V-League 2025-2026: Football in Central Vietnam in turmoil.

Ahead of the 2025-2026 V-League season, Quang Nam FC faces the risk of dissolution due to a lack of sponsorship.

Người Lao Động•22/07/2025

Quang Nam, Da Nang , and Binh Dinh were once "giants" of the V-League, achieving great success. However, at the end of the 2024-2025 season, Binh Dinh FC was relegated to the First Division and faces the risk of dissolution due to limited operating funds. Meanwhile, Quang Nam and Da Nang struggled to avoid relegation from the V-League, but their journey back to the top of the domestic league is still a long way off.

The Quang Nam football team is at risk of dissolution.

The V-League 2025-2026 Organizing Committee announced the competition regulations and conducted the draw for the pairings on July 14th. Accordingly, Quang Nam will kick off the new season by hosting Song Lam Nghe An at Tam Ky Stadium on August 15th.

However, the Quang Nam team unexpectedly announced the possibility of disbanding or merging with Da Nang FC because they have not yet found a sponsor for the new season. The Quang Nam FC leadership stated that the team is pursuing two options, including proposing to the city's People's Committee and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to direct efforts to find and invite local businesses to sponsor the team so that it can continue to maintain and develop sustainably.

In the absence of a new sponsor, the team's leadership proposed transferring all staff, employees, athletes, and young players belonging to Quang Nam Football Development Joint Stock Company, Quang Nam Football Club, and Quang Nam Youth Football Training Center to SHB Da Nang Sports Joint Stock Company for management.

With the V-League 2025-2026 season less than a month away, finding sponsors for Quang Nam FC has become difficult. Immediately after receiving the announcement from the club's leadership, the players on trial packed their bags and left the Tam Ky headquarters.

A representative from Quang Nam FC stated: "The company's leadership's stance is that any player who decides to stay will be considered, and any player who wishes to leave will be given every opportunity to do so."

Binh Dinh and Khanh Hoa provinces are finding it difficult to maintain operations.

Prior to the 2025-2026 season, Binh Dinh FC is expected to only be able to maintain minimal operations in the First Division with a budget of 30 billion VND. Furthermore, a merger with Hoang Anh Gia Lai is also being considered, following the consolidation of Binh Dinh and Gia Lai provinces on July 1st, 2025. However, the club's leadership has decided to remain in the First Division for the 2025-2026 season, continuing to use the current core squad to compete in this tournament.

The Bình Định club's leadership stated that the policy has been decided, but the personnel situation and training schedule will only be finalized next week: "We have decided that Gia Lai province will still have two professional teams. Hoàng Anh Gia Lai Club will be managed by Mr. Đoàn Nguyên Đức, while Bình Định Club will be managed by Hưng Thịnh Group. We have just finalized the personnel, restructured the team, from players to coaching staff, and will complete the personnel restructuring in the near future."

Bóng đá miền Trung lao đao - Ảnh 1. — Quang Nam FC may not participate in the V-League 2025-2026. (Photo: VPF)

Similarly, the future of Khanh Hoa FC looks bleak as its managing entity has just sent a document to the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee requesting the termination of the team's operations. Khanh Hoa FC's existence as a subsidiary of a state-owned enterprise is no longer consistent with the restructuring plan set by the Government for the 2021-2025 period. Furthermore, its football activities are considered outside its core business, violating current legal regulations for public enterprises.

Therefore, whether the team will continue to exist or not still depends on the decision of the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, the local governing body. Previously, the "coastal city" team had proactively parted ways with a number of experienced players to focus on rebuilding its squad with young local talents.

Following reports that the 2025-2026 V-League season might have only 13 participating teams, both the VFF and VPF have confirmed that they have not received any official document regarding Quang Nam FC's withdrawal from the 2025-2026 V-League or its request to merge with Da Nang FC.