A draw of the national premier league V.League 1, was conducted yesterday in Hà Nội. The new season will begin on February 3 and end in August. Photo courtesy of VFP

HÀ NỘI — Defending champions Hà Nội will play Viettel in the opening match of the V.League 1 season 2023 on February 3.

It will be a capital derby as both teams are based in Hà Nội and promise a competitive match from two of the strongest sides in Việt Nam.

The new season's draw was conducted in Hà Nội yesterday with the participation of all 14 team representatives.

Newly promoted Public Security will face  Bình Định in another match which is also a focus of the first round.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai will host Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh, who avoided relegation in the dying minutes of last season, while runners-up Hải Phòng will entertain former champions Becamex Bình Dương at their Lạch Tray Stadium.

Another new face, Khánh Hòa, will welcome Thanh Hóa on home ground at the Nha Trang's August 19 Stadium.

At the same time, Nam Định will play Sông Lam Nghệ An while HCM City will face Đà Nẵng at the Thống Nhất.

The new season tournament's draw was conducted in Hà Nội yesterday with the participation of all 14 team representatives.

The tournament will be divided into two parts. In the first, teams will compete in a round-robin format.

Based on the result of the first part of the season, organisers will make up two different branches. The six teams with the highest points will play with each other for the championship title, while the lowest eight will fight to avoid relegation.

Only one team will be relegated to V.League 2 next season.

Hà Nội players celebrate their win against Viettel last season. The two sides will meet in the opener of the 2023 season on February 3 at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium in Hà Nội. — Photo courtesy of VPF

The tournament will end earlier than usual to give organisers enough time to prepare for the 2023-34 season, when the domestic season will synchronise with European and world calendars following the suggestion from FIFA and the AFC.

In 2023, clubs are allowed to play with three foreign players and a naturalised one. An overseas Vietnamese player is expected to be permitted, with a final decision expected in the next few weeks.

Clubs representing Việt Nam in international tournaments can add another foreigner to their squad, making it four in total, providing at least one from a AFC member federation.

“The national tournament is organised from the autumn of this year to the summer of the following year and will be a turning point for Việt Nam football," said Nguyễn Minh Ngọc, general director of Việt Nam Professional Football Company. "Football develops every day, and we can't stay outside of the world trend. We need to adjust, adapt and grow well in the new period. 2023 will be a key point for our change."

Ngọc, also head of the organising board, said 2023 is a key point because the video assistant referee (VAR) will be used for the first time.

"Preparation activities for VAR are carrying well. We are training referees and will test the VAR system as in plan," he said.

VPF has recently signed a contract with FPT Play as their official media partner. All matches of the national tournaments will be aired live on FPT Play's various platforms, such as terrestrial, cable, satellite, IPTV, Internet, mobile and social networks.

The two sides will also produce sidelined programmes, including experts' analysis, players and coaches' previews and reviews, and sports journalists' comments and predictions, which are to provide different angles of the games for supporters. VNS