Draw for the 2026 National U21 Championship Qualifiers schedule

The draw to determine the match schedule for the 2026 National U21 Championship Qualifiers was conducted on the morning of June 19 at the VFF headquarters. This virtual ceremony saw participation from VFF officials, tournament organizers, and delegates of the competing clubs.

The qualifiers for the 2026 National U21 Football Championship will feature 17 teams from professional clubs, semi-professional clubs, youth training centers, and sports schools across the country. The participating teams include An Giang, Cong An Ha Noi, Dong A Thanh Hoa, Dong Nai, Ha Noi, Ha Noi Bulls, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Mekong Can Tho, PVF, PVF-CAND, SHB Da Nang, Song Lam Nghe An, Tay Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City, The Cong Viettel, Tre Phu Dong, and Gia Lai Province's Training and Youth Sports Center.

According to the group allocation, the 17 teams are divided into four groups. Group A will play at the Viettel Football Training Center, hosted by Viettel Sports One Member LLC, and includes Ha Noi, Ha Noi Bulls, PVF, and The Cong Viettel. Group B takes place at the PVF Youth Football Training Center in Hung Yen, hosted by PVF-CAND Sports Joint Stock Company, featuring Cong An Ha Noi, Dong A Thanh Hoa, Song Lam Nghe An, Tre Phu Dong, and PVF-CAND.

Group C is held at the Thanh Long Sports Center in Ho Chi Minh City, hosted by the Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation. This group consists of LPBank Hoang Anh Gia Lai, SHB Da Nang, Gia Lai Province's Training and Youth Sports Center, and Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, Group D is hosted by the Dong Nai Sports Training and Competition Center, with matches at the Dong Nai Sports Training and Competition Center and Binh Phuoc Stadium, involving four teams: An Giang, Mekong Can Tho, Tay Ninh, and Dong Nai.

In the qualifiers, teams will compete in a single round-robin format to determine rankings within each group. After the round concludes, the four group winners, four runners-up, and the three best third-placed teams will advance to the finals. This format promises intense competition, especially among the third-placed teams.

Due to uneven numbers of teams across groups, the organizing committee has introduced specific rules for comparing third-placed teams. Specifically, results of matches between a third-placed team and the last-placed team in larger groups will be excluded to ensure fairness in the number of matches considered. According to the regulations, if the host team of the finals is among the 11 best-performing teams, the remaining spot will be awarded to the next best third-placed team.

The qualifiers for the 2026 National U21 Football Championship are scheduled to take place from June 25 to July 5, 2026, while the finals will be held from July 12 to July 25, 2026. The opening matches include PVF vs. Ha Noi Bulls, The Cong Viettel vs. Ha Noi in Group A; Dong A Thanh Hoa vs. Tre Phu Dong, PVF-CAND vs. Cong An Ha Noi in Group B; Gia Lai Province's Training and Youth Sports Center vs. SHB Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City vs. Hoang Anh Gia Lai in Group C; and An Giang vs. Tay Ninh, Dong Nai vs. Mekong Can Tho in Group D. The official match schedule will be issued by the VFF in the near future.