The consequences of Becamex TPHCM's relegation

Becamex TP.HCM's relegation after 23 seasons in the top flight marked one of the most stunning upsets of Vietnamese football at the close of the 2025/26 V-League.

A team once proudly called the "Chelsea of Vietnam", a dominant force in domestic football with 4 championshipsV-League, now has become a symbol of decline and crisis.

This is no longer just a failed season but the result of years of unstable football management, lack of identity, and absence of a sustainable development strategy.

Becamex TP.HCM was once the pride of Southern Vietnamese football, the second most traditional club in the V-League, only behind Hanoi FC in the number of titles in the professional era.

But the saddest thing is not the relegation itself, but the way the club reached that outcome. For many years,Becamex TP.HCMinvested heavily but with diminishing returns.

The season's goals were always top of the table or competing for medals, but actual performance kept declining. In modern football, money is no longer the sole decisive factor. Success requires a good youth training system, a clear development philosophy, and operational stability.

That is what HAGL, SLNA, SHB Đà Nẵng, and PVF-CAND are doing better than the team from Thủ Dầu Một. Becamex TP.HCM was never seen as a top youth development model despite having strong financial resources.

They have still produced talents like Tiến Linh and Việt Cường, but have not built a deep enough training system to generate a continuous stream of successors like HAGL, SLNA, or PVF.

The relegation day left even more emotions whenBecamex TP.HCMdonned the traditional purple jersey as a tribute to fans. At Bình Dương Stadium, the hosts still defeated HAGL 3-1, fighting with all their might even though they knew their fate was no longer in their hands.

A highly symbolic detail is that it was HAGL, the team that once created classic rivalries with Bình Dương during the golden era of the V-League, that became the final opponent on the day the team from Thủ Dầu Một said goodbye to the top flight.

Back then, "Wood" and "Ceramics" were the biggest brands of Vietnamese football. The clashes between HAGL and Becamex Bình Dương used to be the focal point of the entire football scene. But now, HAGL is struggling in the relegation battle, while Becamex TP.HCM has officially dropped to the First Division. Times have changed so much.

The story of Becamex TP.HCM also reflects the decline of Southern football. There was a time when this region boasted numerous powers such as Bình Dương, Đồng Tâm Long An, Navibank Sài Gòn, and Sài Gòn Xuân Thành.

The future ofBecamex TP.HCMremains a big question mark. In a meeting on the morning of June 8, the club's leadership announced that the team will still play in the First Division next season and encouraged key players to consider staying to help the team return to the V-League as soon as possible. But no one has dared to confirm anything further.

Coach Nguyễn Việt Thắng's Đồng Nai is a newcomer, alongside this season's 5th-placed team, CLB Công an TP.HCM. But the arrival of new faces cannot fill the regret for a monument that once dominated Vietnamese football.

Becamex TP.HCM brought itself to the brink through years of accumulated mistakes. And now, only they can find a way to rise again.