Four V-League clubs crash out of 2026-2027 National Cup qualifying round: When the secondary playground is pushed aside

Over the weekend, eight matches in the 2026-2027 National Cup qualifying round took place across Vietnam. The results were shocking not only because four clubs currently playing in the V-League were eliminated, but also because three of them fell at home. For the first time in many years, the gap between the two competitions has narrowed to the point where people must ask: Is the National Cup a real playground for strong clubs, or just a burden in the middle of a relegation battle? This qualifying round saw many clubs from different levels. While Bac Ninh won 3-2 at Long An, the other four V-League representatives all left the tournament as losers. Thanh Hoa lost 0-2 to Becamex TP.HCM; Hoang Anh Gia Lai lost 2-3 to Hung Yen; Hai Phong lost 0-1 to Thep Can Tho; Hong Linh Ha Tinh stopped after a penalty shootout against Phu Tho. Looking at these results alone, Vietnamese football now shows two contrasting pictures: teams playing in the top flight do not necessarily have squad depth, while first division teams have more than enough ambition to cause upsets. The defeat of Thanh Hoa is the clearest example. The team from Thanh Hoa entered the match with a thin squad and unstable mentality. Just days before the game, they learned that FIFA had ordered them to pay more than 305,000 USD to striker Rimario Gordon. That amount, about 8 billion VND, is not huge for a rich club, but for Thanh Hoa it was a shock. The club changed sponsors, leadership changed many times, but the financial obligation still hung in the air. If the matter was not resolved within 45 days from receiving the document on September 16, the club would be banned from registering new players for three transfer windows. For a team already forced to sell key players to balance the budget, that punishment sounds like a death sentence. At home, Thanh Hoa did not look like a V-League team. They were pushed back by Becamex TP.HCM, lost control of midfield, and lost 0-2. The truth is Becamex TP.HCM were just relegated, but their squad is still strong. They no longer feel the pressure of a long title race, so they played freely and with determination. Thanh Hoa, meanwhile, had to think about the remaining matches in the V-League, about wages, about old debts. Being eliminated from the National Cup, for them, may even be a relief. Hoang Anh Gia Lai has a similar story. The mountain town team had to leave Pleiku because the pitch was being renovated, so they played at Quy Nhon without their usual home support. Psychologically, losing home advantage was a boost for Hung Yen. More importantly, HAGL are weaker this season than last season. They lost their first two V-League matches. The squad is young, and many players are not mature enough to carry expectations. Hung Yen took full advantage: they led 3-1 from the 77th minute, defended smartly, and only allowed HAGL to pull one back from a penalty in stoppage time at 90+4. The defeat was logical. One notable detail is that Hung Yen are a first division club, but they played with the hunger of a group trying to prove themselves. In the National Cup, they have nothing to lose. A first division team can lose, but if they win, they get their name in the newspapers, more confidence, and more attention from fans. For small clubs, beating a V-League team is worth more than a ticket to the next round. That is a motivation the big clubs do not have. Hai Phong lost 0-1 to Thep Can Tho. Thep Can Tho had just moved from Quang Ninh to Can Tho and had lost their opening match in the first division. But against Hai Phong, they played compactly and with confidence. Striker Thaileon, who had only joined a few days earlier, scored the only goal. That shows a first division team can defend well, wait for their moment, and punish opponents with one chance. Hai Phong have not been playing badly in the V-League, but when they had to rotate their squad, the bench was too thin and they could not turn the game around. Hong Linh Ha Tinh drew 0-0 with Phu Tho after 90 minutes, then lost 2-3 on penalties. They were not beaten directly, but they were still eliminated. When the match reaches a shootout, the difference in class almost disappears. Phu Tho players faced the biggest chance of their season, while Ha Tinh players may have been thinking about their next V-League match. The pressure in a penalty shootout is not about technique, it is about the goal behind it. The team that wants it more usually wins. The whole set of results should be seen in a wider context. The 2026-2027 V-League has just started, and many teams are still struggling with their squads. The National Cup falls at a busy point in the calendar, when clubs have to manage both league matches and cup matches. A cup win sometimes only brings a short moment of joy, while a V-League defeat can push a team into crisis. For many clubs without big ambition, it is better to bow out early and save energy than to fight for a distant trophy. Usually, fans blame big clubs for not respecting the cup, but the deeper story is different. A V-League club has to worry about relegation, budget, salaries, ticket sales, and even debts left by previous managers. Thanh Hoa is the clearest image: they played while anxious about a FIFA ban. In that context, a cup defeat becomes an escape window: escaping a crowded fixture list, escaping squad problems, escaping media pressure. It is not pretty, but it is real. On the other hand, first division clubs see the National Cup as a door to prove their worth. Hung Yen, Becamex TP.HCM, Thep Can Tho and Phu Tho all gave more than 100 percent. They understand that a cup victory can change their season. Beating a V-League side not only brings fame, but also helps them gain confidence in the first division and makes it easier for their leaders to talk to sponsors. The cup is not a burden for them, it is an opportunity. The difference in hunger can be seen in movement off the ball, in the speed of decision-making, and in the attitude in duels. In the match between Thanh Hoa and Becamex TP.HCM, the visitors played as if they were the top-flight team and the hosts were the lower-division side. There was no dominance in possession, but there was sharpness in every decisive pass. The team with more motivation handled situations better. High-level football in Vietnam, at this stage of transition, has no room for complacency. So, is the elimination of four V-League clubs abnormal? If viewed in a linear way, it is a shock. But if viewed through financial and strategic context, it is an inevitable outcome. Clubs are being forced to choose between two battles: a short-term battle of honor and a long-term battle of survival. Even if fans do not like it, club managers will still choose survival. The National Cup is therefore losing value in the eyes of strong teams, while becoming fertile ground for first division sides. From a football development perspective, however, this phenomenon carries a positive message: the first division is no longer a place for weak teams. Selective investment, good players leaving the V-League because they are not paid on time, and the desire for promotion are all raising the quality of first division teams. The victories of Becamex TP.HCM, Hung Yen and Thep Can Tho were not random. They represent a new layer growing just below the top. The remaining issue is a problem for the V-League clubs themselves. If they only avoid spending and ignore the cup, they can gradually lose their identity. A club that only knows how to survive relegation will never have a big image in the hearts of fans. But right now, when many clubs are living hand to mouth, expecting a beautiful cup performance is a luxury. They need to survive first, then think about entertaining. The 2026-2027 National Cup qualifying round ended with surprises, but it also opened bigger questions. Does the organizer need to change the fixture schedule or create incentives for V-League clubs to invest in the cup? Or should economic rules speak for themselves? If there is no quick answer, shocks like these will become more frequent. And that may not be what Vietnamese football wants.