The relegation battle is incredibly intense right from the start of the season: HAGL is struggling, and the former V-League champions are in trouble?

The relegation battle in the V-League 2025-2026 promises to be intense, with two teams already certain to be relegated.

The V-League relegation battle is heating up.

With two direct relegation spots in the 2025-2026 season, the V-League has become more intense and dramatic than ever before.

Unlike previous years, when only the bottom of the table posed a risk of relegation to the First Division, and the second-to-last position still offered hope for a play-off spot (usually where a V-League representative would beat a First Division team), this season the risk of relegation is doubled, as even 13th place means saying goodbye to the league.

SLNA (in white) and Da Nang FC may have to compete to avoid relegation this season.

PHOTO: DONG NGHI

According to Mr. Tran Anh Tu, Vice President in charge of professional affairs of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), having two relegation spots will encourage V-League teams to play with passion and give their all until the very last match. There will no longer be cases where teams lose motivation and don't play their best because of a sense of loyalty or obligation, as has been the case for many years.

In previous seasons, teams that were relegated, such as Binh Dinh (2024-2025), Khanh Hoa (2023-2024), Da Nang (2023), Saigon (2022), and Quang Nam (2020), all shared a common characteristic: young players or financial resources that were inferior to the general standard.

Even the fact that a team that finished as runner-up last season is relegated this season, like Binh Dinh, is not surprising, because when they run out of money and lose all their good players to other teams, the team from Binh Dinh collapses as a matter of course. Candidates for relegation are often "identified" before the season starts, and the reality usually doesn't differ much from the predictions.

In terms of strength, this season the teams that will likely be fighting for survival are probably still in the following group: HAGL, Ha Tinh , SLNA, and Da Nang.

Unpredictable

HAGL has been battling to avoid relegation in 8 out of the last 10 seasons, usually only securing safety in the final 2 or 3 rounds. This season, coach Le Quang Trai's squad is even younger and more vulnerable, as a number of key players such as Minh Vuong, Ngoc Quang, Quang Nho, Ly Duc... have left Pleiku, leaving behind a squad lacking experience.

HAGL has a very young squad.

PHOTO: HAGL CLUB

With a host of "raw talents" like Trung Kien, Hoang Minh, Quang Kiet, Gia Bao... HAGL will enter the V-League with the youngest squad in a decade. Ten years ago, the generation of Tuan Anh and Cong Phuong, despite receiving training in Europe and playing in many international tournaments, had to wait until the final rounds to secure their safety in 13th place. So, with an even younger and more inexperienced squad, where will HAGL end up?

Another young team struggling to find its way is SLNA. The former V-League champions have been in decline for the past eight years, since their last peak in the 2017 National Cup. SLNA has a good youth development program, but talented players often leave Vinh Stadium to seek new opportunities once they reach their peak. Therefore, despite producing many stars for Vietnamese football, SLNA's performance remains inconsistent. Last season, the team from Nghe An was praised for using many young players, but paradoxically, these "young shoots" were not protected by the sturdy "old bamboo" that would have allowed them to progress further than just fighting to avoid relegation.

SLNA will have to make a great effort to avoid the struggle of avoiding relegation.

SLNA (in yellow jerseys) has been familiar with the relegation battle for many years.

Another former champion, Da Nang, also needs to put in a lot of effort if they want to avoid relegation. Last season, coach Le Duc Tuan's team exploded in the final stages to secure a play-off spot after being bottom of the table for more than half the season. However, Da Nang's survival probably also stemmed from... the extremely poor performance of Binh Dinh FC (17 winless matches). It was simply a case of the worse team being relegated, while the less bad team remained in the V-League.

Without improving the quality of their foreign players and strengthening their domestic squad, Da Nang FC may continue to struggle this season, as neither their players nor their coaches are outstanding.

Ha Tinh FC has parted ways with two key figures in last season's success: coach Nguyen Thanh Cong and center-back Adou Minh. The Central Vietnam representative has a moderately strong squad, and their fifth-place finish last season needs time to be assessed as a result of true class or a temporary surge in form. Ha Tinh FC needs to accumulate points quickly if they don't want to be drawn into a survival race.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cuoc-dua-tranh-xuong-hang-cuc-nong-ngay-dau-mua-hagl-kho-tho-cuu-vuong-v-league-lao-dao-185250817000331327.htm