Amateur football players are getting set for the country's first national championships – the Sai Gon Beer Cup.

The mini-football tournament will begin qualifiers on May 7 in HCM City before holding more qualifying matches in 16 other cities and provinces. The final round is scheduled for late August with the organisers covering all accommodation and meal expenses for participants.

The VND1.5 billion (US$71,000) event, which is the first of its kind for non-professional footballers, is expected to lure more than 1,000 squads. They will compete with five players on each side on artificial grass football fields.

The winner of each zone from the qualifying round will get VND40 million while the overall champions will receive VND120 million.-VNS