The club was established as Wuhan Shangwen (Simplified Chinese: 武汉尚文) in 2013 by the Wuhan Football Association and private investment from the Wuhan Benhui Group, to mainly focus on the development of youth players.[1] In 2018, the club started to participate in the Wuhan Super League, and finished second right behind Wuhan Chufeng Heli. They also participated in the 2018 Chinese Champions League, and made it to the final round of 16 before being eliminated by Nanjing Shaye.
Road to winning the Super League
Ranking 11th in the 2018 Chinese Champions League, the club was later admitted into 2019 China League Two to fill the gap left by a withdrawn team, right after changing their name to Wuhan Three Towns F.C. in January 2019.[2]
Albert Garcia Xicota would be appointed head coach of the club for the 2019 China League Two season and finished eleventh at the end of the season. The following campaign with the club, he would go on to guide them in winning the division title and promotion into the second tier.[3] In July 2021, Pedro Morilla was appointed as caretaker manager of the club; he had previously worked as techniques director.[4] In December 2021, he was promoted to manager for winning 14 matches in a row.[5] This achievement would see Wuhan going on to win the 2021 China League One division and promotion to the top tier.[6]
On 31 December 2022, Wuhan Three Towns won the 2022 Chinese Super League for the first time after several fixtures were cancelled due to a national COVID-19 outbreak. They were awarded a 3–0 win against Tianjin Jinmen Tiger, who had forfeited due to sick players, and had a better goal difference than Shandong Taishan to top the table.[7]
On 17 June 2023, Morilla stepped down from his role after only 3 wins from the first 12 league games of the season.[8] Japanese coach Tsutomu Takahata was appointed as his successor on the following day.[9]
On 28 August 2023, the club's investors announced their intention to withdraw funding from the team, as well as selling it for free.[10]
AFC Champions League debut
Wuhan Three Towns finished as league champions in the 2022 Chinese Super League season saw them qualified for the 2023–24 AFC Champions League group stage for the first time in the club history. They are drawn in group J with Urawa Red Diamonds, Pohang Steelers and Vietnamese club, Hanoi FC. On 20 September 2023, Wuhan Three Towns played their first ever AFC Champions League match against the defending champions Urawa Red Diamonds, which ended in a 2–2 draw at home.
^"武汉三镇官宣阿尔贝托下课 技术总监佩德罗任代理主帅" [Wuhan Threetowns sacked Albert Garcia, Pedro Morilla to work as caretaker]. sohu.com (in Chinese). 25 July 2021. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
^"武汉三镇官宣佩德罗转正主教练 率队霸气14连胜" [Wuhan Threetowns promote Pedro as manager]. sina.com.cn (in Chinese). 9 December 2021. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
