The joint consisting of the chord and web member is a key point in the concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) arch bridge. In this paper, the force transfer mechanism of joint in CFST arch bridges was studied by finite element method. Five refined finite element (FE) models for the joint were developed. The interaction between steel tube and core concrete, geometric nonlinearity and material nonlinearity were considered. The study parameters included interface condition between the steel and concrete (bonding and debonding), inner studs (with and without inner studs) on the internal surface of the chord and the diameter of web member. Finite element analysis (FEA) reveals the influence range of interface debonding, inner studs and the diameter of web member at the joint. Besides, reasonable suggestions for spacing of the stud in the joint was proposed. Specifically, 20 degrees in the circumferential direction and 9.3 times stud diameter in the longitudinal direction were advised.