V.League 1-2021 to commence on January 16

The 2021 National Football Championship, V.League 1-2021, is scheduled to kick off on January 16 with the participation of 14 professional teams, as announced by the Vietnam Professional Football JSC (VPF) at a ceremony in Hanoi on December 12.

At the draw ceremony for the V.League 1-2020 on December 12. (Photo: VFF)
At the draw ceremony for the V.League 1-2020 on December 12. (Photo: VFF)

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, V.League 1-2020 will follow the same format as the 2020 version.

Specifically, the 14 participating teams will play in a round robin tournament in the first phase to decide the members of Group A (the top 6 teams) and Group B (the remaining eight teams) for the second phase.

The Group A competitors will battle it out for the championship title, while the Group B members will fight each other to avoid 1.5 relegation slots.

The points attained by teams in the first phase will count towards their total points when competing in the second phase.

According to regulations, each club will be allowed to register a maximum of three foreign players and one naturalised Vietnamese player for the 2021 season.

Vietnam’s 2021 professional football season will officially commence with the 2020 National Super Cup match between V.League 1 champions Viettel FC and National Cup winners Hanoi FC, scheduled to take place at Hang Day Stadium on January 9, 2021.