Clubs are free to sign up for the competition, but they need to go through the relevant registration procedures of China Football Association before they can qualify for the competition, and they will be divided into two groups according to the geographical location of the province or city where the club is located: the southern district and the northern district.
The competition system in the national finals is modeled after the North-South competition system of CBA Basketball League in China in 2004-2005. After the top four teams from all regions advance to the quarter-finals (two rounds together), there will be quarter-finals (two winning teams compete in the quarter-finals) and third place (two losing teams compete in the quarter-finals), and the champion and overall runner-up will be qualified for the China League next season.
Since 2007, the new competition system has been implemented in the national finals. The top four in the North and South District and the top two in the National College Football League, *** 10 teams competed for the first place tickets in the national finals.