The Jiangsu Football City League opened on Saturday, marking the start of this year's competition. In the opening match, Changzhou defeated last year's runner-up Nantong 3-0 at home.

Changzhou had failed to win a single game in the first eight rounds of last season's regular campaign. However, they made a strong start this year with an impressive performance. The home side converted a penalty in the 34th minute and doubled their lead just one minute into the second half. Tang Zengqi sealed the victory in the 89th minute, securing a 3-0 win for Changzhou.

In other matches, new Wuxi captain Xie Zhiwei scored as his team claimed a 3-1 home victory over Zhenjiang.

The league is heading into its second season with a new format, thirteen teams are competing in the regular season. Each side will play 12 matches, six at home and six away, with all games set for Saturdays. The league will pause briefly in mid-July, before wrapping up on September 19th, after 22 rounds and 78 games. The top eight teams will then move on to the knockout phase in October that features 13 games. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played over two legs, home and away, before everything is decided in a one-off final.