2026 National U11 Football Championship – Nestlé MILO Cup Finals Officially Kick Off
This afternoon (24 July), the opening ceremony and the first exciting matches of the Final Round of the 2026 National U11 Football Championship – Nestlé MILO Cup officially took place at the Đắk Lắk Provincial Indoor Sports Arena.
The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. Nguyễn Phan Khuê, Editor-in-Chief of Thieu Nien Tien Phong va Nhi Dong Newspaper and Head of the Tournament Organising Committee; Ms. Đinh Thị Thu Trang, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and Co-Head of the Tournament Organising Committee; and Mr. Trần Hồng Tiến, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Đắk Lắk Province.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Nguyễn Phan Khuê highlighted the significance and enduring role of the National U11 Football Championship throughout its 29-year history. He described the tournament as a vital platform for discovering and nurturing young football talent, producing many players who have gone on to represent Vietnamese football at the highest level, including Nguyễn Quang Hải, Đỗ Duy Mạnh, Phạm Tuấn Hải, Nhâm Mạnh Dũng, and Khuất Văn Khang.
Immediately after the opening whistle, the tournament’s opening match between hosts Đắk Lắk U11 and Phú Thọ U11 delivered a thrilling contest. Nicknamed the “Little Bản Đôn Elephants,” the home side showed great determination from the outset, but the visitors’ resilience ensured a dramatic 4–4 draw, with both teams sharing the points after an entertaining encounter.
Earlier in the day, the opening fixtures in Groups C and D saw several title contenders make strong starts to their campaigns.
In Group C, Hải Phòng U11 secured a comfortable 2–0 victory over Thuận An Ho Chi Minh City U11. Meanwhile, H.Y.S Hà Nội U11 underlined their attacking strength with an emphatic 6–1 win against Đồng Tháp U11.
In Group D, LPBank Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) U11 opened their campaign with a 2–0 victory over Thái Nguyên U11. In the other match, Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh U11 claimed all three points in convincing fashion, defeating Navy Đức Nhuận Ho Chi Minh City U11 3–0.
The tournament’s group stage and knockout rounds will continue at the Đắk Lắk Provincial Indoor Sports Arena through 5 August, promising many more exciting and competitive matches.
The Organising Committee would like to express its sincere appreciation to the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Đắk Lắk Province, Nestlé Vietnam Ltd. (MILO brand) as the title sponsor, Động Lực Sports Joint Stock Company as the Official Match Ball Sponsor, and Ocean Edu International English System as the Official Partner for their invaluable support in making this meaningful sporting festival possible for Vietnam’s young footballers.
