Opening ceremony of the 4th Vietnam Youth and Student Football Championship 2026 – THACO Cup
This afternoon (January 9), at Ton Duc Thang University Stadium, the opening ceremony of the 4th Vietnam Youth and Student Football Championship 2026 – THACO Cup officially took place.
12/01/2026 11:39:34
The opening ceremony of the 2026 Vietnam Youth and Student Football Championship (TNSV THACO Cup) was attended by numerous distinguished guests and delegates. Among the invited guests and representatives were Mr. Nguyen Duc Loi, Standing Vice President of the Vietnam Journalists Association; Mr. Le Thang Loi, Director of the Southern Center for Education and Training Development, representing the Ministry of Education and Training; and Mr. Do Van Toan, Deputy Head of the Sports Division of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports. Representing the co-organizing body in charge of the tournament’s technical matters were Mr. Nguyen Xuan Vu, Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), and Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hoi, Standing Member of the VFF Executive Committee.
Also attending the event were members of the boards of rectors of the universities, institutes, academies and colleges participating in the tournament; former national team players and legendary Vietnamese footballers from different generations; heads of delegation, coaching staff and players of the 35 teams from the Ho Chi Minh City region; match officials and referees on duty, as well as journalists and media representatives.
The Vietnam Youth and Student Football Championship is organized annually by Thanh Nien Newspaper in coordination with the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), under the assignment of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Central Committee of the Vietnam National Union of Students. The tournament takes place from the anniversary of Vietnamese Students’ Traditional Day on January 9 through celebrations of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union’s Foundation Day on March 26 and Vietnam Sports Day on March 27, and is included in the VFF’s national competition system.
The fourth season (2025–2026) features several notable highlights:
- Expanded scale: A total of 60 teams have registered, with 59 teams competing for 11 places in the finals from January 9 to January 27, 2026.
- New venue: For the first time, the finals will be hosted by Nha Trang University in Khanh Hoa Province in early March 2026.
- Intense competition: In the qualifying round, the Ho Chi Minh City region records a participation record with 35 teams vying for six tickets to Nha Trang.
The organizing committee emphasized the importance of fairness among match officials, strict verification of players’ eligibility documents, and called on all parties to uphold the spirit of “fair play, beautiful victories and positive support.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony on January 9—also marking the 40th anniversary of Thanh Nien Newspaper’s first publication—Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, expressed his gratitude to the partner organizations accompanying the tournament, including THACO, SaigonTourist and Ton Duc Thang University. He affirmed that the tournament aims to spread the love of football and contribute to the development of a generation of students who excel intellectually and stand out physically.
