Becamex TP.HCM has been relegated, but the 'pain' is far from over

The club, a four-time V-League champion, Becamex TPHCM (previously called Becamex TPHCM), was confirmed as the relegated team following the 26th round of the LPBank V-League 2025/26. Yet, the club's fate is still up in the air.

A 3-1 victory overHAGLin the final round of the V-League 2025/26 could not save Becamex TP.HCM from relegation.

The team led by coach Hua Hien Vinh faced a bitter outcome, though it was not entirely unexpected. For many years,Becamex TP.HCMhas been living in a state of instability.

Once a powerhouse often dubbed the "Chelsea of Vietnam," the club gradually lost its status due to a series of personnel and development strategy errors. This season is merely the endpoint of a prolonged decline.

After the final game,Coach Hua Hien Vinhfrankly acknowledged that the cause was not limited to the four rounds he managed, but stemmed from deeper issues.

"Honestly, when I arrived, I really wanted to take action, but the reasons behind the current result are very difficult to fully assess in detail. I think there were some problems with the preparation from the start of the season, specifically in the selection of personnel," Vinh stated bluntly.

That assessment likely reflects the most accurate picture of Becamex TP.HCM's season. The team boasted many national team players like Bui Vi Hao, Nguyen Tran Viet Cuong, Tan Tai, Minh Khoa, along with numerous experienced players, yet failed to form a competitive collective. During a turbulent season, the club changed four head coaches.

That lack of stability exhausted the players as well. While rivals surged strongly in the latter part of the season, Becamex TP.HCM slid into a long winless streak stretching from March.

Regrettably, this team was never seen as the top candidate for relegation. They only dropped to the bottom of the table in the very last round. But the cumulative mistakes throughout the season eventually had to be paid for.

Coach Hua Hien Vinh also admitted that when he took over the team in mid-May, he could only try to "patch up" what was left. "Today I wanted to use all four foreign players to increase pressure, but I couldn't. That's in the past, and I had to piece things together.

I just want to thank the players for not giving up despite the unfavorable outcome. They gave their utmost effort until the final minutes and showed the fans their determination, even though the team was relegated," Coach Hua Hien Vinh shared.

If the relegation ticket is the present pain, the future is what worries Becamex TP.HCM fans the most. Many supporters fear that national team players will leave the club.

Even Coach Hua Hien Vinh is unsure about his own future and that of his players. "Regarding the players' future, we will discuss together based on their wishes and the club's actual situation. The club chairman will directly work to determine each person's future," he said.

Vinh added: "Now, if the management and players support and trust me, I am ready to stay and bring the team back to Vietnam's top league."

But before thinking about a return, Becamex TP.HCM needs to answer a more important question: how to survive and rebuild after this historic fall.

Relegation is not necessarily the end. A prime example is former champion SHB Da Nang, which suffered the same fate in the 2023 season but returned to the V-League after just one year in the First Division. The most frightening thing for a traditionally rich club is not failure, but not finding a way to get up after that failure.