Quick answer: The women's SEA V.Cup 2026 — the renamed SEA V.League — brings Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia together across two legs: 31 July–2 August at Đông Anh Gymnasium in Hanoi, then 7–9 August in Thailand. Each leg is a single round robin; Vietnam enter as the team that finally broke Thailand's grip in 2025.
What is the SEA V.Cup 2026?
The SEA V.Cup is Southeast Asia's flagship annual national-team volleyball series, run by the Southeast Asian Volleyball Association (SAVA) under the Asian Volleyball Confederation umbrella. If the name looks unfamiliar, that is because it is new: from 2026 the competition formerly known as the SEA V.League has been officially renamed the SEA V.Cup, with the women's edition carrying the sponsored title "BYD DMI 6th SEA V Cup 2026". Older articles, standings archives and even some federation pages still say "SEA V.League" — they refer to the same event.
Four women's national teams take part in 2026: Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines (competing as Alas Pilipinas Women) and Indonesia. The field is deliberately compact. With only three matches per leg, there is no room for a slow start, and a single dropped set can decide a leg title on quotient.
Format: two legs, two hosts, one short sprint each
The competition is played as two separate legs, each a four-team single round robin:
| Leg | Dates | Host city | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg 1 | 31 July – 2 August 2026 | Hanoi, Vietnam | Đông Anh Gymnasium |
| Leg 2 | 7–9 August 2026 | Chiang Mai, Thailand (see venue note) | 700th Anniversary Chiang Mai Sports Complex |
Each leg crowns its own podium, and results across both legs shape the overall placement picture. The rhythm is unforgiving: three matchdays in a row, then a short reset before three more. Teams that manage rotation and recovery well — historically Thailand's strength — tend to profit in the second leg.
Venue note (Leg 2): Thai national media and the tournament's own schedule communications place Leg 2 in Chiang Mai. A number of earlier Vietnamese reports referred to Nakhon Ratchasima instead. Kim Quy 88 uses Chiang Mai as the working confirmed location because it comes from the newer, more specific Thai-side announcements, but we flag the discrepancy openly and will re-verify before Leg 2 begins.
There is also a venue story behind Leg 1. Hanoi's Đông Anh Gymnasium was not the original plan: the leg was initially set for the Ninh Bình Provincial Sports Training Centre before the province withdrew citing financial difficulties, and SAVA approved the switch to Đông Anh.
Leg 1: complete match schedule
All times are Indochina Time (ICT, UTC+7). Host Vietnam play every evening slot; the other pairing takes the afternoon.
| Date | 16:00 ICT (afternoon) | 19:00 ICT (evening) |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 31 July | Indonesia vs Thailand | Vietnam vs Philippines |
| Sat 1 August | Philippines vs Thailand | Vietnam vs Indonesia |
| Sun 2 August | Indonesia vs Philippines | Vietnam vs Thailand |
Time conversions for regional readers: 16:00 ICT is 17:00 in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore (UTC+8) and 09:00 UTC; 19:00 ICT is 20:00 PHT/MYT/SGT and 12:00 UTC. Thailand shares ICT with Vietnam, so no conversion is needed for Thai viewers.
The schedule builds naturally to a finale: Vietnam vs Thailand — the region's defining rivalry — closes the leg on Sunday night in front of the home crowd.
The four teams, one by one
Vietnam: champions with a reshaped spine
Vietnam arrive as the emotional favourites at home and the team with the freshest silverware: their 2025 second-leg triumph in Ninh Bình was the country's first title in this competition. Head coach Nguyễn Tuấn Kiệt confirmed his 14-player squad on 25 July, then made one late change on 29 July, bringing in middle blocker Lưu Thị Huệ for Nguyễn Phương Quỳnh. Captain and outside hitter Trần Thị Thanh Thúy headlines the group.
Two absences matter. Hoàng Thị Kiều Trinh misses the first leg through injury, and Nguyễn Thị Bích Tuyền — MVP of the 2025 second leg — does not appear in any published 14-player list for this leg, leaving Nguyễn Thị Trà My as the only specialist opposite registered. How Vietnam redistribute that scoring load is the central selection question of the leg.
Thailand: the benchmark, deliberately rotated
Thailand are the historical reference point of Southeast Asian women's volleyball and have won most editions of this series. For Hanoi, though, coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai has named a rotated 14: captain-setter Pornpun Guedpard is rested, Chatchu-on Moksri is out with a shoulder injury, and Wipawee Srithong and Hattaya Bamrungsuk are not listed. Firepower remains — Pimpichaya Kokram, the 2025 first-leg MVP, and Ajcharaporn Kongyot both travel — but this is a squad built to blood depth as much as to win.
Philippines: a new era begins in Hanoi
Alas Pilipinas Women start life under Japanese head coach Taka Minowa, taking charge of the national team for the first time. The named pool leans on PVL-loaned talent around captain Jia de Guzman, with Bella Belen, Eya Laure, Alyssa Solomon, Thea Gagate and others involved. Important caveat: as of 29 July the final 14-player roster had not been announced and was expected around the opening day. Until then, treat every Philippine line-up projection as provisional.
Indonesia: settled early, hunting an upset
Indonesia were the first to lock in their squad, releasing a 14-player roster on 19 July under coach Marcos Sugiyama. Captain Tisya Amallya Putri and setter Arneta Putri Amelian organise a side that has historically finished behind the big two but relishes the spoiler role in short round robins, where one hot afternoon can rearrange the podium.
Tournament history: how we got here
- 2022: staged as the 2nd ASEAN Grand Prix — Thailand champions.
- 2023: rebranded SEA V.League — Thailand won both legs.
- 2024: Thailand won both legs again.
- 2025: Thailand took Leg 1 in Nakhon Ratchasima (Pimpichaya Kokram MVP), but Vietnam won Leg 2 in Ninh Bình — their first-ever title in the series, with Bích Tuyền named MVP.
That 2025 split is the backdrop to everything in 2026: Thailand's aura of inevitability has cracked, Vietnam finally know they can finish the job, and both meet on the final night of Leg 1.
Where to watch
Broadcast rights are territorial, and confirmation levels differ by country:
- Vietnam (confirmed): all matches of both legs stream on the volleyball federation's YouTube channel "Trực Tiếp Bóng Chuyền" and on the VTVPrime app; On Sports (VTVcab) has also been referenced in schedule listings.
- Indonesia (confirmed): Moji TV on television and Vidio for streaming.
- Thailand (not yet confirmed): no broadcaster had been officially announced for this specific women's event as of 29 July. We will not present an assumed channel as fact.
- Philippines (not yet confirmed): likewise, no first-party announcement yet.
- International stream: none confirmed as of 29 July.
This section is updated the moment an official announcement lands; unconfirmed options are never labelled as confirmed here.
Results and standings on this page
Because the tournament has not started, this hub deliberately shows no scores, no table and no live badge. Once Leg 1 begins, the same URL switches through its live cycle: each matchday's fixtures move into a results block with set scores, a leg standings table appears after the first completed round, and the "Next match" module always points at the upcoming fixture. Nothing is pre-filled; every number on this page after 31 July will come from completed matches.
How to follow both legs efficiently
If you only care about the title race, three fixtures carry most of the weight: Vietnam vs Thailand on 2 August (the likely Leg 1 decider), and the rematch that the round-robin format guarantees in Chiang Mai during Leg 2, plus whichever match eliminates the mathematical chance of an outsider — usually the second-day fixture between the eventual top two and their nearest chaser. If you follow a specific team, the local editions of this hub (linked below and in the sidebar) run deeper squad coverage in Vietnamese, Thai and Philippine English respectively, while this international page stays the neutral reference for schedule, format and cross-country broadcast status. Every edition shares one update rule: the same URL carries the event from preview to final whistle, so whichever page you bookmark now is the page that will hold the results table in ten days.
FAQ
When does the women's SEA V.Cup 2026 start? Leg 1 runs 31 July–2 August 2026 in Hanoi; Leg 2 follows 7–9 August in Thailand.
Is the SEA V.Cup the same as the SEA V.League? Yes. SAVA renamed the SEA V.League to SEA V.Cup from 2026. It is the same annual four-nation series.
Which teams are playing? Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines (Alas Pilipinas Women) and Indonesia.
What is the format? Each leg is a four-team single round robin — three matches per team per leg — with each leg crowning its own podium.
Where is Leg 1 played? At Đông Anh Gymnasium in Hanoi. The leg was moved there after original host Ninh Bình withdrew.
Where exactly is Leg 2? Working confirmed location is Chiang Mai (700th Anniversary Sports Complex); some earlier Vietnamese reports said Nakhon Ratchasima, so re-check before travelling.
Who are the defending champions? Vietnam won the 2025 second leg — their first title — while Thailand won the 2025 first leg.
When is Vietnam vs Thailand? Sunday 2 August at 19:00 ICT (20:00 PHT, 12:00 UTC), the final match of Leg 1.
Last updated: 29 July 2026, 18:00 ICT.
Related pages
- Vietnamese-language Vietnam-first hub
- Thai edition
- Philippine edition
- back to international sports hub
- PVL on Tour 2026 hub
Sources
- SGGP Sports — Leg 1 schedule, venue and format (thethao.sggp.org.vn)
- Vietnam News / Lao Dong — Đông Anh venue change, renaming to SEA V.Cup
- Nation Thailand — Thailand squad rotation, Leg 2 Chiang Mai
- Tirto.id / Tribunnews — cross-confirmation of schedule; Thailand and Indonesia rosters
- Philstar / Spin.ph — Alas Pilipinas pool and pending final 14
- Okezone / Media Indonesia — Indonesia roster and coach
Fact status
- Confirmed: dates, Đông Anh venue, full Leg 1 schedule with 16:00/19:00 ICT split, four-team field, VN and Indonesia broadcasters, VN/THA/INA squads and coaches, 2025 history.
- Pending: Philippines final 14; Thai and Philippine broadcasters; any international stream.
- Conflicting: Leg 2 city — Chiang Mai (Thai sources, used here) vs Nakhon Ratchasima (earlier Vietnamese reports); flagged visibly in the venue note.
