Beijing-Shanghai Derby

The Beijing-Shanghai Derby is the clash between two Chinese association football clubs, Beijing Guoan and Shanghai Shenhua. It takes place twice a year in the Chinese Super League, and occasionally in the Chinese FA Cup. Both clubs were founding members of the former Jia-A League and the Chinese Super League, and have participated in every edition of China's top-tier professional football league.

Beijing Guoan

Shanghai Shenhua

Locations of the two clubs[1]

16 March 2012, Beijing Guoan played Shanghai Shenhua at home in the Workers' Stadium.

Due to the cities in which the two teams are based—one being Beijing, the capital of China, and the other being Shanghai, the most populous city—victories and losses in the matches between these two teams often carry significance beyond just football. As a result, each encounter between the two sides becomes a focal point in the media. Due to their deep historical connections, the intensity of competition on the field between players from both sides is often very high, and the matches themselves receive significant attention from fans. Most of Shenhua's attendance records in their home stadiums were achieved when they hosted Guoan. Some Guoan fans say, "Without Guoan, there's no Shenhua; without Shenhua, there's no Guoan. These are the only two teams in China that deserve the title of a national derby." Shenhua fans, on the other hand, say, "Shenhua and Guoan are arch-rivals, but neither can do without the other. Without each other's presence in the league, it would be so boring."[2]

The most noteworthy match between the two teams took place in the 10th round of the 1997 Jia-A League on 20 July 20 1997, where Guoan defeated Shenhua with a score of 9-1 at home. To this day, this match still holds several records in China's top-tier professional football league.