National Cup winner Hà Nội FC will see V.League runner-up in the opening match of the 2020 season on February 7. Photo giaoducthoidai.v

HÀ NỘI — The football 2020 season will kick off on February 7 with the Super Cup between V.League 1 and National Cup champions Hà Nội FC and league runners-up HCM City FC.

The Việt Nam Professional Football Company made the draw for all events on Friday in Hà Nội. The venue for the Super Cup has not been chosen yet.

The organisers have set two schedules for the tournaments due to the participation of the national U23 squad at the Asian Championship in January, which is also a qualifier for the Tokyo Olympics.

If they win a slot in Tokyo next summer, the National Cup will begin on February 9 and wrap up on October 31, the V.League 1 will be from February 22 to October 24 and the V.League 2 will be from February 29-September 26.

If the U23s fail to earn an Olympic berth, all three tournaments will kick off on the same day but end earlier. Specifically, the National Cup will end on October 3, the V.League 1 on September 26 and the V.League 2 on August 23.

There are 14 teams in the V.League 1 and 12 in the V.League 2.

In the new season, top tier clubs have been allowed to increase their number of foreigners from two to three together with one naturalised player. Clubs taking part in the AFC Cup and the ASEAN Clubs Championships can register four foreigners and one naturalised player.

The team who rank bottom of V.League 1 will be relegated to V.League 2 while the top team of V.League 2 will be promoted to the V.League 1 next season.

The V.League 1's second-from-bottom club will play with the V.League 2's second-placed team in a play-off match for a berth in the V.League 1 in 2021. VNS