Football 

The national football leagues' draws are conducted on August 6 in Hà Nội. — Photos courtesy of VFF

HÀ NỘI — The national football championship will be exciting from the early round matches following a recent draw of the organising board which also launched its new brand identity to serve its stronger development in new period.

The Vietnam Professional Football Company (VPF) conducted draws for the V.League 1, V.League 2 and National Cup on August 6 in Hà Nội.

Accordingly, there will be 14 teams competing in the national premier league, V.League 1, in the 2026-27 season. 

They will take part in 182 matches from September 4 to May 22, 2027.

The opening round promises plenty of excitements as defending champions Hà Nội Police begin their title defence against Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh at Hàng Đẫy Stadium. It will be a clash between one of the league's powerhouses and a proven giant-killer, with Hà Tĩnh having built a reputation for causing problems for the competition's strongest sides.

Former champions Thép Xanh Nam Định will take on Hoàng Anh Gia Lai in another intriguing opening-round fixture.

Nam Định, champions in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, remain one of the strongest contenders for the title.

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai, meanwhile, have not finished in the top three since winning their last league title, but they have earned a reputation for making life difficult for any opponent, particularly in the early stages of the season.

Other fixtures likely to capture supporters' attention include Hồ Chí Minh City Police's clash with Hà Nội FC and newcomers Bắc Ninh's meeting with traditional powerhouse Sông Lam Nghệ An.

In the new season, each team can register and field maximum four foreign players at the same time. This new rule is expected to improve the tournament's quality and competitiveness.

The champions will pocket VNĐ5 billion (US$190,000) while two runners-up will take VNĐ3 billion and VNĐ1.5 billion, respectively.

The two bottom-placed teams will be directly relegated to V.League 2, replacing the previous format in which one team were automatically relegated while another had the chance to retain its top-flight status through a relegation play-off.

The organisers said the change would make the battle to avoid relegation even fiercer and increase the competitiveness of the league until the final rounds.

The V.League 2 will feature 14 teams, competing from September 11 to May 16, 2027. The winning team will secure VNĐ2 billion.

The National Cup will see the participation of 27 teams of the V.League 1 and V.League 2. They will compete in the knockout round format from September 9, 2026, to May 30, 2027.

The top team will seize a VNĐ2 billion award.

New brand identities of the top three leagues of Việt Nam.

Also on August 6, VPF also published new identity and logo for all three tournaments.

The visual identity conveys the message World Game, Our Festival drawing inspiration from the numeral 8 and the infinity symbol; reflecting the strategic vision of developing the national competition into a professional, modern league while preserving the unique identity of Vietnamese football. — VNS