On the afternoon of July 16, the group stage of the National U21 Tournament - FPT Play Cup 2026 closed the final matches in Group A and Group B, thereby determining the first 4 teams to qualify for the quarterfinals including U21 Hanoi, U21 PVF-CAND, U21 The Cong Viettel and U21 Song Lam Nghe An.
In Group A, U21 Hanoi affirmed their strength when defeating U21 TPHCM with a score of 4-2 to win the top spot in the group. The Capital team soon created an advantage thanks to Thien Phu's goal in the 6th minute, before Hong Phong doubled the gap in the 42nd minute.
Stepping into the second half, U21 Hanoi continued to control the game. Phu Quy and Dinh Nguyen scored two more goals in the 61st and 75th minutes respectively, putting the home team ahead 4-0. Late efforts only helped U21 TPHCM score two goals to narrow the gap in the 80th and 84th minutes, thereby accepting a 2-4 defeat.
In the match in the same group, U21 PVF-CAND defeated U21 An Giang with a score of 5-0 to win second place in the group. Gia Bao was a prominent player when he scored a double in the first half, helping the home team create an advantage before the break.
In the second half, U21 PVF-CAND continued to dominate and scored three more goals to close the big win, thereby participating in the quarter-finals with U21 Hanoi.
In Group B, the confrontation between U21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai and U21 Song Lam Nghe An decides the remaining ticket to the next round. Before the last match, U21 Song Lam Nghe An had 4 points, one point more than U21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai, so they only needed a draw to maintain second place in the group.
The Mountain Town team actively pushed up to look for a goal right from the beginning of the match but could not penetrate the solid defense of U21 Song Lam Nghe An. In the second half, the Nghe representative controlled the ball more and created some dangerous opportunities, but still could not score.
The match ended with a 0-0 draw, enough for U21 Song Lam Nghe An to win a ticket to the quarter-finals with second place in the group. Meanwhile, U21 Hoang Anh Gia Lai still has a chance to advance but must wait for the results of the remaining groups to compete for a spot for one of the two third-placed teams with the best results.
In the remaining match, U21 The Cong Viettel easily defeated U21 Tay Ninh with a score of 6-0. The big win helped the army team close the group stage with the top spot in Group B and win the right to enter the quarter-finals. On the side of U21 Tay Ninh, this team stopped after losing all three matches in the group stage.
