Opening Ceremony of the Student Football Festival

On the afternoon of January 9th, a vibrant student sports atmosphere enveloped the campus of Ton Duc Thang University (Ho Chi Minh City) as the 2026 Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament officially opened.

The head of the organizing committee, journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan, speaks at the opening ceremony. Photo: Doc Lap .

Organized by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Student Association, in collaboration with Thanh Nien Newspaper and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the tournament continues to affirm its position as the largest student football competition in the country.

This is an annual tournament within the VFF's national competition system, held during a significant period, from the commemoration of the Vietnamese Student and Youth Traditional Day (January 9th) to the series of events celebrating the founding day of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (March 26th) and Vietnamese Sports Day (March 27th).

The opening ceremony was attended by leaders of the Vietnam Journalists Association , representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), and the principals of many universities, academies, and colleges nationwide. Speaking at the ceremony, the head of the organizing committee, Nguyen Ngoc Toan, emphasized that the tournament is not simply a competition but also an environment for students to cultivate a spirit of fair play, discipline, and build a civilized culture of cheering in school sports.

The 2026 season is expected to be large-scale, with 60 teams registering to participate. Of these, 59 teams will advance to the qualifying rounds in four regions: Hanoi , Central Coast, Southwest, and Ho Chi Minh City. The Ho Chi Minh City region alone will set a new record with 35 teams competing to select 6 outstanding representatives for the final round.

According to the plan, the final round of the Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament 2026 will take place in early March 2026 at Nha Trang University (Khanh Hoa), promising to bring exciting football festivals for students nationwide.

Source: https://znews.vn/khai-mac-ngay-hoi-bong-da-sinh-vien-post1618389.html