Vietnamese Football in 2026: Republic Stadium Packs Out as the National Season Closes

SAIGON, September 14, 2026 The final match of the 2026 national football championship closed at Republic Stadium on the afternoon of September 14, 2026, in front of nearly 20,000 spectators. From two o'clock in the afternoon, the stadium gates were packed with people queuing. Grandstand B tickets were sold at 50 dong, grandstand A at 120 dong. Many who arrived late had to stand along entrance number 2 and follow the match through the loudspeakers. On the pitch, the Canh Sat team and the Hai Quan team produced what Saigon's supporters judged to be the best match of the season. Canh Sat opened the scoring in the 23rd minute through a finish by striker Nguyen Van Duc after a long pass from midfielder Pham Thanh Son. In the second half, Pham Thanh Son made it 2-0 in the 67th minute with a long-range strike from outside the box. Hai Quan pulled one back in the 78th minute through striker Vo Hoang Nam. The match ended 2-1 to Canh Sat, who took the title. Goalkeeper Tran Van Luc of Canh Sat was the most talked-about figure after the match, having saved two one-on-one situations in the final fifteen minutes. The 2026 season featured 12 teams in a double round-robin running from March to September. Alongside the two sides that reached the final, the Tong Tham Muu, Ngan Hang Quoc Gia, AJS and Quan Tiep Vu teams also left their mark on this year's campaign. Republic Stadium remains the centre of Saigon's football life. Every weekend, the area around the ground and the coffee shops in the city centre are crowded with people debating scores, the form of the leading forwards and the controversies surrounding refereeing. Football observers say this year's competition shows that Vietnamese football has a robust generation of players, but it also raises a familiar problem: how to keep young players when offers arrive from tournaments elsewhere in the region. One spectator, Nguyen Van Hoa, a resident of District 3, said after the match: "I have followed Canh Sat since the start of the season. If they play like today, we will be back in the stands next year." The season is over, but the teams have little time to rest. According to the planned schedule, friendly matches and regional tournaments will continue to be held in the closing months of 2026.