National sports regulator issues 15th Five-Year Plan, setting five targets including RMB 7 trillion industry

National Sports Administration has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Building a Sporting Powerhouse. The plan is the first national special plan themed on building a sporting powerhouse, and it makes systematic arrangements for accelerating the construction of a sporting powerhouse and promoting high-quality development of sports during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The plan sets five main development indicators anchored to the 2030 goals, including the total scale of the sports industry exceeding RMB 7 trillion.

Since the summer of 2026, the World Cup, city football leagues and other events have been staged one after another, with various regions using diversified supply to stimulate consumption potential and market vitality. Taking the city football league as an example, the Su Super League held 85 matches in 2025, attracting 2.43 million live spectators. Among the viewers, 95.9% generated additional consumption, with every RMB 1 ticket driving RMB 7.3 in surrounding consumption. In May 2026, the Northeast Super League, jointly founded by Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia, became the first cross-provincial city football league in the country.

The cross-regional coordination of the Northeast Super League has not only injected vitality into the football culture of Northeast China, but also driven the simultaneous rise of related industries along the route, including transport, tourism and accommodation.