V-League 2025 - 2026: Waiting for an answer from Quang Nam

According to the competition plan, the new V-League season will have 14 teams competing. The round-robin matches will be held twice (home and away) to determine the final ranking points. The two teams at the bottom of the table will be relegated to the First Division next season.

Southern football is silent

After parting ways with coach Phung Thanh Phuong, the HCM City Police Club (formerly HCM City Club) has yet to find a new "captain". There are many rumors that coach Le Huynh Duc will return and take the "hot seat" of the Thong Nhat Stadium team, but the Vietnamese football legend has yet to confirm his return to lead his old team.

Mr. Duc has more than 20 years of experience as a head coach in the V-League, leading many big teams and contributing to the Da Nang Club winning the tournament. He is considered the most skilled, experienced and talented coach in Vietnamese football. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh City football fans are eagerly waiting for the nod of this 53-year-old strategist.

V-League 2025 - 2026: Chờ câu trả lời từ Quảng Nam- Ảnh 1. — Quang Nam Club (left) has not yet confirmed its participation in V-League 2025 - 2026. (Photo: VPF)

During his football career, the former striker born in 1972 won the Vietnam Golden Ball 3 times and the V-League Top Scorer title 2 times. At the peak of his career, Mr. Le Huynh Duc shone in the HCM City Police Club, was the top scorer in domestic tournaments and won many titles for Southern football.

Moving into coaching, Mr. Le Huynh Duc led Da Nang Club to win 2 V-League championships and 1 National Cup, becoming one of the few people who had an illustrious career as both a player and a coach.

If he agrees to dock at the "red battleship", coach Le Huynh Duc is expected to help Ho Chi Minh City football return to its top position on the V-League map.

Meanwhile, unlike the bustling player shopping like last season, Becamex TP HCM (formerly B. Binh Duong Club) has been quiet in the transfer market ahead of the new season. The Go Dau team has successfully recruited midfielders Phan Thanh Hau, To Phuong Thinh, Nguyen Van Anh, striker Cao Quoc Khanh and goalkeeper Nguyen Van Cong. However, these "new recruits" are not highly rated for their professional quality.

At the end of the 2024 - 2025 season, Becamex Ho Chi Minh City Club said goodbye to a series of stars such as: Que Ngoc Hai, Vu Tuyen Quang, Cheick Timite, Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov, Janclésio Almeida Santos, Hai Huy and Nghiem Xuan Tu.

After changing to a new name, coach Nguyen Anh Duc's team has been actively recruiting to prepare for the 2025-2026 season. However, up to now, Becamex Ho Chi Minh City Club has only brought in one foreign player, Milos Zlatkovic. The 28-year-old Serbian center-back is expected to become a solid stopper for coach Nguyen Anh Duc's defense.

Number of participating teams not yet finalized

July 28 is the final date that VPF extended for Quang Nam Club to send a confirmation document on whether to participate in V-League 2025 - 2026 or not, but the Quang Nam team continued to request to postpone the response to the tournament organizers until the afternoon of July 30.

After calling for sponsorship to continue maintaining the team, Quang Nam Club initially received support from 2 businesses. However, the negotiation process between the two sides was not smooth, as the operating budget was not enough to build a new team of players and coaching staff.

The delay in confirming Quang Nam Club's participation in the new V-League season by the leadership of the club has affected the tournament's organization and also somewhat lowered the professional quality and professionalism of Vietnam's leading football playground.

Quang Nam FC was crowned V-League champion in 2017, so if the team continues to exist, it will be a joy for Quang Nam football fans. However, if they participate in V-League 2025 - 2026 with a patchwork, poor quality squad, the possibility of the Tam Ky team being relegated is very high.

If Quang Nam registers to participate in the 2025-2026 season, VFF will not need to implement the plan to promote a team from the National First Division to replace them, meaning Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc Club will no longer have the opportunity to participate in the V-League this season.