HCM CITY — Sixty teams will compete at the Vietnam Youth and Student Football Tournament IV – 2026 THACO Cup, an annual competition organised by Thanh Niên Newspaper in coordination with the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF).

The tournament is part of the VFF’s national annual competition system and is held to mark key occasions, including the Traditional Day of Vietnamese Students (January 9), the founding anniversary of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union (March 26) and Việt Nam Sports Day (March 27).

This year’s tournament has attracted registrations from 60 universities, colleges and academies nationwide. Except for the host of the finals, Nha Trang University, the remaining 59 teams will compete in the qualifying round across four regional zones to fight for 11 places in the finals.

The qualifiers will take place from January 9 to 27, 2026.

The qualifying round is divided into four regional groups. Group A (northern region) features 12 teams, Group B (south-central coastal region) has four teams, Group C (HCM City) is the largest with 35 teams, while Group D (Mekong Delta) includes eight teams.

Teams are allocated into sub-groups of four and compete in a single round-robin format to determine standings.

At the end of the qualifiers, three group winners from Group A and the top team from Group B will secure direct berths in the finals.

In Group C, nine group winners and the two best runners-up will join the runner-up from the Mekong Delta region in play-off matches to decide six remaining finals spots.

In Group D, the two group winners will contest a regional final, with the winner advancing to the finals. The losing side will enter a play-off against one of the second-placed teams from HCM City at Tôn Đức Thắng University Stadium on January 27 for a place in the finals.

The THACO CUP 2026 maintains the same high-value prize structure as previous seasons. The champions will receive a trophy, honour board, gold medals and a cash prize of VNĐ300 million, while the runners-up will earn silver medals and VNĐ150 million.

The two third-placed teams will each be awarded bronze medals and VNĐ70 million, and the Fair Play team will receive VNĐ40 million. —VNS