The 28 teams are divided into seven groups of 4 teams, competing in a round robin format to select the best two teams in each group along with the two third-place teams with the best results to enter the round of 16.
The event is jointly held by the ‘Thieu nien Tien phong va Nhi dong’ (Young Pioneers and Children) Newspaper, the Vietnam Football Federation, and the Gia Lai Provincial Department of Culture and Sports. It is a tournament for the youngest age group in the national competition system.
Speaking at the press conference on August 11, Phan Viet Hung, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Young Pioneers and Children Newspaper and Deputy Head of the tournament’s organising committee, said that this year's event has attracted the largest number of participating teams to date, illustrating the higher attention of localities in developing youth football players.
The tournament is not only a venue for young footballers to show off their skills but also contributes to discovering and nurturing young talents for the Vietnamese national football team.
