A promising two-horse race is expected in the Central Coast region.

Yesterday (January 18th), the 4th Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament - 2026 THACO Cup (TNSV THACO Cup 2026) kicked off its qualifying rounds in the Central Coastal region. Alongside these were exciting matches in the Ho Chi Minh City and Southwest regions…

Báo Thanh niên•18/01/2026

CANDIDATES SHOW THEIR CAPABILITIES

The Season 1 champion, Hue University, and the reigning runner-up, Da Nang University of Physical Education and Sports, secured all three points in their opening match of the Central Coastal Region qualifying round, held at the Military Zone 5 Stadium (Da Nang). The format of four teams playing a round-robin tournament to determine the top team advancing to the finals required teams to give their all from the start and be extremely cautious, as a slip-up could lead to elimination. Despite being considered the stronger team, against the determined and disciplined Duy Tan University, Da Nang University of Physical Education and Sports only managed to score the opening goal near the end of the second half through Nguyen Van Chien. This goal relieved pressure on the reigning runner-up of the TNSV THACO Cup and forced Duy Tan University to switch to an attacking style of play. This exposed weaknesses, which Nguyen Nhat Huy successfully exploited, securing a 2-0 victory for Da Nang University of Physical Education and Sports.

Hứa hẹn cuộc đua song mã khu vực Duyên hải miền Trung- Ảnh 1. — The champions of the first season, Hue University (left), had a successful opening match.

The victory of the Da Nang University of Physical Education and Sports team has put some pressure on their competitor, the Hue University team, as they face the Phuong Dong College of Da Nang. The match was exciting and intense, and the efforts of Coach Nguyen Long Hai's players were rewarded with a goal from Phan Tien Dung in the 69th minute with a dangerous header. Showing their mettle to secure three crucial points in their opening match, the Hue University team and the Da Nang University of Physical Education and Sports team promise to create a two-horse race for a spot in the finals. The clash between these two teams in the final round will likely be the "final" of the Central Coastal region's qualifying round.

IMPRESSIVE TEAM FROM TON DUC THANG UNIVERSITY

After three seasons of automatically qualifying for the finals as the host team, at the 2026 THACO University Student Tournament, Ton Duc Thang University had to rely on their own efforts to secure a spot in the finals in Nha Trang. In this new situation, Coach Nguyen Dinh Long's team delivered an impressive performance in the Ho Chi Minh City regional qualifiers. Following their opening match victory against the Ho Chi Minh City University of Banking 6-0, Ton Duc Thang University continued their winning streak by defeating the Vietnam Aviation Academy 5-0 in the second match. In their final match yesterday, Coach Nguyen Dinh Long's team asserted their dominance with a 4-0 win against the Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology.

With a perfect 9 points, scoring 15 goals and conceding none, Ton Duc Thang University team finished first in Group 1, convincingly securing their place in the play-off round.

Meanwhile, in the second match of Group 9, the College of Transport and Communications team came from behind to defeat the University of Industry and Trade team with a score of 2-1. Two consecutive goals in the final minutes of the match rekindled hope for the College of Transport and Communications team. In this group, there are only 3 teams, with the advantage belonging to the University of Technology (Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City) as they currently have 3 points and only need a draw in their final match against the University of Industry and Trade to secure a place in the play-offs.

GAY CẤN REGION OF SOUTHWEST VIETNAM

The competition in Group B of the 2026 THACO Cup Southwest Region qualifiers at Dong Thap University was intense. Unable to secure all three points in their opening match with a draw against Can Tho University, Tra Vinh University played brilliantly yesterday, winning convincingly 7-0 against FPT University Can Tho. In the other match, Cuu Long University narrowly defeated Can Tho University 1-0, maintaining their top position with 6 points.

Therefore, the final match between Cuu Long University and Tra Vinh University will decide the group winner and the ticket to compete against the winner of Group A for a spot in the finals.