Candidates for the 2024-2025 National First Division Championship

The dramatic reversal

In the difficult context of Vietnamese football at this stage, before the 2024-2025 season, the National First Division is facing the risk of falling into crisis. A series of clubs, for many reasons - mainly financial - are in situations such as unpaid salaries, bonuses, being returned to their localities, having no funding or sponsorship... The deadlock makes people not know whether the season can take place or not.

However, after much effort, hard work and coordination from the relevant parties, the 2024-2025 National First Division has still finalized 11 participating clubs. But it did not stop there, the following developments confirmed the spectacular reversal of the tournament, which was only considered the Second Division in domestic football.

With the sponsorship of a potential unit, along with a swap strategy and a bold plan, the National First Division is now receiving no less attention than the V.League as in previous seasons. Simply because, fans get to see Hoang Duc, Cong Phuong, Van Lam, Thanh Binh, Quoc Viet... and many other names who used to play in the V.League, competing in this tournament this season.

The championship candidates

In the 2023-2024 season, SHB Da Nang won the First Division championship and got a ticket to V.League 2024-2025. PVF-CAND was the runner-up, got a ticket to the play-off but unfortunately, their strength was not enough to overcome Hong Linh Ha Tinh. Of course, PVF-CAND with its highly appreciated youth training activities in recent times will be among the candidates for the championship.

Having been runners-up for two consecutive seasons, there is no reason why coach Mauro Jeromino's team should not set higher goals for the 2024-2025 season. PVF-CAND's squad has quality young players who are members of the Vietnam U23 team and overseas Vietnamese to maintain competitiveness.

However, the team headquartered in Hung Yen will face an even bigger challenge than the previous two seasons, from Phu Dong Ninh Binh and Truong Tuoi Binh Phuoc. In fact, Ninh Binh was not in the candidate group but Ho Chi Minh City Youth - the team that won the promotion this season, but from the surprising "trade" (both coaching staff and players), Ninh Binh emerged as the most promising candidate.

Because they have midfielder Hoang Duc - Golden Ball 2023, goalkeeper Van Lam, center back Huu Tuan, striker Thanh Binh, young striker Quoc Viet, and Thanh Thinh, Ngoc Ha, Van Hieu... In the National Cup qualifying round last weekend, Ninh Binh won on the field of V.League representative Ho Chi Minh City thanks to Van Lam's brilliance in the penalty shootout.

Ninh Binh's opponent is Binh Phuoc. Like its opponent, before the 2023-2024 season, this Southeast team was only in the middle to the bottom of the rankings (in the 2023 season, it ranked last and won the play-off so it did not have to be relegated to the Second Division). Thanks to the strategy and goal of building a club operating on a model from Japan, Binh Phuoc convinced Cong Phuong to join. The former star of Hoang Anh Gia Lai soon scored a goal for the new team (in the National Cup) and added to the list that already had names capable of competing such as goalkeeper Tan Truong, defender Tan Sinh, midfielder Ngoc Duc, and striker Tuan Tai.

It can be said that the 2024-2025 season will be a three-way race for the First Division championship and a ticket to the next level. The second-placed team will play the play-off and can completely make it difficult for the teams in the bottom group of V.League.