The atmosphere surrounding the U14 Gia Lai International Football Festival 2026 is heating up as international teams arrive one after another in Pleiku.
Mr. Nguyễn Tấn Anh – CEO of LPBank Hoàng Anh Gia Lai Sports Joint Stock Company, Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee for the U14 Gia Lai International Football Festival 2026. Photo: Thanh Sáng
On this occasion, Mr. Nguyễn Tấn Anh – CEO of LPBank Hoàng Anh Gia Lai Sports JSC and Deputy Head of the Festival’s Organizing Committee – spoke with Gia Lai Newspaper and Radio & Television about the preparation journey for the Festival, his hopes for youth football, and the desire to promote Gia Lai’s image during the National Tourism Year – Gia Lai 2026.
Why did the Organizing Committee choose the “football festival” model instead of a traditional tournament, sir?
At this age, the players are just beginning their journey into professional football. Beyond the technical aspects, we want to give them opportunities for cultural exchange, to connect with international friends, and to discover Gia Lai.
Therefore, the Festival is not just about football matches, but also a journey of experiences for these young players.
In your opinion, what sets the U14 Gia Lai International Football Festival 2026 apart from other youth tournaments?
This year’s Festival is quite large in scale, featuring 12 teams, including 7 international squads from Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos.
A key highlight is that all teams will play multiple matches. Teams advancing past the group stage will compete for medals and prizes totaling up to 41,000 USD (over 1 billion VND). Even teams that do not reach the quarterfinals will continue to play for rankings from 5th to 12th place. As a result, each team will play at least 5 matches, with the most active teams playing up to 7 games. This format increases opportunities for competition and learning.
Additionally, the Organizing Committee has prepared various cultural exchange activities and a gala dinner to ensure memorable experiences for the young players.
For Vietnamese U14 players, what is the value of competing against international teams from developed football nations?
Early international exposure is extremely important for young players. The first generation of HAGL Academy players, such as Công Phượng, Xuân Trường, and Tuấn Anh, were also given opportunities to participate in many international tournaments, which helped them mature and become much more confident.
We hope this Festival will continue to help young players further develop their skills and expertise.
The U14 LPBank Hoàng Anh Gia Lai team participating in the U14 Gia Lai International Football Festival 2026. Photo: ĐVCC
What do you hope Vietnamese youth players will learn from this international playground?
We hope the young players will compete with confidence, dedication, and learn a great deal from the international teams. Most importantly, we want to see their fighting spirit, maturity, and resilience after this tournament.
What is the significance of the U14 Gia Lai International Football Festival 2026 for Gia Lai during the National Tourism Year, sir?
Mascots Voi Anh Chiêng, Bé Sóng, and Hổ Bi-Rai promoting the U14 Gia Lai International Football Festival 2026 and the province’s tourism. Photo: ĐVCC
This is a highly meaningful event as Gia Lai hosts the National Tourism Year 2026. Through the U14 International Football Festival, we hope to introduce Gia Lai as a friendly, hospitable, and culturally rich destination to both domestic and international friends.
It’s not just about football; this is also an opportunity to promote tourism, the people, and the unique beauty of a new Gia Lai.
More than 350 athletes from inside and outside Gia Lai province will compete in the inaugural Pờ Yầu Summit Conquest Cross-country Race 2026 on September 27, challenging the winding mountain route to Pờ Yầu village in Lơ Pang commune.
A total of 325 athletes took part in the first “Conquering Pyâu Peak” cross-country race of 2026 in Lơ Pang commune on September 27, tackling 4 km and 11 km courses through steep mountain terrain despite heavy rain at the start.
Gia Lai province has officially transferred the Đak Đoa women’s football team to Hoang Anh Gia Lai Football Club, with the club set to guide the squad from a grassroots model toward a more professional training and competition structure.
The first Gia Lai Provincial Sports Festival since the reorganization and merger of administrative units has highlighted the scale of grassroots sports participation, local competition and the emergence of young athletic talent across the province.
Young talents from Vietnam’s Gia Lai province are making their mark internationally, with a young chess player earning a FIDE title and a high school physics student winning a silver medal at the 2026 European Physics Olympiad.
Nearly 3,000 athletes competed in 21 sports at the first Gia Lai Provincial Sports Festival, which concluded on Sept. 15 after nearly three months of competition across the province.
Nguyễn Thị Loan, a taekwondo athlete from Gia Lai, is the province’s only competitor to qualify for the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD 20) in Japan, capping a decade-long journey from a poor rural community to Vietnam’s national team.
(GLO) – On the morning of September 13, around 8,000 athletes gathered at Nguyen Tat Thanh Square (Quy Nhon Ward, Gia Lai Province) to compete in the VnExpress Marathon Quy Nhon 2026.
Held on September 13, the VnExpress Marathon Quy Nhon 2026, co-organized by VnExpress Newspaper and the Gia Lai Provincial People’s Committee, has concluded. More than 8,000 athletes joined together along the coastal route, striving to achieve their goals and creating unforgettable memories.
Hoang Anh Gia Lai Football Club (HAGL) will travel to Thailand for a pre-season training camp from Aug. 11-22, where the Vietnamese side will play five friendly matches, including one against Kanchanaburi, coached by Park Hang-seo.
Gia Lai is targeting a strong overall finish at the 2026 National Youth Traditional Martial Arts Championship despite a shortage of athletes that has limited the team’s entries across combat and forms events.
The Lang Bi Quarry Charity Tennis-Pickleball Cup has mobilized more than VND 4 billion (about $154,000) over four seasons, combining competitive sport with support for disadvantaged families, students and communities.
Bong Son Ward is staging its first Ornamental Creatures Festival and inaugural Half Marathon this August, bringing together hundreds of ornamental artworks, nearly 140 commercial booths and more than 500 runners as the locality seeks to showcase its culture, landscapes and local products.
Gia Lai will field two teams at the Toyota Cup 2026 National U9 Football Championship in Quang Ngai province, where more than 300 young players from 28 teams across Vietnam are set to compete.
After more than half a century devoted to traditional martial arts, International Grandmaster Lê Ngọc Quang has played a prominent role in teaching, promoting and developing the discipline in Vietnam and overseas.
As the successor to the late Grandmaster Nguyễn Đức Mộc and the second-generation head of the Sơn Long Quyền Thuật school, Swiss Grandmaster Oliver Barbey has spent decades promoting Vietnamese traditional martial arts internationally.
Gia Lai dominated both forms and sparring at the 2026 National Traditional Martial Arts Clubs Championship, exceeding key performance targets and strengthening its prospects ahead of the National Sports Festival in November.
Authorities in Hội Phú Ward, Gia Lai Province, are coordinating with runner Nguyễn Văn Long to organize a 102-day endurance challenge in which he aims to set a Guinness World Record by running 100 kilometers a day.
The Gia Lai Provincial Youth Union is recruiting 80 volunteers to support the 9th International Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts Festival - Gia Lai 2026, which will take place from Aug. 2 to Aug. 5 in Quy Nhon Ward and several other communes and wards across the province.
More than 300 young athletes took part in the inaugural Gia Lai Provincial Children's Football and Swimming Championships 2026 from July 17 to 19, showcasing determination, teamwork and sporting spirit in competitions designed to encourage physical activity and healthy development among children.
Spain claimed the 2026 FIFA World Cup title with a 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina, as Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal to end the defending champions' reign in a tightly contested final.
Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) have parted ways with Brazilian defender Jairo and midfielder Marciel as the V.League club continues a complete overhaul of its foreign player roster ahead of the 2026-2027 season.
Gia Lai has entered the 2026 Vietnam Xiangqi Federation Cup Championship and National Team Xiangqi Championship with a delegation comprising one coach and eight players, as nearly 180 athletes from 15 teams compete in the national tournament in northern Thai Nguyen province.
