By Ava Featon, Sport Deputy Editor
The stage has been set for the Men’s Volleyball World Cup 2025, and it is Manila who have the pleasure of hosting this enticing event. Spanning across the majority of September, the host country of the Philippines is in for an eventful few weeks.
Thirty-two countries will battle it out for the title of World Cup champion. Drawings took place live in the Philippines on the 14th of September. Each team has been drawn into one of the eight pools, which were determined by the FIVB Volleyball Senior World Rankings at the end of the National Teams Season, the year before the Event (30 August 2024) establishing the teams’ seeding position.
Both the host country (Philippines) and the current World Champions (Italy) automatically gained a spot into the 2025 World Cup, alongside the top three teams from the 2023 Continental Championships. The rest of the twenty-seven teams were made up from the qualifying positions in the FIVB world rankings at the end of the National League Season 2024.
The thirty-two teams that will be competing for the title are; Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czechia, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Libya, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United States of America.
The excitment begins on the 12th of September when the pool stages get underway. Each of the eight pools, which consist of four countries in each, will compete in a round-robin style competition, before the top two countries from each pool advance into the knockout round of sixteen nations.
The unfortunate teams that fail to advance to the next phase of the tournament will be put through the combined ranking system to determine their world ranking. This includes various factors such as their pool position, number of points and victories, and their set and point ratios.
On the 20th of September, the competition will heat up again as the ruthless knock-out rounds begin. Countries will go head-to-head with one another in a single elimination format, where only the teams who come out victorious will advance to the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinals are played across the 24th – 25th September. The draw will take place according to a set framework - namely, the first quarterfinal (QF) winner will play the winner of the second QF, and the third QF winner will face the second QF winner.
The semi-finals will take place on the 27th September, when the losers from both matches will throw down for the bronze medal.
It's a quick turnaround for the finals the next day on the 28th September, where the final two will battle it out to lift the trophy and be crowned World Champion - at least until the next competition in 2029.
There are two impressive venues where the World Cup is going to be held at. The Smart Araneta Coliseum is one of the largest indoor sports arena in Asia, with a 15,000 strong capacity. The second venue is the SM Mall of Asia Arena, which regularly hosts the Philippines’ University Volleyball Championships and the Country’s Premier Volleyball League.
However, for the vast majority of us who will not be attending live, the tournament is easily accessible across streaming platforms. ‘VBTV’ offer live and on-demand access to the matches, as well as ‘CEV EuroVolleyTV’ also offers both live and catch-up streaming of the World Cup.
The Men’s Volleyball World Cup 2025 is shaping up to be a competition you do not want to miss out on. Whether you are watching the underdogs fight for their position on the world stage, or established teams proving why their silverware cabinet is so full, this is a tournament you want to get in on.
Players to keep an eye out for:
Richardo Lucarelli (Brazil)
This outside hitter is out to replicate his gold medal winning performance at Rio in 2016.
Daniele Lavia (Italy)
A reigning World Champion, Lavia is inevitably one to watch. Although he is not the flashiest athlete, he embodies reliability - that is ultimately what brings you titles.
Zhang Jingyin (China)
Jingyin is China’s top option defensively and it is no secret as to why, averaging double figures at the 2023 VNL. He is an electric athlete to watch, guaranteed to make the game worth your time.
Photo credits: Instagram / @fivb
Will you be tuning in for the Men's Volleyball World Cup this September?
