Guangzhou F.C.

Guangzhou Football Club (simplified Chinese: 广州足球俱乐部; traditional Chinese: 廣州足球俱樂部; pinyin: Guǎngzhōu Zúqiú Jùlèbù), previously Guangzhou Evergrande (simplified Chinese: 广州恒大; traditional Chinese: 廣州恆大; pinyin: Guǎngzhōu Héngdà), was a Chinese professional football club based in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Historically, Guangzhou FC played its home matches at various grounds in their home city, most notably at Tianhe Stadium and Yuexiushan Stadium, and most recently at Huadu Stadium. The club's majority shareholders were the now-bankrupt Evergrande Real Estate Group and the e-commerce company Alibaba Group, while the rest of the shares were traded in the Chinese OTC system.

The club was founded in 1954, and won several second tier titles before turning professional in 1993. Their results improved, leading to a runners-up spot in China's top tier. Unable to improve upon these results, the club went through a period of stagnation and decline before they experienced a brief revival, when they won the 2007 second division. In 2009, the club was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal and was subsequently relegated. In 2010, the Evergrande Real Estate Group decided to purchase the club and pumped significant funds into the team. They immediately won promotion and gained their first top tier title in the 2011 season. Guangzhou was the most successful Chinese football club in continental competitions with two AFC Champions League titles (2013 and 2015), and participated in the FIFA Club World Cup in both years as a result. Between 2011 and 2017, Guangzhou won seven consecutive Chinese Super League titles, and after winning another Chinese Super League title in 2019, the club were relegated after the 2022 season amid financial difficulties. After the 2024 season, the club was dissolved due to failure to repay high debts.

According to a Forbes report from 2016, the team was valued at US$282 million, the highest out of all Chinese football teams, with a reported operating loss of over US$200 million in 2015.