly used for Association football, football matches and also sometimes for athletics. It ...
. In their first meeting in the first round of the 1995 Chinese FA Cup, Matsunichi beat Guangzhou FC 4–3 on aggregate. For a brief period during the 1998 season, both teams were in the top tier with Matsunichi finishing higher than Guangzhou FC; however, the rivalry would reach its peak and subsequent conclusion during the 2000 season with both clubs in the second tier fighting relegation. On 15 July 2000, Guangzhou FC won 3–1 against Matsunichi which inevitably helped lead to Matsunichi's relegation, causing Matsunichi to disband at the end of the season. When
Guangzhou R&F Guangzhou City Football Club () was a Chinese professional football club which last competed in the Chinese Super League. The team was based in Guangzhou, Guangdong. The club's name between 2011 and 2020 was Guangzhou R&F, which was short for ' ...
moved to the city of
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
, a local derby, often referred to as the Canton derby, was born. The first Canton derby was at Yuexiushan Stadium on 16 March 2012 as Guangzhou Evergrande lost 2–0 against Guangzhou R&F. Relations between the two club owners remain cordial off the pitch and club owners
Xu Jiayin Hui Ka Yan (, or Xu Jiayin in Mandarin Chinese; born 9 October 1958) is a Chinese former billionaire businessman. He is the chairman of the board and Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary, Communist Party secretary of the Evergrande Group ...
and Zhang Li were seen enjoying a meal together instead of watching the second derby in 2012, which Guangzhou R&F also won.


Managerial history


Amateur period (1954–1993)


Professional period (1994–2024)


Honours

All-time honours list, including those achieved during the club's semi-professional period.


Domestic


League

*
Chinese Jia-A League The National Football Jia A League (simplified Chinese: 全国足球甲A联赛), commonly known as Jia-A, was the highest tier of professional football in the People's Republic of China, during 1994 through 2003, operating under the auspices of th ...
''(top division until 2003)'' **Runners-up (2):
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
,
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
*
Chinese Super League The Chinese Football Super League (), commonly known as the Chinese Super League or the CSL (), also known as the China Resources Beverage Chinese Football Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Ch ...
''(top division since 2004)'' **Winners (8):
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
,
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
,
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
,
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
,
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
**Runners-up (2):
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
,
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
* Chinese Second Division / Jia-B League ''(second division until 2003)'' **Winners (3): 1956, 1958, 1981 **Runners-up (2): 1983, 1990 *
China League One The Chinese Football League 1 (), also known as China League One or Chinese Jia League (), is the second level of professional football in China, under the Chinese Super League. The league is under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association ...
''(second division since 2004)'' **Winners (2): 2007,
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...


Cups

*
Chinese FA Cup The Chinese FA Cup (, abbreviated as CFA Cup) is the national knockout cup competition in China organized by the Chinese Football Association. The current holders are Shanghai Port, having beaten Shandong Taishan in 2024 for their first title. H ...
**Winners (2):
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
**Runners-up (2): 1991,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
*
Chinese FA Super Cup The Chinese FA Super Cup (), formerly named Chinese Football Super Cup (), is a Chinese football super cup competition that takes place every year before the start of the new season. It is contested between the champions of the previous Chinese Su ...
**Winners (4):
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
,
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
,
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
**Runners-up (3):
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
,
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
,
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...


International

*
AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...
**Winners (2):
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
,
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
*
FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...
**Fourth place (2):
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
,
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...


Results


All-time league rankings

;Notes No league games in 1959, 1966–1972, 1975, and 1976; Guangzhou did not enter the league in 1960, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, and 1979.
No promotion. In final group stage. In Changsha Group (first round). Drawn matches were decided on penalties after 90 minutes. Relegated for match-fixing scandal.
In Group A. Lost in the CSL championship final. Not played due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. ;Key * Div = Division * Pld = Played * W = Games won * D = Games drawn * L = Games lost * F = Goals for * A = Goals against * Pts = Points * Pos. = Final position * DNQ = Did not qualify * DNE = Did not enter * NH = Not held * – = Did not exist * R1 = First round * R2 = Second round * R3 = Third round * R4 = Fourth round * R5 = Fifth round * SF = Semi-finals * QF = Quarter-finals * R16 = Round of 16 * Group = Group stage


International results


Records and statistics


International players

Names in bold indicate players who had international appearances for their countries while playing for Guangzhou. Angola * Quinzinho (2003–2004) Australia * Brad Maloney (1995) Belarus * Mikalay Ryndzyuk (2005) Brazil *
Paulinho Paulinho is a Portuguese nickname for people named ''Paulo'' (Paulo - inho, little Paulo). People known as Paulinho include: Music *Paulinho da Costa (born 1948), Brazilian percussionist *Paulinho da Viola (born 1942), Brazilian sambista *Paulinho ...
(2015–2017, 2018–2021) *
Ricardo Goulart Ricardo Goulart Pereira (; born 5 June 1991), known as Ricardo Goulart, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Goulart started his career with Santo André in 2009, and remained at the club until 2011, with a ...
(2015–2021) *
Robinho Robson de Souza (; born 25 January 1984), known as Robinho (), is a Brazilian former professional association football, footballer and convicted rapist who played as a Forward (association football), forward. In 1997, at 12 years of age, Robin ...
(2015) Cameroon * Bertin Tomou (2001) Canada * Charles Gbeke (2010) China PR * A Lan (2015–2021) * Ai Kesen (2013–2016, 2019–2021) * Bai Lei (2008–2009) * Deng Hanwen (2018–2022) * Dong Xuesheng (2014–2015) * Feng Renliang (2013–2014) *
Feng Xiaoting Feng Xiaoting (; born 22 October 1985) is a Chinese former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Club career Feng Xiaoting started his football career with Sichuan Guancheng in the 2003 league season where he quickly establish ...
(2011–2020) *
Gao Lin Gao Lin (; born 14 February 1986) is a Chinese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is the all-time top goalscorer for Guangzhou Evergrande with 113 goals, and has also made the most appearances for the club. Gao is ...
(2010–2019) * Gao Zhunyi (2019–2022) *
Hao Junmin Hao Junmin (; born 24 March 1987) is a Chinese football manager and former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Hao Junmin started his football career with Tianjin Teda when he made his debut for the club on 15 Sep ...
(2022–2023) * He Chao (2019–2022) *
Hu Zhaojun Hu Zhaojun ( zh, s=胡兆军, p=Hú Zhàojūn; ) is a Chinese football player. Club career Hu Zhaojun is a defensive midfielder who started his career with Dalian Shide in 1999 where in his debut season he made six appearances. He subsequentl ...
(2009–2010) *
Hu Zhijun Hu Zhijun ( zh, s=胡志军, p=Hú Zhìjūn; ; born July 24, 1970) is a retired Chinese football player. He won the first Golden Boot Award of Chinese professional football league after scoring 17 goals in the 1994 Chinese Jia-A League. Club c ...
(1990–1997) * Huang Bowen (2012–2022) * Huang Hongtao (1990–1996, 1999–2000) * Huang Qineng (1991–1998) * Jiang Guangtai (2019–2022) *
Jiang Ning Jiang Ning (; ; born 1 September 1986) is a Chinese former professional footballer who played as a striker and winger. Club career Ning began his football career when he joined Qingdao Jonoon's youth academy at the age of 11. He made hi ...
(2011–2012) * Kong Guoxian (1986–1993, 1998) * Li Jianhua (2009–2012) * Li Wei (2005–2006) * Li Xuepeng (2014–2023) * Li Yong (1988–1995) * Liao Lisheng (2013–2022) * Liu Dianzuo (2016–2022) * Liu Jian (2014–2017) *
Liu Yiming Liu Yiming (1734–1821) (刘一明) was a Chinese Taoist master, thinker, and writer. He was one of the main representatives of Taoist Internal Alchemy, or Neidan. He was an 11th-generation master of one of the northern branches of the Longm ...
(2019–2022) * Luo Guofu (2020–2021) *
Mai Chao Mai Chao (born on March 9, 1964, in Guangzhou, Guangdong) is a Chinese football coach and a former international football player. He spent his whole playing career for Guangzhou Apollo as an attacking left-back. After retiring, he moved into ...
(1981–1995) * Mei Fang (2014–2022) * Peng Weiguo (1990–1997) * Peng Xinli (2012–2016) * Qin Sheng (2012–2014) * Rong Hao (2012–2020) * Rong Zhixing (1966–1969) * Su Yongshun (1950s) * Sun Xiang (2010–2014) * Wang Jingbin (2015–2020) * Wei Shihao (2019–2023) * Wu Pingfeng (2008–2012) *
Wu Qunli Wu Qunli (born March 20, 1960, in Guangzhou) is a Chinese football coach and former international midfield player. As a player he represented Guangzhou FC and Hong Kong First Division League side South China, while internationally he also pla ...
(1983–1985, 1990–1993) *
Xu Liang Xu Liang (; 1893–1951) was a diplomat and politician in the Republic of China. He was an important politician during the pro-Japanese collaborationist Nanjing Nationalist Government, serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the ambassad ...
(2007–2009) * Yang Hao (2011) * Yang Jun (2011–2013) * Yang Liyu (2018–2023) * Ye Weichao (2011–2014) * Yu Hanchao (2014–2020) * Zeng Cheng (2013–2020) * Zhang Chenglin (2017–2023) * Zhang Jiaqi (2015–2020) * Zhang Linpeng (2011–2022) * Zhang Wenzhao (2016–2020) * Zhang Xiuwei (2019–2023) *
Zhao Dayu Zhao Dayu (; 17 January 1961 – 18 March 2015), also known as , was a Chinese coach, businessman and a former international football striker. He was a naturalized citizen of Japan. As a footballer he played his whole career for Guangzh ...
(1978–1986) * Zhao Peng (2013–2014) * Zhao Xuri (2012–2015) * Zheng Long (2013–2019) *
Zheng Zhi Zheng Zhi (; born 20 August 1980) is a Chinese people, Chinese professional Manager (association football), football manager and former player. He is the currently assistant coach of China national football team, China. As a player, Zheng pla ...
(2010–2022) * Zou Zheng (2015–2018) Colombia * Jackson Martínez (2016–2019) DR Congo * Patrick Katalay (2000–2001) Honduras * Luis Ramírez (2001, 2007–2009) Hong Kong *
Ng Wai Chiu Ng Wai Chiu (born 22 October 1981 in Hong Kong) is a former Hong Kong professional footballer. He was capped for Hong Kong at various youth levels, as well as the senior national team. He is currently the assistant manager of Chinese Super Lea ...
(2002–2003) * Wei Zhao (2003–2006) Italy *
Alessandro Diamanti Alessandro Diamanti (; born 2 May 1983) is an Italian professional football coach and former midfielder who is the manager for Melbourne City Youth. In a professional career spanning 24 years, he has played for Prato, Empoli, Fucecchio, Fiorent ...
(2014) *
Alberto Gilardino Alberto Gilardino (; born 5 July 1982) is an Italian professional football manager and a former player who played as a striker. He was most recently the manager of club Genoa. A prolific goalscorer, in Gilardino's early career he was compared ...
(2014) Korea Republic * Cho Won-hee (2011–2012) * Kim Hyung-il (2017) *
Kim Young-gwon Kim Young-gwon (; born 27 February 1990) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays for Ulsan HD and the South Korea national football team. Early life Kim is a native of Jeonju. When he was in middle school, he was not a highly reg ...
(2012–2018) * Park Ji-ho (1998) * Park Ji-soo (2019–2022) Nigeria * Dominic Iorfa (1997) Paraguay *
Lucas Barrios Lucas Ramón Barrios Cáceres (; born 13 November 1984) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a forward. Barrios is known for his effectiveness in the target area. This earned him his nickname ''La Pantera'', which means ...
(2012–2013) *
Casiano Delvalle Casiano Wilberto Delvalle Ruiz (; born 13 August 1970) is a Paraguayan former footballer who played as a striker. Throughout his career he played for several Paraguayan and Asian teams, most specifically from China and Japan. Delvalle was call ...
(2007) Peru * Ismael Alvarado (2008–2009) Romania *
Corneliu Papură Corneliu Papură (born 5 September 1973) is a Romanian professional football manager and former football player, who played as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder, currently head coach at Universitatea Craiova U18. Club career Papură was ...
(2006) *
Claudiu Răducanu Claudiu Nicu Răducanu (born 3 December 1976) is a Romanian former footballer who played as a striker. Club career Răducanu was born in Craiova on 3 December 1976 and started playing football at the youth centers of Universitatea Craiova and ...
(2006) * Constantin Schumacher (2006) Serbia *
Nemanja Gudelj Nemanja Gudelj ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Гудељ; born 16 November 1991) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for La Liga side Sevilla and the Serbia national team. Club career NAC Breda Gu ...
(2018) Trinidad and Tobago * Arnold Dwarika (2004) * Gary Glasgow (2003–2004) Uruguay * Alejandro Javier Larrea (2001)


References


External links


Supporters' website

Stats on Sina
{{AFC Club of the Year China League One clubs Chinese Super League clubs Football clubs in Guangzhou Football clubs in China Defunct football clubs in China 1954 establishments in China Association football clubs established in 1954 2025 disestablishments in China Association football clubs disestablished in 2025 Companies listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations AFC Champions League Elite winning clubs