V-League 2026-27 set for influx of foreign players making their Vietnam debuts

The new V-League season will kick off on September 4, promising intense competition as clubs strengthen their squads.

The most notable change this season concerns foreign players. Each club can register up to four foreign players and field all four at the same time, one more than last season.

Vietnamese clubs competing in Southeast Asian and Asian tournaments, such as Ha Noi Police, Ho Chi Minh City Police and The Cong-Viettel, can register up to seven foreign players to cope with their multiple campaigns.

However, they can still field only four foreign players at a time in V-League matches.

Record influx of newcomers

With the registration period running until September 30, before the third round begins, several clubs have yet to finalize their foreign-player rosters, giving them more time to assess players in their first two matches.

Even so, 12 of the 14 clubs have signed foreign players making their first appearance in Vietnam.

Four clubs — Ha Noi FC, Ho Chi Minh City Police, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Truong Tuoi Dong Nai — have completely replaced their foreign-player contingents.

Ninh Binh and Hong Linh Ha Tinh have also recruited new players, although those players have previously played in Vietnam.

After winning promotion as first-tier champions, Truong Tuoi Dong Nai parted ways with Alex Sandro, who scored 10 goals last season, and brought in four new foreign players.

Coach Nguyen Viet Thang has notably opted for European players instead of the Brazilian players the club has traditionally favored.

After releasing all four foreign players from last season, Ho Chi Minh City Police have signed six foreign players for their domestic campaign and the Southeast Asian club competition.

Despite already having a strong squad of both Vietnamese and foreign players, defending champions Ha Noi Police have added three new foreign players to make full use of the seven-player allowance.

The club is targeting another V-League title while also competing in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite.

Last season's runners-up The Cong-Viettel have gone even further, signing nine foreign players, including four newcomers. The club aims to challenge for the V-League title and perform well in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two.

After struggling to avoid relegation last season, Hoang Anh Gia Lai and SHB Da Nang have also overhauled their foreign-player contingents.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai have signed four new Brazilian players, while SHB Da Nang have replaced three of their four foreign players.

4 players with World Cup experience

Four of the foreign players making their first appearance in Vietnam have previously played at the FIFA World Cup.

One of the most prominent names is Australian striker Jason Cummings, who is valued at €650,000 (US$753,902) by transfer-market website Transfermarkt. 

Cummings played for Australia at the 2022 World Cup and is among the players to watch this season.

Another notable Ho Chi Minh City Police signing is midfielder Daniel Arzani, who became Australia's youngest player to appear at the 2018 World Cup when he came on against France in the group stage.

They are not the only World Cup veterans arriving in Vietnam this season.

Ha Noi FC's new striker Adam Taggart represented Australia at the 2014 World Cup, while Ha Noi Police midfielder Frans Putros recently played for Iraq at the 2026 World Cup.

Putros has already scored his first goal in Vietnam, netting the final goal in Ha Noi Police's 5-0 victory over Ho Chi Minh City Police in the 2026 Vietnamese Super Cup on August 30.

"Of course, scoring a goal always feels great. But for me, the most important thing was that the whole team won and secured the first title of the season. It was a memorable start for a new player like me and also gave the team great motivation ahead of the V-League and the other competitions," Putros said.

New arrivals could raise competition

The increase to four foreign players on the field at the same time is expected to raise the quality of squads and make matches more competitive and entertaining.

Two of defending champions Ha Noi Police's three new foreign players have already made positive impressions. Colombian striker Brayan Perea scored in the club's 2-0 away win over Adelaide United in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite playoff and also found the net in the Vietnamese Super Cup.

Putros has also made an immediate impact.

Their other new signing, Spanish midfielder Damia Sabater, has yet to make his debut but is a player to watch. He developed in the youth system at Mallorca, which has produced several notable Spanish footballers.

Although Ho Chi Minh City Police lost the Vietnamese Super Cup, the club showed that it could be a serious contender for the 2026-27 V-League title.

Coach Diles Arthur was able to use only three of the club's new foreign players in that match because international transfer certificates had not yet been secured for the other three.

One of those players, midfielder Juanjo Narvaez, previously played for Real Madrid's reserve team.

Nam Dinh FC have also signed two foreign players making their V-League debuts. Among them, Cameroonian-French center-back Felix Eboa Eboa is valued at €750,000 ($869,888) by Transfermarkt.

That figure is still lower than the valuation of Truong Tuoi Dong Nai forward Andrei Ivan. The Romanian player is valued at €800,000 ($928,172).

A high market valuation does not guarantee success in the V-League, which has a reputation for being demanding for foreign players making their first appearance in Vietnam.

Nevertheless, the arrival of so many newcomers is expected to add a fresh dimension to the competition.