Fierce relegation race is good for V.League 2025/26

After 10 rounds, V.League 2025/26 is not only hot in the championship race, but also on fire at the bottom of the table. While Ninh Binh FC, Cong An Ha Noi or Viettel are creating a three-horse force at the top, behind, five teams HAGL, SLNA, Da Nang, PVF-CAND and Thanh Hoa are fighting together to avoid relegation.

The gap between them is very fragile. Just one win can change the whole position. But one defeat is enough to fall into the dangerous abyss. For this group, every match is like an “early final”, where the score is more important than the way of playing.

The four teams PVF-CAND, Da Nang , HAGL and SLNA have something in common: a young force. They have many players who have played for the U23 or U20 Vietnam teams, but the V.League is a different environment. Pressure, collision and courage are the deciding factors. Small mistakes can cost the whole match.

However, youth is still a valuable source of energy. Song Lam Nghe An is the clearest example. After appointing coach Van Sy Son, the Nghe An team has improved. Against Ninh Binh - the top team - they played confidently, only losing because of a moment of brilliance from their opponent. That is a sign that if they maintain their spirit, young players can mature very quickly.

While technical issues can be fixed, financial crises are a real “nightmare”. Thanh Hoa FC is a case in point. From a phenomenon of the past two seasons, they fell into free fall when Chairman Cao Tien Doan was arrested. The entire team is owed four months’ salary, causing players’ morale to plummet.

Coach Choi Won-Kwon tries to maintain stability, but in football, it is difficult to demand high performance when players lose motivation to play. Thanh Hoa still has spectators and tradition, but cannot win if confidence is shaken.

Another factor that makes the difference between the top and bottom teams is the quality of foreign players. Teams like Ninh Binh, Cong An Ha Noi, The Cong or Hai Phong are flying high thanks to foreign strikers in good form.

SLNA (yellow shirt) is trying to get out of the crisis.

Alan (CAHN) scored 8 goals, Fred Friday (Hai Phong) scored 6, and Daniel Da Silva (Ninh Binh) had 4. They were the ones who decided the match in just one moment. Meanwhile, many teams in the bottom group had to struggle to find the feeling of scoring goals, when foreign players could not show their true value.

However, the relegation race is not bleak. HAGL, SLNA or Thanh Hoa still show strong fighting spirit. They lack stability, but not lack ambition. Each of their matches always contains emotions and surprises.

The “six-point games” for the remainder of the season promise to decide the fate of many teams. When the gap is only a few points, a goal or a small mistake can change the situation.

V.League 2025/26 is showing a rare balance. No team is absolutely safe, and no team has lost all opportunities. This battle for survival will be even more fierce in the second half of the season, where character and will will decide everything.

At the bottom of the rankings, the fire still burns. Not for the title, but for the right to continue to survive in the highest level of Vietnamese football.

Source: https://znews.vn/khoc-liet-cuoc-dua-tru-hang-la-dieu-tot-cho-vleague-202526-post1600219.html