| Clubname: | Rizhao Yuqi |
| Fullname: | Rizhao Yuqi Football Club 日照宇启足球俱乐部 |
| Ground: | Rizhao International Football Center |
| Capacity: | 12,000 |
| Manager: | Yan Tengfei |
Rizhao Yuqi Football Club, currently known as Rizhao Yuqi Huaxin due to sponsorship reasons,[1] 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.
In 2014, Rizhao Yuqi were initially formed by amateur footballers.[2] After a number of retired footballers joined the club, the club started participating in provincial or national competitions,[2] being dominant back-to-back Rizhao Football League champions, and winning a Shandong FA Cup title.[3] 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.[4] After winning the Rizhao Championship League in 2021,[5] Rizhao Yuqi were qualified to compete in the 2022 Chinese Champions League.[6] 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.[7] With the aggregate score at 2–2, Rizhao Yuqi prevailed on penalties over Yingkou Chaoyue to advance to the finals.[8] [9] After all seven matches, Rizhao Yuqi found themselves bottom of their group, only managing to pick up a single point.[10]
With an overall 15th place Chinese Champions League finish in the previous season,[11] Rizhao Yuqi re-entered the 2023 Chinese Champions League.[12] 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.[13] In this period, the club also played a Chinese FA Cup tie, losing 6–1 at home to China League Two club Chongqing Tonglianglong.[14] 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,[15] which Rizhao Yuqi won 3–2 on penalties, advancing into the second round.[16] 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.[17]