Wuhan Three Towns F.C.
Chinese association football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wuhan Three Towns Football Club (Chinese: 武汉三镇足球俱乐部; pinyin: Wǔhàn Sānzhèn Zúqiú Jùlèbù) is a Chinese professional football club based in Wuhan, Hubei, that competes in the Chinese Super League, the top tier of Chinese football. 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.
武汉三镇足球俱乐部
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| Full name | Wuhan Three Towns Football Club 武汉三镇足球俱乐部 | ||
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| Founded | 2013 (as Wuhan Shangwen) | ||
| Ground | Wuhan Sports Center, Wuhan, China | ||
| Capacity | 54,000 | ||
| Chairman | Wang Fang | ||
| Head coach | Ricardo Soares | ||
| League | Chinese Super League | ||
| 2025 | Chinese Super League, 13th of 16 | ||
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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.[1] 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in the 2018 Chinese Champions League, the club was later admitted into 2019 China League Two to fill the gap left by a withdrawn team, right after changing their name to Wuhan Three Towns F.C. in January 2019.[2]
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.[3] In July 2021, Pedro Morilla was appointed as caretaker manager of the club; he had previously worked as techniques director.[4] In December 2021, he was promoted to manager for winning 14 matches in a row.[5] This achievement would see Wuhan going on to win the 2021 China League One division and promotion to the top tier.[6]
2022: Super League chamption
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.[7]
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.[8] Japanese coach Tsutomu Takahata was appointed as his successor on the following day.[9]
On 28 August 2023, the club's investors announced their intention to withdraw funding from the team, as well as selling it for free.[10]
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.[11]
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
- As of 6 March, 2026[12]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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B-team squad
- As of March 2026[13]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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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.
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Coaching staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Ricardo Soares |
| Assistant coach | Raúl Faria Maurício Vaz |
| Goalkeeping coach |  Liu Junfeng Paulo Lobo |
| Sporting director | Deng Zhuoxiang |
| Team manager | Yu Chen |
| B-team head coach | Jiang Kun |
| B-team assistant coach | Wang Peng |
| B-team assistant coach | Dai Xu |
| B-team fitness coach | Wang Huan |
Source: CFA
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.
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Africa |
Latin America |
Asia |
Europe
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Honours
League
- Chinese Super League
- Champions (1): 2022
- China League One
- China League Two
Cup
- Chinese FA Super Cup
- Champions (1): 2023
Results
All-time league rankings
As of the end of 2025 season.
| Year | Div | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos. | FA Cup | Super Cup | AFC | Att./G | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 521 | 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 |
- ^1 In group stage.
Key
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Continental results
| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | AFC Champions League | Group J |  Urawa Red Diamonds |
2–2 |
1–2 |
4th out of 4 |
 Pohang Steelers |
1–1 |
1–3 | ||||
 Hanoi FC |
2–1 |
1–2 |
Affiliated clubs
- Shonan Bellmare (2022–present)[14]