The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) will change the regulations for registering young players starting in 2026.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has approved new regulations on player registration from U9 to U21 and decided to send a U21 team to participate in the 2026 ASIAD in order to build a successor generation for Vietnamese football.
The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has recently made strategic decisions to restructure its youth training system. At the 11th Executive Committee meeting of the 9th term, held on December 25th, members unanimously approved a policy to adjust the regulations for registering players from the U9 to U21 age groups, starting in 2026.
Reforms to regulations for registering youth players will begin in 2026.
The decision to adjust the regulations for registering young players is seen as a turning point aimed at optimizing the training and development of future talent. Accordingly, the new registration system will be widely applied to youth football leagues from U9 to U21. The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) hopes this change will create more favorable conditions for clubs and training centers in managing, operating, and improving the quality of players from the ground up.
The Vietnam U21 team will participate in the 2026 ASIAD.
One of the most notable points at the conference was the agreement to send the national U21 team to the 2026 Asian Games (ASIAD) instead of the U23 team as is customary. This is a strategic move aimed at providing young players with high-level experience and preparing a key squad for the 34th SEA Games in Malaysia in 2027.
Review of work in 2025 and orientation for 2026
Besides personnel and regulatory changes, the VFF Executive Committee also acknowledged the positive results of the national teams in 2025. The conference discussed and approved several important reports, including the draft summary for 2025, the direction and tasks for 2026, and the plan for organizing professional football leagues in the 2025/26 season.
This conference serves as a crucial foundation for the VFF to successfully organize its 2025 Annual Congress on December 26th. The new decisions are expected to create a breakthrough in the development of Vietnamese football, moving towards greater stability and sustainability in the next phase.
