Inner Mongolia Football Super League match in Ordos sets new attendance record

On May 30, the third-round home match of the Mengniu 2026 Inner Mongolia Football Super League took place at the Ordos Sports Development Center Stadium. The live audience reached 46,781, setting a new attendance record for the league.

The atmosphere inside the stadium was electric. Fans dressed in purple and blue waved flags and inflatable clappers, their cheers rising and falling with every attack and save. Each seat was thoughtfully provided with a small horn, helping to create a passionate home-field environment. The players delivered an intense and fast-paced contest, with Ordos relying on possession-based tactics while Tongliao posed constant threats on the counterattack. Though neither team managed to find the net, their determination and skill earned heartfelt applause from the crowd.

The event was jointly organized by Ordos City and the Ejin Horo Banner, operating under a “government sets the stage, enterprises perform, and the people benefit”model. Multiple sectors including sports, culture, tourism, commerce, and agriculture were brought together to create an immersive, multi-dimensional experience.

A bustling special market was set up near the stadium, featuring a wide array of local agricultural and livestock products such as dairy items, sea buckthorn, camel milk, roasted lamb leg, and honey. Licensed team jerseys, fan merchandise, intangible cultural heritage crafts, and creative cultural products were also on display. A dedicated local food zone drew long lines, bringing beloved regional recipes from farms and villages to the public table, allowing fans and visitors to enjoy authentic flavors while watching the game.

In an innovative effort to boost farmers' incomes, ten resident village secretaries from Ejin Horo Banner became “product ambassadors” and launched live-streaming sessions at the stadium. By channeling the event's massive foot traffic and online attention into live e-commerce, they effectively turned sports-driven momentum into tangible earnings for local herders and farmers.

Cultural performances were an integral part of the evening. During the warm-up, a series of well-known melodies sparked collective memories across the stadium. A student troupe presented a graceful traditional top-ballet dance, a classic form of Ordos folk dance. Later, a nationally award-winning dance piece brought both warmth and strength to the stage, while original local songs ignited the audience's pride for Ordos.

The opening ceremony was particularly creative. A performance combining singing and dancing featured a striking backdrop of solar panel arrays, showcasing Ordos'confidence as a major national new energy hub. When a children's choir and a local elementary school chorus performed together, the giant solar panel arrays slowly turned to reveal a brilliant blue-green landscape, perfectly echoing the event's “zero-carbon” theme and highlighting Ordos' commitment to green transformation. The ceremony also included the traditional flag presentations, player and referee entries, and the raising of the national flag and singing of the national anthem.

A special moment came during the kick-off, which was jointly performed by a resident village first secretary and two outstanding young football players from Ordos. This symbolic gesture connected the cause of rural revitalization with the dreams of the next generation — the first secretary representing grassroots dedication to rural development, and the young players embodying the region's sporting future. It served as a vivid expression of how sports can empower rural communities, while also signaling the continuity of Ordos' development across generations.

At halftime, the audience was treated to a gold medal-winning traditional Mongolian dance piece that blended intricate choreography inspired by equestrian traditions with modern rhythms, capturing the spirit and culture of Ordos. This was followed by a powerful group performance by local workers, showcasing the vibrant energy of the industrial workforce and drawing huge cheers from the stands.

The record-breaking attendance of 46,781 not only set a new benchmark for the Mengchao League but also demonstrated the vitality and charm of Ordos as a city. It reflected the strong execution capacity achieved through close coordination between the city and its banners, operating as one cohesive unit.

In recent years, Ordos has been actively exploring new models of “sports+” development. The city has introduced an innovative collaborative hosting mechanism, where different banners take turns co-hosting home matches, each leveraging its unique resources to create distinctive event brands. As the co-host of this match, Ejin Horo Banner used the Mengchao League as a platform to promote deep integration of sports, tourism, culture, commerce, and agriculture. By linking spectating, entertainment, and consumption through a single ticket, the event not only enriched the cultural and recreational life of the public but also injected new energy into the local economy and provided a valuable platform for investment promotion.