The work aims to investigate the distribution and regional difference of the semi-volatile contaminants of recycled PET (rPET). Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-QTOF-MS) was used to tentatively identify the semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) from different regions, after which OPLS-DA was performed to investigate the regional difference, key different compounds and their affecting factors. A total of 90 and 260 semi-volatile organic compounds were tentatively identified in rPET from Guangdong region and north region, respectively. In the meantime, 1,1'-[1,2-oxalylbis(oxy)]bisphenyl and nonanal dimethyl acetal were the most frequently detected semi-volatile organic compounds. Furthermore, OPLS-DA revealed that and accounted for 0.98 and 0.932, proving that significant differences were observed in the semi-volatile organic compounds of rPET from Guangdong region and north region. Herein, dibutyl phthalate, undecane, 2-hydroxyethyl methyl terephthalate were the key different compounds. The regional difference of rPET is attributed to the additives, degradation of other plastics, and residuals of fragrances. The semi-volatile organic compounds in rPET differ significantly between regions and regional traceability of rPET can be achieved by combining semi-volatile organic compounds with chemometrics.