V-League is hot at both ends

NEARLY 50% OF CHAMPIONSHIP CLUB

Nam Dinh FC has dominated the V-League in the last two seasons and they have also shown their desire to make a hat-trick of championships, as shown by their deals in the transfer market. The team from the South has retained all of its key players, while also adding to the weak positions, with central defender Dang Van Toi, defender A Mit, midfielder Eid Mahmoud and striker Kyle Hudlin. These new players have all integrated well, especially Hudlin, who scored twice in the National Super Cup match against Hanoi Police Club (CAHN).

However, Nam Dinh FC's journey to defend the title will certainly face many challenges. The first competitor is CAHN FC, the team that defeated the V-League champion in the National Super Cup match. Coach Alexandre Polking's team still maintains the quality of the attack with Quang Hai, Alan Grafite, Leo Artur. They also patched up the defense with young, strong, and skilled new players such as Pham Ly Duc and Adou Minh. At this time, CAHN FC's squad is more balanced than last season.

The two remaining teams in the capital are not out of the race. Viettel The Cong Club brought in a series of good players, including top scorer Lucao, Dang Van Tram, Lee Williams... In total, they recruited 10 new players for their ambition to return to the top of Vietnamese football. Meanwhile, Hanoi Club is not too active in the shopping phase thanks to its deep, stable squad with many national team players. Their most notable deal was the recruitment of midfielder Hendrio Araujo, a former U.16 Barca player.

PHOTO: MINH TU

Ninh Binh Club and Ho Chi Minh City Police Club do not have the same depth of squad as the above 4 teams. However, their forces are also very formidable. Both have the pillars of the Vietnamese national team in their squad, and have recruited many high-quality, high-value foreign players, so they cannot be left out of the championship race.

V-League: UNPREDICTABLE RACE TO AVOID RECESSION

In the 2025-2026 season, the two teams at the bottom of the V-League table will be directly relegated, and the 13th-placed team will not be able to play a play-off with the runner-up of the first division like last season. Therefore, the relegation race will be much more fierce and difficult. The lower-ranked teams understand this and are actively preparing for the new season. In addition to buying players, underrated clubs such as HAGL and Da Nang have training trips abroad (HAGL goes to Thailand, Da Nang Club goes to Singapore). This is a valuable time, helping players gain experience, maintain their physical condition, and at the same time "change the wind", increasing excitement before the new season.

PVF-CAND Club, the team that replaced Quang Nam Club, also significantly improved its strength. They filled the gap in experience with a series of veteran players such as Truong Van Thai Quy, Joseph Mpande or Hoang Vu Samson. With the addition of U.23 Vietnam players such as Nguyen Hieu Minh, Nguyen Bao Long, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Nguyen Xuan Bac..., Coach Thach Bao Khanh's team is ready to create surprises. Therefore, the teams in the middle group such as Hai Phong Club, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa cannot be subjective.

V-League 2025 - 2026 therefore promises to be a "hot" season at both ends of the rankings. In the upper group, nearly half of the teams aim to win the championship, creating an unprecedentedly fierce race. In the lower group, the direct pressure of relegation makes every point precious. At that time, each match will be like a final match.