V-League 2025 – 2026: The Defending Champions Nam Định in Decline

Entering the LPBank V-League 2025 – 2026 as the reigning champions, Nam Định has yet to show their champion form, currently sitting 10th after 7 rounds. The team has lost 4 matches, including 2 at their home ground, the “fiery” Thiên Trường Stadium. Nam Định even lost to struggling teams like Becamex TP Hồ Chí Minh and Sông Lam Nghệ An. Their two wins against Hải Phòng and the newcomer PVF-CAND were hard-fought. The poor performance and weak fighting spirit in recent matches have disappointed their home fans greatly.

At the start of the season, pressure from regional and continental competitions forced Nam Định to completely adjust their transfer policy. Instead of acquiring quality domestic players, they focused all efforts on recruiting foreign talent. Although missing two key players, Nguyễn Xuân Son and Nguyễn Văn Toàn, due to injury, they quickly secured high-quality replacements.

The Thiên Trường club brought in a high-class group of foreign players distributed evenly across positions. However, relying too much on foreign players has caused Nam Định to lose some of their identity. Many domestic players struggle to compete for spots against foreign teammates and have been sidelined for a long time, leading to a loss of motivation.

Currently, Nam Định has up to 14 foreign players, most of whom are star-quality. They have registered 7 for the V-League. In the Southeast Asian Cup, teams can field up to 7 foreign players on the pitch, and in the AFC Champions League Two, they can use all 11 foreign players. The coaching staff must carefully plan to manage Nam Định’s operations.

However, constant personnel changes due to the nature of the competitions prevent Nam Định from establishing a stable core lineup. Coach Việt must carefully consider each foreign and domestic player slot to balance factors like squad harmony, performance, and traditional club culture.

In the 2025-2026 season, Nam Định is competing in 5 tournaments, with the club leadership aiming to win domestic titles and advance deep into the Southeast Asian Champions Cup and AFC Champions League Two.

But a difficult start in the early V-League phase has left the team 10 points behind league leaders Ninh Bình. After 7 matches, Nam Định is among the three teams with the fewest goals scored, tallying only 6. They have kept just one clean sheet while conceding 10 goals. Despite having many foreign strikers and being considered to have the strongest attack in the domestic league, their scoring efficiency has been very disappointing.

After winning the V-League two years in a row, the Thiên Trường team has focused all efforts on achieving high results internationally. However, this goal is at risk after a 1-3 defeat to Japan’s Gamba Osaka in the 3rd match of Group F in the AFC Champions League Two. This result cost Nam Định the chance to top the group, leaving them in 2nd place, 3 points behind Gamba Osaka FC.

The V-League 2025-2026 season is still long, and Nam Định has every opportunity to improve their form and return to the championship race. Their task is to boost the team's morale, develop a sensible rotation strategy, and utilize their squad efficiently to cope with the tight schedule.

At this time, the coaching staff must find ways to help players overcome pressure and restore Nam Định’s champion spirit. Their immediate focus is the upcoming match against Đà Nẵng in round 8 on October 27, which is a perfect chance for Nam Định to break their losing streak in the V-League.

There are still 3 group stage matches left in the AFC Champions League Two, and Nam Định will qualify for the knockout stage if they maintain their current position. Last season, they advanced past the group stage, reaching the round of 16 in AFC Champions League Two by finishing second in Group G with 3 wins and 2 draws from 6 matches.