Players of Gia Lai's U21 squad.

HCM CITY (VNS) — Eight teams will participate in the final round of the National U21 Football Championship at Thong Nhat Stadium in HCM City today.

According to the draw, Group A includes the hosts HCM City, Thua Thien Hue, An Giang and Gia Lai, while Ha Noi T&T, SHB Da Nang, Binh Dinh and Sanatech Khanh Hoa are in Group B.

The teams will play a single round-robin schedule, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals of the tournament, which is being sponsored by the Thanh Nien newspaper.

Nguyen Cong Khe, head of the tournament's organising board, said at a press conference on Tuesday that the event aimed to train players to develop good skills and morals, and that the organisers would deal severely with players engaging in unsporting behaviour.

Hosts HCM City will meet Gia Lai in the opener, while An Giang take on Thua Thien Hue in the later match.

Both Gia Lai and HCM City hope to reach the final.

"We will play dedicatedly, spectacularly and effectively to be present at the final," Gia Lai's leader Dinh Hong Vinh said.

HCM City's coach Phung Thanh Phuong said he believed his team would prove their abilities in this tournament.

The winners will walk away with a VND250-million (US$11,400) prize. — VNS