The Douyin Football Carnival – Qingdao Stop kicked off at Tiantai Stadium on the evening of May 18. Centered around a football tournament and creatively infused with local culture and tourism, the event's unique blend of "football+regional flair+celebrity performances" once again put Qingdao in the spotlight.

As a flagship IP event backed by social media giant Douyin, the Douyin Football Carnival has already been successfully held in provinces such as Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangdong, and Guangxi, with the Qingdao stop being co-hosted by Douyin and the Qingdao Municipal Office for Consumption Promotion with organizational support from the Publicity Department of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee, the Qingdao Municipal Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the Qingdao Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the Qingdao Bureau of Sports, the Qingdao chapter of the Communist Youth League (CYL) of China, and the Shinan District People's Government.

At the final match that evening, renowned actor Huang Bo, Olympic table tennis champion Chen Meng, and former FIFA World Player of the Year and Brazilian football legend Rivaldo were among the high-profile guests at Tiantai Stadium. The Qingdao event upheld the Douyin Football Carnival's inclusive spirit, aligning closely with the Qingdao Football Association Cup and drawing participation from 52 teams. Following preliminary rounds and knockout stages, Qingdao 1980 and Sakura FC met in the final. Reinforced by several former Qingdao Hainiu players, Qingdao 1980 clinched a commanding 3–0 victory to lift the championship trophy.