OFFICIAL: The 2026 National Volleyball Championship has a new name

This year's National Volleyball Championship unexpectedly changed its name with only about one month left before the competition begins.

According to SGGP, the Department of Physical Education and Sports has requested the Vietnam Volleyball Federation (VFV) to adjust the name of the 2026 national championship to ensure compliance with professional requirements in the year of the 10th National Sports Games.

The reason stems from the requirement that sports included in the Games' competition program must be organized under the officially designated title. Therefore, the 2026 National Championship will officially be named the "2026 National Club Championship".

In this season's competition, the men's category features 8 participating teams: Biên Phòng (defending champion), Thể Công Tân Cảng (defending runner-up), Công an TPHCM, LPB Ninh Bình, Sanest Khánh Hòa, Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng, and TPHCM (newcomer). Similarly, the women's category also has 8 teams: VTV Bình Điền Long An (defending champion), LPB Ninh Bình (defending runner-up), Thông tin - Đông Bắc, VietinBank, HCĐG Lào Cai, Thanh Hóa, Hưng Yên, and Hà Nội (newcomer).

Traditionally, in years featuring the National Sports Games, the National Championship is usually held in a single phase. However, for the 2026 season, VFV has decided to maintain the two-phase format as in previous years, even though the Games will take place in December in Ho Chi Minh City.

Phase 1 will be held in Đông Anh, Hanoi from April 6th to 19th. Phase 2 will be split across two locations: the women's category in Vĩnh Long from October 14th to 25th, and the men's category in Ho Chi Minh City from October 28th to November 8th. Teams will play a single round-robin to determine the overall ranking, which will decide qualification for the finals or the relegation playoffs.