Having won 8 championships and 5 runner-up titles at the National Beach Soccer Championship, the Khanh Hoa beach soccer team has affirmed its stature at the nation's premier beach soccer tournament. Therefore, the absence of Khanh Hoa beach soccer at the 2026 National Beach Soccer Championship, recently held in Quy Nhon (Gia Lai Province), has left many wondering.
Reigning supreme many times
From 2009 to the present, across 16 editions of the National Beach Soccer Championship, the Khanh Hoa beach soccer team has reached the final match 13 times, lifting the championship trophy on 8 occasions. It is no exaggeration to say that Khanh Hoa beach soccer has established its dominance in a familiar arena. From Sanna Khanh Hoa, Tan Hoang Long Khanh Hoa to Sanest Khanh Hoa, Sanest Tourist Khanh Hoa, Hai Truong Nha Trang... Khanh Hoa teams have always earned the deep respect of their opponents.
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| The Khanh Hoa beach soccer team competing at the 2025 National Beach Soccer Championship in Khanh Hoa. |
In 2025, when the National Beach Soccer Championship was held in Khanh Hoa, home fans had the opportunity to witness their local team hoist the trophy once again. With such outstanding achievements, Khanh Hoa beach soccer has also served as a major talent pool for the national beach soccer team competing in Southeast Asian and Asian tournaments. For instance, at the 2025 AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup held in Thailand in March 2025, among the 14 players on the Vietnam national beach soccer squad, three faces hailed from Khanh Hoa: goalkeeper Nguyen Anh Quang, defender Nguyen Hoang Quan, and midfielder Vo Hoang Phu Qui...
The strength of Khanh Hoa beach soccer stems not only from the players' talent, but also from a widespread grassroots movement and the backing of the local business community. Behind every championship title and medal won by the Khanh Hoa beach soccer team has always been the moral, material, and financial support of enterprises. While socialized financial resources have helped build Khanh Hoa beach soccer's standing, they also reveal the team's certain dependence on these funds.
Absent for the first time
The National Beach Soccer Championship has long been a familiar battleground for Khanh Hoa beach soccer. However, in 2026, the Khanh Hoa team was absent from the tournament for the very first time. Mr. Nguyen Tuan Thanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, shared: "Khanh Hoa beach soccer did not participate in this year's tournament because socialized funding could not be mobilized. In addition, the province is focusing all its resources on investing in sports competing at the 10th National Sports Games in 2026."
Mr. NGUYEN TUAN THANH - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism: In the coming time, beach soccer needs continued attention, investment, and development to appeal to the business community and sponsors. Through this, Khanh Hoa beach soccer will have better conditions to build its squad and return to national tournaments.
In reality, despite its outstanding achievements, Khanh Hoa beach soccer is still largely maintained at a grassroots movement level, lacking systematic, regular, and professional training investment at the Provincial Sports Training and Coaching Center. The team is usually formed shortly before a tournament, trains for a brief period, and then disbands after the competition concludes. Funding relies predominantly on businesses and individuals, making it unstable.
At the national level, in recent years, the number of teams registered to participate in the National Beach Soccer Championship has shown a declining trend. Da Nang and Khanh Hoa have been the two regular contenders. Therefore, Khanh Hoa beach soccer's absence from this year's tournament has to some extent affected the tournament's competitiveness.
According to Mr. Nguyen Tuan Thanh, well aware of the unique strengths of a locality developing tourism and marine sports, the province's functional authorities are still striving to maintain the beach soccer movement. In 2026, beach soccer was included in the competition program of the 1st Khanh Hoa Provincial Sports Games and was one of the sporting activities celebrating the 2026 Khanh Hoa Sea Festival. The tournament was successfully organized.
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