MANILA, Philippines – Philippine volleyball and hospitality will probably be on full show beginning this September 12 because the nation kickstarts the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Males’s Volleyball World Championship, that includes Alas Pilipinas and 31 of the world’s greatest groups for final supremacy within the sport.
Divided between the Araneta Coliseum and Mall of Asia Enviornment, the large match will run till September 28 till one crew is topped the world champion, and followers can rating tickets for stay, world-class motion right here.
Right here’s a fast primer on the historic, two-week celebration of worldwide volleyball progress, proper right here on Philippine soil.
Format
The 32 groups are divided into eight swimming pools, from Pool A to H, and can all compete in a round-robin format till the highest two from every pool are locked in to advance to the direct elimination section.
From there, the remaining 16 conflict in knockout matches, all the way in which till the winner-take-all last to find out the brand new world champion.
Groups, gamers to observe
Attempting to comply with all 32 groups can get overwhelming, particularly in a match the place matches begin at 10 am, Manila time, and wrap up near midnight every day.
Listed below are some groups within the upcoming World Championship that may give followers probably the most bang for his or her hard-earned bucks.
Philippines
It goes with out saying that the host nation is a crew worthy of following within the tourmament, paradoxically on account of its lack of world-level expertise.
A primary-timer within the World Championship and the second-lowest-ranked nation in the complete discipline, world No. 82 Alas Pilipinas is out to stage upsets and actually make historical past in each level of each set of each match.
With key gamers like Marck Espejo, Bryan Bagunas, and Buds Buddin, the Philippines is out to provide its pool section opponents Tunisia, Egypt and world No. 13 Iran a severe run for his or her cash on house turf.
Japan
A crew that wants no additional introduction, Japan returns to the Philippines for its most vital tour of obligation but after making annual stops for the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) since 2022.
Already endeared to Filipino followers with stars like Ran Takahashi, Yuki Ishikawa, and the absent Yuji Nishida, Japan is about to get pleasure from a pseudo-home court docket benefit in opposition to its Pool G opponents Libya, world No. 11 Canada and No. 16 Turkey.
The world No. 5 squad seeks its first-ever world championship so as to add to its small assortment of two bronze medals in 1970 and 1974.
USA
One other fan favourite, the USA returns to the loving Filipino volleyball group with a mission to win its first world championship since 1986.
Nonetheless bannered by the likes of Micah Christenson, Matt Anderson, and Erik Shoji, the world No. 6 veteran squad faces a tenacious Pool D trio of Portugal, Colombia, and world No. 10 Cuba.
Italy
No match can be full with out the defending champion, and Italy drops by the Philippines hoping to restart one other wave of dominance prefer it did within the ’90s with three straight world championships from 1990 to 1998.
Ranked 2nd on this planet, Gil Azzurri (The Blues) are the spotlight of a loaded Pool F as they face world No. 14 Ukraine, No. 17 Belgium, and unpredictable No. 88 Algeria — the one 2025 World Championship crew ranked decrease than the Philippines.
Led by Alessandro Michieletto, Daniele Lavia, and 2022 World Championship MVP Simone Gianelli, Italy is hell-bent on retaining a podium spot because it didn’t comply with up on a single medal of any coloration since its ’90s three-peat earlier than profitable once more in 2022.
Poland
No match would even be full with out the top-ranked crew on this planet, and Poland will make that truth very clear because it headlines a “group of dying” in Pool B alongside world No. 19 Netherlands, No. 20 Qatar, and No. 22 Romania.
A extremely formidable group led by Wilfredo Leon and 2025 VNL MVP Jakub Kochanowski, the Biało-Czerwoni (White and Reds) search revenge on this World Championship after falling to Italy within the 2022 last that snapped the match’s newest three-peat try relationship again to to 2014.
Brazil
A podium finisher within the World Championship for the previous 23 years, Brazil heads again to the Philippines nonetheless an emblem of tolerating volleyball excellence and is out to win its first match gold since 2010.
Following final yr’s retirement of Bruno Rezende, one of many biggest setters in males’s volleyball historical past, Fernando Kreling steps in to fill a Canarinho legend’s large footwear and is now tasked to guide the likes of Darlan Souza and Ricardo Lucarelli to victory.
World No. 3 Brazil is locked in a loaded Pool H with No. 12 Serbia, No. 21 Czech Republic, and No. 26 China.
France
Two-time defending Olympic champion France shifts its consideration to World Championship supremacy, itching to broaden its surprisingly empty struggle chest that includes a single bronze medal (2002) within the match’s whole 76-year historical past.
Two-time reigning Olympic MVP and 2022 VNL MVP Earvin N’Gapeth stands because the world No. 4 squad’s prime attraction amongst different volley beasts like Trevor Clevenot, Antoine Brizard, Jean Patry, and Jenia Grebennikov — all particular person award winners within the final Olympiad on Paris house soil.
France headlines Pool C with different world-beaters in world No. 9 Argentina, No. 18 Finland ,and No. 25 South Korea.
Key matches
Listed below are potential must-watch matches that would reshape the stream of the match’s contender solid or just present sudden outcomes:
- September 12, 4:30 pm | Mall of Asia Enviornment – Philippines vs Tunisia
- September 13, 2:00 pm | Araneta Coliseum – Japan vs Turkey
- September 13, 5:30 pm | Mall of Asia Enviornment – Germany vs Bulgaria
- September 14, 10:30 am | Araneta Coliseum – Argentina vs Finland
- September 14, 6:00 pm | Araneta Coliseum – France vs South Korea
- September 15, 2:00 pm | Araneta Coliseum – Japan vs Canada
- September 15, 9:00 pm | Mall of Asia Enviornment – USA vs Portugal
- September 16, 10:00 am | Mall of Asia Enviornment – Brazil vs Czech Republic
- September 16, 5:30 pm | Mall of Asia Enviornment – Philippines vs Egypt
- September 16, 9:30 pm | Araneta Coliseum – Italy vs Belgium
- September 17, 2:00 pm | Araneta Coliseum – Canada vs Turkey
- September 17, 5:30 pm | Mall of Asia Enviornment – USA vs Cuba
- September 17, 6:00 pm | Araneta Coliseum – Poland vs Netherlands
- September 17, 9:00 pm | Mall of Asia Enviornment – Slovenia vs Germany
- September 18, 10:00 am | Mall of Asia Enviornment – Brazil vs Serbia
- September 18, 5:30 pm | Mall of Asia Enviornment – Philippines vs Iran
- September 18, 6 pm | Araneta Coliseum – France vs Argentina
Closing rosters will probably be launched round one to 2 days earlier than the match correct on September 12. – Rappler.com
![[The Wide Shot] The ‘budol’ of the Iglesia ni Cristo vote](https://www.rappler.com/tachyon/2025/08/the-%E2%80%98budol-of-the-Iglesia-ni-Cristo-vote.jpg "[The Wide Shot] The ‘budol’ of the Iglesia ni Cristo vote")
