The 2021 China League One season was scheduled to start on 17 March 2021, but later was postponed.
In the first stage, 18 teams were divided into 3 groups based on the hosts and last season's rankings.
Ahead of the 2021 season, the Chinese Football Association ordered all clubs to eliminate any corporate references in their names.
[7] The number of foreign players clubs can register over the course of the season is limited to four and the number of foreign players allowed on each team at any given time is limited to three.
In addition, each club can register a Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan player of Chinese descent (excluding goalkeepers), provided that he registered as a professional footballer in one of those three association for the first time, as a native player.