Wuhan Three Towns Football Club () is a Chinese professional football club based in Wuhan, Hubei, that competes in . Wuhan Three Towns plays its home matches at the Wuhan Sports Center, located within Caidian District. Wuhan Three Towns had remarkably gone from playing in the fourth division of Chinese football, to winning the 2022 Chinese Super League in a matter of five years, and had won the league title for each of the top three divisions on its climb up the pyramid.
History Early history
The club was established as Wuhan Shangwen (Simplified Chinese: 武汉尚文) in 2013 by the Wuhan Football Association and private investment from the Wuhan Benhui Group, to mainly focus on the development of youth players. In 2018, the club started to participate in the Wuhan Super League, and finished second right behind Wuhan Chufeng Heli. They also participated in the 2018 Chinese Champions League, and made it to the final round of 16 before being eliminated by Nanjing Shaye.
Ranking 11th in the 2018 Chinese Champions League, the club was later admitted into 2019 China League Two to fill the gap left by a withdrawn team, right after changing their name to Wuhan Three Towns F.C. in January 2019.
2019–2021: Promotion to Super League Albert Garcia Xicota would be appointed head coach of the club for the 2019 China League Two season and finished eleventh at the end of the season. The following campaign with the club, he would go on to guide them in winning the division title and promotion into the second tier. In July 2021, Pedro Morilla was appointed as caretaker manager of the club; he had previously worked as techniques director. In December 2021, he was promoted to manager for winning 14 matches in a row. This achievement would see Wuhan going on to win the 2021 China League One division and promotion to the top tier.
2022: Super League champions On 31 December 2022, Wuhan Three Towns won the 2022 Chinese Super League for the first time after several fixtures were cancelled due to a national COVID-19 outbreak. They were awarded a 3–0 win against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, who had forfeited due to sick players, and had a better goal difference than Shandong Taishan to top the table.
2023–present On 17 June 2023, Morilla stepped down from his role after the club won only three games from the first 12 league games of the season. Japanese coach Tsutomu Takahata was appointed as his successor on the following day.
On 28 August 2023, the club's investors announced their intention to withdraw funding from the team, as well as selling it for free.
AFC Champions League debut As league champions in the 2022 Chinese Super League season, the club qualified for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage for the first time in the club history. They are drawn in group J with Urawa Red Diamonds, Pohang Steelers and Vietnamese club, Hanoi FC. On 20 September 2023, Wuhan Three Towns played their first ever AFC Champions League match against the defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds, which ended in a 2–2 draw at home.
In 2026, Wuhan Three Towns started the 2026 Chinese Super League season with five points deducted for violation of sports ethics and loss of sportsmanship, engaging in improper transactions to seek illegitimate benefits.
Name history 2013–2018 Wuhan Shangwen F.C. 武汉尚文 2019–present Wuhan Three Towns F.C. 武汉三镇
Current squad
First team
B-team squad
Out on loan
Coaching staff
Managerial history Zeng Qinggao (2018) Albert Garcia Xicota (2019–2021) Pedro Morilla (2021) (caretaker) Pedro Morilla (2021–2023) Tsutomu Takahata (2023) Ricardo Rodríguez (2024) Filipe Martins (2025) Deng Zhuoxiang (2025) Benjamín Mora (2026) Ricardo Soares (2026–present) Notable players The following players had international caps for their respective countries.
Africa Romário Baldé Latin America
Ademilson Wallace
Asia
Liu Dianzuo Jiang Zhipeng Deng Hanwen Ren Hang Xie Pengfei Wei Shihao Rong Hao Gao Zhunyi Yaki Yen Park Ji-soo
Europe Nicolae Stanciu
Honours
League Chinese Super League Champions (1): 2022 China League One Champions (1): 2021 China League Two Champions (1): 2020
Cup Chinese FA Super Cup Champions (1): 2023
Results All-time league rankings
As of the end of 2025 season.
YearDivWPtsPos.FA CupSuper CupAFCAtt./GStadium 2018 4 5 4 0 1 13 6 7 9 Group Stage DNQ DNQ DNQ Tazi Lake Sports Centre 2019 3 9 14 10 6 33 18 15 52 11 R1 Hankou Cultural Sports Centre 2020 3 10 8 0 2 18 5 13 24 1 R1 Hankou Cultural Sports Centre 2021 2 34 25 4 5 73 25 48 79 1 R4 Hankou Cultural Sports Centre 2022 1 34 25 3 6 91 28 63 78 1 QF Wuhan Sports Center 2023 1 30 14 9 7 51 35 16 51 7 R4 Winners GS 15,866 Wuhan Sports Center 2024 1 30 8 7 15 31 44 −13 31 11 R4 DNQ DNQ 8,522 Wuhan Sports Center 2025 1 30 6 7 17 34 62 −28 25 13 R3 9,564 Wuhan Sports Center In group stage.
Key
China top division China second division China third division China fourth division W Winners RU Runners-up 3 Third place Relegated
Pld = Played W = Games won D = Games drawn L = Games lost F = Goals for A = Goals against Pts = Points Pos = Final position
DNQ = Did not qualify DNE = Did not enter NH = Not Held WD = Withdrawal – = Does Not Exist R1 = Round 1 R2 = Round 2 R3 = Round 3 R4 = Round 4
F = Final SF = Semi-finals QF = Quarter-finals R16 = Round of 16 Group = Group stage GS2 = Second Group stage QR1 = First Qualifying Round QR2 = Second Qualifying Round QR3 = Third Qualifying Round
Continental results SeasonCompetitionRoundOppositionHomeAwayAggregate2023–24AFC Champions LeagueGroup J Urawa Red Diamonds Pohang Steelers Hanoi FC
Affiliated clubs Shonan Bellmare (2022–present)
External links Official Weibo page
References