Opening Ceremony of the 2026 National U17 Football Championship Finals – Rồng Đỏ Cup
On the afternoon of 16 July, at Pleiku Stadium in Gia Lai Province, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF), in coordination with the Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and relevant agencies, held the opening ceremony of the 2026 National U17 Football Championship Finals – Rồng Đỏ Cup.
16/07/2026 17:15:24
The ceremony was attended by Nguyen Van Y, Deputy Director of the Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Nguyen Tan Anh, VFF Executive Committee Member; and Dinh Thi Thu Trang, VFF Deputy General Secretary. Representing the tournament’s title sponsor, Joseph Ryan Consul, Marketing Director of URC Vietnam Co., Ltd., was also in attendance.
Taking place from 16 to 29 July at two venues — Pleiku Stadium and Ham Rong Sports Centre in Gia Lai — the 2026 National U17 Football Championship Finals – Rồng Đỏ Cup feature the 12 best teams to emerge from the qualifying round.
The tournament is an important annual competition in the national youth football system organised by the VFF. It provides a high-quality competitive environment for young players to gain experience and develop their technical abilities, while also serving as a foundation for the national youth teams to identify and select players for the years ahead.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on behalf of the VFF, VFF Deputy General Secretary Dinh Thi Thu Trang said that the 2026 National U17 Football Championship Finals – Rồng Đỏ Cup, featuring the 12 best teams from across the country, continues to affirm its role as an important platform for youth development efforts at local and club level.
Dinh Thi Thu Trang expressed her appreciation for the partnership of URC Vietnam Co., Ltd. as the tournament’s title sponsor, which contributes to enhancing the quality of the competition’s organisation and promoting the sustainable development of youth football in Vietnam.
The VFF representative also highlighted Vietnam U17’s historic achievement of qualifying for the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026 for the first time as clear evidence of the effectiveness of the country’s youth football development investment strategy in recent years. Building on that success, she expressed her hope that the players participating in this year’s tournament would continue to work hard in training, give their all in competition and gradually develop in order to contribute to the national teams in the future.
On this occasion, the VFF representative expressed her appreciation to the Gia Lai provincial authorities, LPBank Hoang Anh Gia Lai FC, training centres, clubs, sponsors, press and media agencies, and fans across the country for their continued support of youth football in Vietnam. She also wished all participating teams fair and united competition, with committed performances and exciting matches that would contribute to the overall success of the tournament.
Immediately after the opening ceremony, the 2026 National U17 Football Championship Finals – Rồng Đỏ Cup officially got underway with the first two Group A matches. At Pleiku Stadium, hosts LPBank Hoang Anh Gia Lai faced The Cong Viettel I, while PVF took on SHB Da Nang at Ham Rong Sports Centre. The two opening encounters promised an exciting atmosphere, marking the start of the 12-team battle for the championship title this season.
