All matches in the Chinese Super League (CSL) will be played using the home-and-away format this year, the Chinese Football Association said on Tuesday, bringing to an end three seasons of Covid-19 restrictions.

A start date for the 2023 season has yet to be announced, but clubs in the top three divisions will be permitted to host matches when the competitions return.

The mainland league system saw matches played in centralised biosecure hubs without spectators during the first two years of the pandemic.

Efforts were made last season to play some matches on a home-and-away basis and allow limited numbers of fans to attend but pandemic restrictions often resulted in games being postponed or relocated at the last minute due to outbreaks within squads. (Reuters)