Liaoning Tieren F.C.

Establishment and early years

Shenyang City was established by former footballer Zhuang Yi in 2015 with out-of-contract players from Shenyang Zhongze who dissolved just before the 2015 China League One season.^[1][2] Prior to founding the club, Zhuang Yi had attempted to acquire Shenyang Zhongze F.C. before its dissolution to prevent the team from folding, but his proposal was rejected by local authorities.^[3] They enrolled in the 2015 China Football Amateur League and finished in the top 4, gaining promotion to China League Two, and subsequently rebranded to Shenyang Urban starting the following year.

China League Two era (2016–2019)

The club enjoyed a lengthy stay in China League Two, making it to the play-off stage twice, in the 2016 and 2018 seasons, but fell short in the first round both times. The 2018 season marked the club's first serious promotion push, with an investment of 80 million yuan and the appointment of former professional Wang Bo as manager. The team recruited several former Chinese Super League players including Xu Bo and Quan Lei.^[3] Shenyang City started the season strongly with nine consecutive victories, topping the North Division table. However, a subsequent six-match winless streak caused them to drop out of the automatic promotion places. The team ultimately reached the promotion playoffs but were eliminated in the first round, failing to secure promotion to China League One.^[3]

On 12 May 2018, club owner Zhuang Yi was substituted on in a 7–1 league win over Baotou Nanjiao to become the oldest ever appearance-maker in professional Chinese football at 44 years and 305 days.^[4] Zhuang then broke his own appearance record on 3 June 2018 in a 4–0 win against Yanbian Beiguo, and scored a penalty in the match, making him the oldest goal scorer in professional Chinese football at 44 years and 327 days.^[5]

The club's effort finally came to fruition in the 2019 China League Two, when they were crowned as champions after beating Chengdu Better City in the finals, gaining a historic promotion to China League One. For the 2019 season, the club appointed Yu Ming, former captain of Liaoning F.C., as head coach. Under Yu's leadership, the team achieved a 19-match unbeaten run, including a record-breaking 14 consecutive victories in the second half of the season.^[6] On 19 October 2019, Shenyang City defeated Chengdu Better City 2–0 in the second leg of the China League Two final at their home stadium, winning 4–1 on aggregate and securing the league championship.^[7]

Liaoning Shenyang Urban era (2020–2023)

In April 2020, the club changed their name to Liaoning Shenyang Urban.^[8] Following the rebranding, the club faced significant financial difficulties. Due to insufficient investment, the team struggled in the lower mid-table of China League One for four consecutive seasons.

Rebranding to Liaoning Tieren (2024–present)

On 8 January 2024, a press conference held by the People's Government of Liaoning revealed that the club would be renamed to Liaoning Liudi (Chinese: 辽宁六地足球俱乐部), and would be promoted to the Chinese Super League within the next two years, in an effort to revitalise football in Liaoning.^[9] and the Liaoning Provincial Government designated the club as a pilot unit for professional football reform, announcing a goal of "promotion to the Chinese Super League within two years."^[10] The initial proposal to rename the club "Liaoning Liudi" (referencing Liaoning's "six key locations" in Communist Party history) proved controversial among fans, who criticized the name as overly political and lacking sports characteristics.^[11] Following fan feedback, the club abandoned the "Liudi" name and held a public vote, initially selecting "Liaoning Northeast Tiger" before ultimately settling on "Liaoning Tieren" (Iron Man).^[12] On 6 February, it was announced that Liaoning Shenyang Urban have changed their name to Liaoning Tieren.^[13] The "Tieren" name, referencing the ironworker statue in Tiexi District symbolizing the industrial heritage of Northeast China, was officially approved on 6 February 2024.^[14]

In preparation for the 2025 season, the club relocated from Shenyang Olympic Sports Centre to Tiexi Stadium, which underwent a three-month renovation to become Shenyang's first professional football stadium. The reconstruction removed the running track, expanded capacity to 40,000 seats, installed natural grass with heating systems, and upgraded lighting to meet VAR requirements.^[15][16] The upgraded stadium opened on 31 May 2025^[17], with the club subsequently breaking their attendance record on 19 July 2025 when 39,868 spectators watched a 4–2 victory over Chongqing Tongliang Long.^[18]

The 2025 season saw the club assemble what local media described as the "most luxurious squad in League One," including the signing of Congolese striker Guy Mbenza for a reported 2 million euro transfer fee.^[19] Under manager Li Jinyu, the team went on a 19-match unbeaten run, with Mbenza scoring 28 goals to break the League One single-season record and Japanese midfielder Kunimoto contributing 19 assists.^[20] On 26 October 2025, after a 1–0 victory over Nantong Zhiyun, Liaoning Tieren were promoted to the 2026 Chinese Super League for the first time in their history, being crowned the 2025 China League One champions in the process.^[21] The promotion completed the club's "four-level jump" from amateur football to the top tier in ten years.^[22]

Current squad

As of March 2026^[23]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

More information No., Pos. ...

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  CHN Kudirat Ablet 3 DF  CHN Pan Ximing 4 DF  CHN Tian Ziyi 5 DF  CHN Dilmurat Mawlanyaz 6 DF  SWE Pavle Vagić 7 FW  TPE Ange Kouamé 8 MF  CHN Yan Dinghao 9 FW  CGO Guy Mbenza 10 FW  JPN Takahiro Kunimoto 11 FW  CHN Chen Binbin 14 FW  CHN Zang Yifeng 15 DF  BRA Felipe 16 GK  CHN Wang Tianai 17 FW  CHN Tian Yuda 18 MF  CHN Li Tixiang

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 MF  CHN Gui Zihan 21 GK  CHN Han Rongze 26 DF  CHN Yuan Mincheng 27 DF  CHN Gao Jiarun 28 DF  CHN Xu Dong 29 GK  CHN Zhang Yan 30 DF  CHN Pang Shenghan 32 GK  CHN Zhang Hanbo 33 MF  CHN Tian Yinong 34 DF  CHN Zhang Hongfu 35 DF  CHN Li Haoran 36 DF  CHN Tian De'ao 37 MF  BEL Zheng Jiacheng 39 DF  CHN Li Shiqi 47 FW  BRA Jeffinho (on loan from Botafogo)

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Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

More information No., Pos. ...

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  CHN Han Yuchen (at Jiangxi Dingnan United until 31 December 2026)

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