A series of championship contenders have dream beginnings at the 2026 National U21 tournament.

Strong candidates enjoyed favorable starts in the 2026 National U21 Qualifiers, quickly gaining an advantage in the race for advancement tickets.

On the afternoon of June 30, the 2026 National U21 Qualifiers officially kicked off with the first matches taking place across all four groups. Right after the opening round, many teams considered title contenders displayed their strength and secured favorable results. These important victories not only gave the teams a smooth start but also created a significant advantage in the competition for tickets to the finals.

In Group A, PVF made the strongest impression by easily defeating Hà Nội Bulls with a heavy 5-0 score. After Quốc Trung broke the deadlock in the 18th minute, Đức Nhật and Hoàng Khanh continued to score in the first half to give PVF a safe lead. In the second half, Hùng Đại and Duy Đam each added their names to the scoreboard, sealing a convincing victory for the team considered one of the top contenders of the tournament. Meanwhile, the derby between Thể Công Viettel and Hà Nội was quite balanced, ending in a 1-1 draw.

Group B witnessed a difficult opening match for U21 SLNA. Possessing many players currently playing in V.League, the representative from Nghệ An was highly rated but had to wait until stoppage time in the first half to score the only goal thanks to Quang Vinh, defeating Trẻ Phù Đổng. Although they did not show dominance, the minimal victory still gave coach Phạm Anh Tuấn's team a favorable start. In the other match, Thanh Hóa and Công an Hà Nội shared points after a 1-1 draw.

In Group C, U21 Đà Nẵng did not miss the opportunity to take all three points, overcoming the Gia Lai Sports Training Center with a score of 2-0. Văn Danh and Quang Duyệt were the scorers who helped the Han River team achieve an ideal start. Meanwhile, HAGL continued to affirm their youth training quality by defeating TP.HCM 2-1. Although the Southern representative pulled one back through Như Ý, goals from Gia Bảo and Thanh Tú still ensured the Mountain City team kept the full victory.

In Group D, Tây Ninh became the team with the biggest win on opening day, defeating An Giang 5-1. Besides Tây Ninh's explosive performance, Đồng Nai also had a favorable start with a narrow 1-0 victory over Mê Kông Cần Thơ. After the first round, contenders such as PVF, SLNA, HAGL, Đà Nẵng, and Tây Ninh all had a good run-up, promising an exciting competition for spots in the 2026 National U21 final round in the following matchdays.