V-League 2025 - 2026: Exciting and unpredictable at both ends of the standings

While the leading group is beginning to shape into a "three-horse race" among Ninh Binh, Hanoi Police, and The Cong Viettel, at the bottom, five teams including HAGL, PVF CAND, SHB Da Nang, SLNA, and Thanh Hoa are entering a fierce relegation battle.

The latest match of round 9 ended with The Cong Viettel securing a 1-0 victory over Dong A Thanh Hoa. This result helped the soldiers’ team solidify their 3rd place on the table with 18 points, just 3 points behind the leaders Ninh Binh.

Meanwhile, with 21 points from 9 unbeaten matches (6 wins, 3 draws), Ninh Binh continues to top the standings.

Although Ninh Binh was held to a 1-1 draw by Becamex Ho Chi Minh City this round, they still maintain first place. However, losing the chance to win in the final minutes under coach Gerard Castano’s guidance left fans of the ancient capital team very disappointed.

Right behind them, Hanoi Police is fiercely chasing, just 1 point behind. Coach Alexandre Polking’s team took full advantage of hosting a weaker opponent at Hang Day stadium this round to close the gap with the leaders. Hanoi Police won 2-0 against PVF CAND thanks to goals by Alan and Dinh Tien.

Coach Alexandre Polking’s squad still has one match in hand (a rescheduled round 4 game against HAGL in December). If Hanoi Police can secure 3 points in that match, they will overtake Ninh Binh to claim first place. This would make the fight for the top spot in the V-League extremely thrilling.

The remaining two spots in the Top 5 belong to Hai Phong (17 points) and Ho Chi Minh City Police (14 points). This round, the two teams faced off at Thong Nhat Stadium, where the Hai Phong side staged a comeback to defeat coach Le Huynh Duc’s team 2-1 and climb up the table.

With this victory, coach Chu Dinh Nghiem’s team extended their unbeaten streak to 5 matches. Hai Phong’s foreign players are also performing excellently, helping the team soar high.

In the lower half of the table, it is quite surprising to see the defending champions Nam Dinh struggling along with several other notable teams.

In round 9, earning only 1 point at Pleiku against HAGL, Nam Dinh has yet to change their fortunes after coach Nguyen Trung Kien replaced Vu Hong Viet. Considering their current position and poor recent results, it’s hard to believe that after 9 matches, the well-regarded Nam Dinh squad has only 9 points, placing them 8th.

Their disappointing run, dropping points against less-favored opponents, including a loss to Becamex Ho Chi Minh City, a tough draw with SHB Da Nang, and letting HAGL snatch a point, shows Nam Dinh’s form has significantly declined.

Similarly, Hanoi FC is also showing signs of crisis despite having coach Harry Kewell at the helm. The capital team’s play has improved somewhat, but inconsistent performance has caused Hanoi FC to fall behind. Their 1-2 loss to Hong Linh Ha Tinh in round 9 leaves Hanoi FC still struggling. Under coach Harry Kewell, the team has won only 1 and lost 2 in their last 3 matches.

If they do not improve soon, both Nam Dinh and Hanoi FC could be dragged into the relegation battle.

In round 9, both SHB Da Nang and HAGL earned points but could not move up the standings. Currently, five teams share 7 points each. Based on tiebreakers, their ranks are Song Lam Nghe An, SHB Da Nang, PVF-CAND, Dong A Thanh Hoa, and Hoang Anh Gia Lai respectively.

The bottom group’s order has barely changed as several teams are tightly packed. The ranking is decided by goal difference and even goals scored. PVF-CAND, HAGL, and Thanh Hoa all have 7 points and a -6 goal difference. PVF-CAND ranks 12th due to scoring 10 goals (conceding 16), Thanh Hoa is 13th with 8 goals (conceding 14), and HAGL is last with 5 goals (conceding 11).

Although the Mountain team is at the bottom, they show quite positive signs. Under technical director Vu Tien Thanh, HAGL earned 4 points in their last 2 matches, including a draw with Nam Dinh and a win over The Cong Viettel.

With such close points, the situation at the bottom can easily change after just one round.

This V-League season has passed one-third of its journey. It remains to be seen if highly rated teams like Hanoi FC and Nam Dinh can return to the race in rounds 10 and 11 before the break.

It is likely that the relegation battle will once again involve familiar names such as SHB Da Nang, SLNA, Thanh Hoa, HAGL, and newcomer PVF-CAND.

V-League 2025 - 2026 Round 10 Schedule

November 4

18:00: Hong Linh Ha Tinh vs Hoang Anh Gia Lai

19:15: Hanoi FC vs PVF CAND

November 5

18:00: SHB Da Nang vs Ho Chi Minh City Police

18:00: Becamex Ho Chi Minh City vs Hai Phong

18:00: Ninh Binh vs Song Lam Nghe An