From Bottles to Boots: China Launches World’s First Baijiu Football League

ZUNYI, China — The Zunyi Baijiu Super League (ZBSL) has officially kicked off, marking the world’s first football competition built entirely around a major baijiu production hub.

On the evening of 2 April, 23 amateur football teams, each named after a legendary baijiu distillery like Moutai, Xijiu, Zhenjiu and Dongjiu marched onto the pitch as Ten thousand fans cheered.

These players aren't professionals; most are full-time employees at baijiu distilleries, working as distillers, blenders, cellar hands, or on the bottling lines. All 638 players are from Zunyi, a city in southwest China’s Guizhou province where Moutai and other sauce-aroma baijiu producers are located.

“All participants are Zunyi locals and primarily come from the region’s various distilleries,” said Qiu Congfu, Vice Chairman of the Zunyi Football Association.

Scheduled to run through May, the league holds matches exclusively on weekends and public holidays. Outside the stadium, a vibrant market allows visitors to sample various baijiu products, savor local delicacies, and participate in daily lucky draws. The event’s draw extends far beyond provincial borders, with fans already traveling from Hunan and Sichuan. The buzz has even reached distilleries outside Guizhou, several of which have already expressed interest in joining next year’s competition.

Why Distillers Are Playing Football

China’s baijiu industry is undergoing a quiet revolution. For decades, its consumer base was dominated by middle-aged men purchasing premium bottles for corporate banquets. However, that demographic is shrinking: between 2020 and 2024, the number of male drinkers aged 35 to 55 plummeted by 28 million.

Meanwhile, younger consumers aged 18 to 35 now represent 34% of baijiu sales. Unlike the older generation, they drink for personal enjoyment rather than to impress clients.

Football is a cheap way to reach them. China has about 289 million football fans, and more than 60 per cent are under 35.

Guizhou is no stranger to the impact of grassroots sports. The province’s “Village Super League” (Cun Chao) and “Village BA (Cun BA) —both amateur tournaments—have already demonstrated how local sports can transform remote counties into premier tourist destinations. During the October 2025 holiday alone, Rongjiang County generated 690 million yuan (approx. £74 million) in revenue from visitors drawn to the Village Super League.

The new baijiu league takes this blueprint a step further. While previous tournaments were built around villages, these teams revolve around corporate identity. In Renhuai—a city home to nearly 1,000 baijiu distilleries, including Moutai—five distinct teams are competing in the league, each under their own distillery's banner. This represents an unprecedented integration of industry and sport.

A Region Learns to Act as One

The league reflects a broader strategic shift. Historically, baijiu brands marketed themselves independently, but Guizhou is now positioning the entire region as a unified brand—mirroring the collective marketing seen in the world’s premier wine appellations.

In March, Renhuai—the heart of the Zunyi baijiu production hub—hosted its inaugural half-marathon. Fifteen thousand runners traced the Chishui River, a waterway lined with prestigious distilleries such as Moutai, Langjiu, Diaoyutai, and Guotai. Local officials reported that the event generated over 60 million yuan in direct spending.

The provincial government aims to establish ten internationally recognized sporting events by 2027, with the Zunyi Baijiu Super League serving as a cornerstone of this initiative.

On the pitch, the distillers-turned-footballers have embraced the tournament with passion. One stadium banner perhaps captures the spirit best: “Fill your glass. Every game is a home game.”

For the baijiu industry, the "baijiu + sports" model offers a way to reduce inventory, reach new consumers, and create new consumption occasions. Following an initial strategic pivot in 2024, Guizhou Province began aggressively promoting the integration of baijiu with tourism and sports in 2025.

Source: Yunjiu Media, Zunyi City News and Media Center