Hà Nội FC are the representative of the V.League 1 in the AFC Champions League 2023-2024 group stage. Photo baogiaothong.vn

HÀ NỘI —  From the 2024-2025 season onwards, Vietnamese football clubs will no longer be able to secure a place in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.

Due to reforms brought in by the AFC, Việt Nam will lose access to the continent’s top competition. To refine football in Asia, the governing body has introduced a tier system where football clubs will now compete for spots in three, instead of two, competitions.

The club ranking to determine the slot allocation for the 2024-2025 season onwards will be based on the performance of the Member Associations’ (MAs) participating clubs from the previous eight years to reflect their historical performance better.

With the new format of the AFC, the V.League 1 is only ranked seventh in East Asia and has no representative to attend the AFC Champions League 2024-2025.

However, the Vietnamese national premiere league still has one direct slot for the AFC Cup and a playoff. 

In the 2023-2024 season, the V.League 1 still has one ticket to the AFC Champions League and one ticket to the AFC Cup.

Hà Nội FC qualified for the group stage of the AFC Champions League, while Hải Phòng FC earned the right to play in the AFC Champions League qualifiers or a direct slot in the AFC Cup. VNS