What's interesting about V-League 2025-2026?

Today (August 15), V-League 2025-2026 will open with much anticipation from experts and fans.

The opening match of V-League 2025 - 2026 is expected to be very hot between The Cong - Viettel (left) and Cong An Ha Noi Club - Photo: NGOC LE

Notably, a rookie like Ninh Binh Club can completely compete for the championship with a squad consisting of many old and new stars.

Exciting race for both championship and relegation

With a superior force, Nam Dinh Club is aiming for the third consecutive championship that no other team has achieved, when bringing in 4 new high-class foreign players. In particular, striker Kyle Hudlin (2.06m tall) immediately proved his worth when scoring a double in his debut match for Nam Dinh Club in the 2025 National Super Cup against Cong An Ha Noi Club (CAHN).

CAHN also added many domestic and foreign stars. Among them are 2 overseas Vietnamese players, Adou Minh (France) and Brandon Ly (England), so that 4 overseas Vietnamese players can play at the same time to create a big advantage over their opponents. The two clubs Hanoi and The Cong - Viettel also expressed their ambition to win the championship this year.

With plenty of time to train, coach Velizar Popov promises to help the army team play brilliantly as he did with Thanh Hoa Club, which does not have many stars. The current runner-up Hanoi also brought in the anticipated star Willian Maranhao to compete for the championship. This defensive midfielder is the missing piece that Hanoi Club is lacking.

Meanwhile, in addition to Dang Van Lam and Hoang Duc, new recruit Ninh Binh brought in two stars Duc Chien and Chau Ngoc Quang, along with overseas Vietnamese talent Chung Nguyen Do (Tran Thanh Trung). V-League history has witnessed two newly promoted teams immediately winning the championship: Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) and CAHN. And Ninh Binh Club could also be the third team to do this.

The relegation race is also fierce. Instead of 1.5 spots like last season, V-League 2025-2026 has 2 direct relegation spots. This forces weaker teams to play more carefully. Among them, HAGL Club could be a potential candidate after letting a series of key players leave.

Many new features

A notable new feature is that the tournament will have a record number of derby matches after the localities merged their administrative boundaries and the return of the name Ho Chi Minh City Police Club (CATP, Ho Chi Minh City Club changed its name after the transfer). Specifically, there will be 12 derby matches for the entire season. Including new derbies between Ninh Binh - Nam Dinh, CATP - Becamex Ho Chi Minh City, CAHN - CATP. Meanwhile, in the 2024-2025 season, there will only be 6 derby matches concentrated in Hanoi between CAHN, Hanoi and The Cong - Viettel.

The number of foreign players being increased to 4 players registered per match (3 players playing on the field at the same time) is also another notable new feature instead of only allowing 3 players to be registered as last season. This not only contributes to improving the quality of matches and tournaments but also increases the competition between domestic and foreign players.

Teams also responded to the increase in foreign player quotas by racing to bring in expensive foreign players. CATP Club has the most expensive midfielder Matheus Felipe (Brazil) in V-League when the transfer website transfermarkt valued him at 1 million euros. Nam Dinh Club has defensive midfielder Njabulo Blom (950,000 euros) and goalkeeper Caique (800,000 euros). Hanoi Club has midfielder Willian Maranhao (900,000 euros) and Hong Linh Ha Tinh Club has striker Yevgeniy Serdyuk (800,000 euros).

Another new feature is that head coaches must have a Pro license from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) from 2026. Many coaches are taking the Pro coaching course from now until the end of the year to be eligible to lead, such as Vu Hong Viet (Nam Dinh), Phan Nhu Thuat (Song Lam Nghe An), Thach Bao Khanh (PVF-CAND). The teams are investing heavily, so this is the season where coaches also have to prove themselves a lot if they don't want to lose their jobs early. Remember that last season, 7/14 clubs had to change coaches mid-stream.

Tien Linh (left cover) is a quality addition to the Ho Chi Minh City Police Club - Photo: TTO

Rookie test

The opening match of V-League 2025 - 2026 between CAHN Hanoi Club and The Cong - Viettel taking place at 7:15 p.m. today (August 15) at Hang Day Stadium (FPT Play THTT) will be a quality test for the preparation process of the two candidates for the championship this season.

To prepare for the new season, CAHN Club has recruited famous midfielder of A-League (Australian Championship), Stephan Mauk, worth more than 20 billion VND. His appearance is expected to boost the effectiveness of foreign players who are playing very well in CAHN's current attack line, Alan Alexandre and Leo Artur.

The competition for positions in the CAHN defense is also fierce between key positions including Tran Dinh Trong, Bui Hoang Viet Anh and new recruits such as Pham Ly Duc or Adou Minh. Ly Duc is a promising player of the Vietnam national team. Adou had a very successful V-League season with Ha Tinh before.

As for The Cong - Viettel, their defense is reinforced by the presence of Vietnamese-American player Kyle Colonna and coach Popov's former student at Thanh Hoa Club, Dinh Viet Tu. In midfield, The Cong - Viettel recruited defensive midfielders Paulinho Curua, Damian Vu Thanh An and attacking midfielder Dinh Xuan Tien. They will join Wesley Nata to create an explosive front in the midfield.

On the attack line, The Cong - Viettel brought in striker Lucao do Break - who played very well for Hai Phong Club and before that for Hanoi Club. Lucao's physique, strength and aggressiveness are qualities that Coach Popov really likes. Therefore, Lucao will be a dangerous spearhead that puts great pressure on CAHN Club's defense.

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NGUYEN KHOI - NGOC LE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/v-league-2025-2026-co-gi-hap-dan-20250815100255585.htm