Winning the V-League is not enough; CAHN is preparing to venture into the big sea.

Being crowned V-League champions in 2025/26 is not the ultimate goal for Cong An Ha Noi; securing a spot in the AFC Champions League Elite playoff presents the greatest test ever, requiring the public security team to demonstrate their capability against leading Asian teams.

The 2025/26 V-League title brings Cong An Ha Noi back to the top position in Vietnamese football, but that is not the final destination. With a ticket to the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Elite playoff, the police team now has an opportunity to assert their status in Asia's most prestigious club competition.

Unlike the V-League, the Champions League Elite gathers top representatives from Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and many other developed football nations in the region. This is not only a tournament of high professional quality but also a stage where clubs boast strong squads, top-tier foreign players, and professional operational systems. Therefore, the journey ahead for Coach Alexandre Polking's squad is predicted to be extremely tough.

According to the draw results, CAHN will face Adelaide United (Australia) in the playoff match. This is not a particularly flashy name, but it is always known for its physical, fast, and highly disciplined style of play. The Australian representative is considered the first test for CAHN to prove that they are not just champions of Vietnamese football, but also capable of competing on the continental stage.

CAHN's backbone is a squad of experienced national team players such as Nguyen Quang Hai, Nguyen Filip, Bui Hoang Viet Anh, and Vu Van Thanh, who have frequently participated in the AFC Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers. However, the gap between domestic success and making a mark in Asia lies not only in the quality of the starting lineup but also in squad depth and the ability to maintain consistency throughout the season.

That is also the reason why CAHN's management is actively working in the transfer market. Adding quality foreign players will play a crucial role as the team has to compete on multiple fronts, from the V-League and National Cup to the Champions League Elite and the 2026/27 ASEAN Club Championship, where they will successively face Port FC (Thailand) and Johor Darul Ta'zim (Malaysia).

Besides CAHN, Vietnamese football also has another representative in the Asian arena: The Cong - Viettel. The "Red Cyclone" earned a direct spot in the group stage of the 2026/27 AFC Champions League Two. Maintaining two slots for Asian club competitions shows that Vietnamese football is steadily advancing in the regional rankings.

However, to truly close the gap with Asia's leading football nations, Vietnamese clubs still need more than domestic titles. From the quality of the V-League, strategies for using foreign players, squad depth, to youth development and governance models, all require systematic investment.

For CAHN, the V-League championship is just a starting milestone. The upcoming journey in the Champions League Elite is the clearest measure of the "police team's" ambition to reach new heights, and also an opportunity for Vietnamese football to assert its position on the continental map.