Nam Dinh Steel Blue confirmed that it will participate in the Southeast Asian Club Championship (ASEAN Club Championship) for the 2025-2026 season according to an official invitation from the Southeast Asian Football Federation (AFF).
By participating in this additional tournament, Nam Dinh will compete in 5 arenas including the National Super Cup, V.League, National Cup, AFC Champions League Two and the Southeast Asian Club Championship. This is the first time a Vietnamese team has competed in 5 tournaments in a season.
If they go deep in the tournaments, the team from Thanh Nam can play at least 56 matches, surpassing the record of 47 matches of Hanoi club in 2019.
Faced with great pressure on the competition schedule, coach Vu Hong Viet said that the team will have a plan to increase the force. In addition to the return of midfielder Nguyen Xuan Son after injury, Nam Dinh is looking for more quality domestic and foreign players.
Coach Vu Hong Viet shared: "We need to clearly identify each specific goal in the new season. After celebrating the championship, I and the leaders will sit down together to discuss carefully the upcoming direction."
Currently, Nam Dinh is the only team in Vietnam to confirm their participation in the 2025-2026 Southeast Asian Club Championship. This tournament does not have specific ticket selection regulations, but champion and runner-up teams in domestic tournaments are often invited to participate.
Last season, Thanh Hoa and Hanoi Police were the two representatives of Vietnam, in which Hanoi Police won the runner-up position.
