On August 15, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held a draw for the AFC Champions League Two (Asian Cup C2) group stage for the 2025-2026 season in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Vietnam has 2 representatives: Nam Dinh - the reigning V.League champion and Hanoi Police - the 2024-2025 National Cup champion.
According to the draw results, Hanoi Police is in Group E with Beijing FC (China), Macarthur FC (Australia) and Tai Po FC of Hong Kong (China). Meanwhile, Nam Dinh is ranked in Group F with Gamba Osaka (Japan), Ratchaburi FC (Thailand) and Eastern FC of Hong Kong (China).
This year's tournament has the participation of 32 teams from 22 AFC member federations, divided into 8 groups, competing in a round-robin of 2 home and away matches, starting from September 16.
According to the regulations, the teams of the same country will not meet in the group stage. The group stage is expected to end on December 24, 2025, after which the clubs will enter the round of 16 in February 2026, the quarter-finals in March, the semi-finals in April and the finals on May 16, 2026.
Both Hanoi Police and Nam Dinh are actively increasing foreign players to prepare for the international playground. In the AFC Champions League Two, teams are not limited to the number of foreign players, creating conditions for coaches to choose the strongest lineup.
Last season, Nam Dinh used to use 8-9 foreign players in each match and reached the round of 16, before stopping at Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
The 2025-2026 season promises many dramas, as both Vietnamese representatives are determined to leave their mark against experienced opponents from strong football backgrounds in the region.
