The Alas Pilipinas Men is set to face Tunisia in the opening match of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Manila.
The Philippines will make history in the 21st edition of the tournament with their first appearance in the international event.
Looking ahead to the tournament, Alas Pilipinas member Marck Espejo told Volleyball World:
“This is a big tournament, of course, but all of us are ready.
“As a team, we still have a long way to go, but we’ve also come a long way since we started training together, especially during our training camp in Europe.
“I’ll make the most out of it because this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This is a huge opportunity, not just for me, but for the growth of men’s volleyball in the Philippines, and I won’t take it for granted.”
The Philippine national team conducted a three-country training camp in August as part of the country’s preparations for the tournament.
Members of the Alas Pilipinas Men, trained by Italian coach Angiolino Frigoni, were able to test their skills and team chemistry against teams from Morocco, Romania, and Portugal.
The Philippines secured an automatic slot in the 2025 edition of the Men’s World Championship after securing the right to host the major tournament from September 12 to 28.
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Kings of Volleyball
A total of 32 male teams would be competing for the title of “Kings of Volleyball” in Manila, with Poland aiming to reclaim the prestigious title.
This year’s event will feature eight pools of four teams with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage.
The championship match will be held on September 28.
Hosts Philippines will first face Tunisia in Pool A, followed by Egypt and Iran.
They are expected to face a tough debut as Tunisia have already competed in the tournament ten times.
Poland were placed in Pool B, alongside the Netherlands, Qatar, and Romania.
France will face Argentina, Finland, and Korea in Pool C.
USA, Cuba, Portugal and Colombia are in Pool D, while Slovenia, Germany, Bulgaria, and Chile are in Pool E.
Reigning world champions Italy will face Ukraine, Belgium, and Algeria in Pool F, while Asian powerhouse Japan will battle Canada, Turkey, and Libya in Pool G.
Completing the pools of four teams are Brazil, Serbia, Czechia, and China in Pool H.
Italy dominate women’s event
Ahead of the opening of the men’s tournament, Italy’s women claimed another crown after winning the Women’s World Championship in Bangkok, on September 7 with a five-set win over Turkey.
The Italian team had already won the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) and the Paris Olympics in 2024.
“This victory is very emotional for us. After winning the World Championship, the Olympics, and two VNLs, I believe this team will be remembered as a legendary one in the future, like a few others.
“I’m very proud of them. They won two very difficult matches over the last two days, and they do their best every single day in practice and really deserve everything they’ve achieved,” head coach Julio Velasco said.
Brazil secured third place after beating Japan in a tough five-set match, 25-12, 25-17, 19-25, 27-29, 18-16.
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