Rizhao Yuqi F.C.

Rizhao Yuqi Football Club, currently known as Rizhao Yuqi Huaxin due to sponsorship reasons, is a Chinese professional football club based in Rizhao, Shandong, that competes in. Rizhao Yuqi plays its home matches at the Rizhao International Football Center, located within Donggang District.

History
In 2014, Rizhao Yuqi were initially formed by amateur footballers. After a number of retired footballers joined the club, the club started participating in provincial or national competitions, being dominant back-to-back Rizhao Football League champions, and winning a Shandong FA Cup title. In 2017, the club entered the 2017 Chinese FA Cup qualifying round, although a draw and two losses saw Rizhao Yuqi finish bottom of their group, failing to advance to first round proper. After winning the Rizhao Championship League in 2021, Rizhao Yuqi were qualified to compete in the 2022 Chinese Champions League. They were drawn into a group with Dalian Duxing and Changchun Golden Kirin, and after picking up a win over Changchun Golden Kirin and a loss to Dalian Duxing, Rizhao Yuqi advanced to the elimination round. With the aggregate score at 2–2, Rizhao Yuqi prevailed on penalties over Yingkou Chaoyue to advance to the finals. After all seven matches, Rizhao Yuqi found themselves bottom of their group, only managing to pick up a single point.

With an overall 15th place Chinese Champions League finish in the previous season, Rizhao Yuqi re-entered the 2023 Chinese Champions League. Rizhao Yuqi played on home soil as the Chinese FA chose Rizhao as a host region, and after a 1–1 draw with Binzhou Huilong, Rizhao Yuqi qualified for the final round for a second consecutive time. In this period, the club also played a Chinese FA Cup tie, losing 6–1 at home to China League Two club Chongqing Tonglianglong. Drawn with Shenzhen Juniors and Xi'an Chongde Ronghai in the final round, Rizhao Yuqi finished fourth in the group of eight. It set up a knock-out tie with Dalian Huayi, which Rizhao Yuqi won 3–2 on penalties, advancing into the second round. On 28 October 2023, Rizhao Yuqi then faced off against Guangxi Hengchen in the second round of the knock-out stage; a win would mean guaranteed promotion to China League Two. A 5–4 defeat on penalties saw Rizhao Yuqi finish 6th, missing out on promotion. However, on 6 February 2024, Rizhao Yuqi were admitted into China League Two, as sufficient teams above them in the Chinese football pyramid have either pulled out or dissolved.