2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship

Volleyball tournament in the Philippines From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship was the 21st staging of the FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship, contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). It took place in two cities of the Philippines from 12 to 28 September 2025, and the first edition under the two-year cycles in odd-numbered years with an expanded format featuring 32 teams.

Host nationPhilippines
City
Dates12–28 September
Teams32 (from 5 confederations)
Quick facts Tournament details, Host nation ...
2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship
Tournament details
Host nationPhilippines
City
Dates12–28 September
Teams32 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s)2 (in 2 host cities)
Officially opened byBongbong Marcos[2]
Champions Italy (5th title)
Runners-up Bulgaria
Third place Poland
Fourth place Czech Republic
Tournament awards
MVPItaly Alessandro Michieletto
Best SetterItaly Simone Giannelli
Best OHBulgaria Aleksandar Nikolov
Italy Alessandro Michieletto
Best MBBulgaria Aleks Grozdanov
Poland Jakub Kochanowski
Best OPPItaly Yuri Romanò
Best LiberoItaly Fabio Balaso
Tournament statistics
Matches played64
Attendance216,930 (3,390 per match)
Official website
2025 Men's World Championship
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The tournament was the first World Championship hosted in Southeast Asia, and the second of two consecutive World Championships in 2025 held in this region, following the Women's World Championship in Thailand. The Philippines became the second country in Asia to host the World Championship, following Japan. The competition was also the second world senior championship in Olympic team sports to be hosted in the Philippines. Italy were the defending champions, having won their fourth title in 2022, and remains as the reigning world champions after winning the 2025 Championship on 28 September 2025. With the win, Italy equaled a record previously held only by the USSR by becoming world volleyball champions in both the men’s and women’s competitions — the Soviet Union achieved the feat in 1952 and 1960.[3]

Background

Previously, the competition format was determined through agreements between the host country and the FIVB, resulting in varying and inconsistent formats. In March 2022, the FIVB Board of Administration approved the new proposed World Championship format.[4] To standardize, the proposed format started with a pool phase and then proceeded with a direct elimination phase. Additionally, they proposed increasing the number of teams from 24 to 32 to guarantee universality. The new format of the World Championship was confirmed in late 2022 and started with this edition.[5][6]

In May 2022, the FIVB revealed the television rights agreement for Polsat covering the competition events from 2022 to 2032, which included a new event to be held in 2025 and 2029.[7] Before that, Fabio Azevedo, now the FIVB president and a member of the Board of Administration, suggested that the World Championships be held in 2027 and subsequently every two years, while the Continental Championships would take place in 2026 and 2028, serving as qualifiers for the World Championships.[4] However, the proposed timeline was moved up after the FIVB announced the competition calendar for 2025 to 2028 in June 2023, shifting the World Championships to 2025 and using the 2023 Continental Championships as qualifiers for that event.[8][9]

Host selection

The bidding procedure to host the 2025 and 2027 FIVB World Championships began in August 2023. National federations had until 31 August 2023 to register interest.[10] Around 31 countries expressed interest to host the tournament.[11] This figure was reduced to three final candidates: Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines.[12][13] On 20 March 2024, FIVB announced that the Philippines was selected to host the tournament.[14][15]

Qualification

Main article: 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship qualification

The host country Philippines qualified for the competition as well as the defending champions Italy. The top three teams from each of the 2023 Continental Championships secured qualification. The final 15 places belonged to top 15 teams as per FIVB World Ranking who had not yet qualified.[16]

More information Country, Confederation ...
Country Confederation Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearances Previous best performance
Total First Last
 Philippines AVC Host country 20 March 2024 0 None None
 Italy CEV Defending champions 11 September 2022 18 1949 2022 Champions (1990, 1994, 1998, 2022)
 Japan AVC 2023 Asian champions 25 August 2023 16 1960 2022 3rd place (1970, 1974)
 Iran AVC 2023 Asian runners-up 25 August 2023 7 1970 2022 6th place (2014)
 Qatar AVC 2023 Asian 3rd placers 26 August 2023 1 2022 21st place (2022)
 Brazil CSV 2023 South American runners-up 28 August 2023 18 1956 2022 Champions (2002, 2006, 2010)
 Argentina CSV 2023 South American champions 29 August 2023 13 1960 2022 3rd place (1982)
 Colombia CSV 2023 South American 3rd placers 29 August 2023 0 None None
 United States NORCECA 2023 NORCECA champions 9 September 2023 17 1956 2022 Champions (1986)
 Canada NORCECA 2023 NORCECA runners-up 9 September 2023 12 1974 2022 7th place (2014)
 Cuba NORCECA 2023 NORCECA 3rd placers 10 September 2023 16 1956 2022 Runners-up (1990, 2010)
 Egypt CAVB 2023 African champions 11 September 2023 10 1974 2022 13th place (2010)
 Algeria CAVB 2023 African runners-up 11 September 2023 2 1994 1998 13th place (1994)
 Poland CEV 2023 European champions 12 September 2023 18 1949 2022 Champions (1974, 2014, 2018)
 Slovenia CEV 2023 European 3rd placers 12 September 2023 2 2018 2022 4th place (2022)
 France CEV 2023 European 4th placersa 12 September 2023 17 1949 2022 3rd place (2002)
 Libya CAVB 2023 African 3rd placers 13 September 2023 1 1982 24th place (1982)
 Germany CEV 1st World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 12b 1956 2022 Champions (1970)
 Serbia CEV 2nd World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 11c 1956 2022 Runners-up (1998)
 Netherlands CEV 3rd World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 13 1949 2022 Runners-up (1994)
 Ukraine CEV 4th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 2 1998 2022 7th place (2022)
 Belgium CEV 5th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 9 1949 2018 8th place (1970)
 Turkey CEV 6th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 4 1956 2022 11th place (2022)
 Czech Republic CEV 7th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 16d 1949 2010 Champions (1956, 1966)
 Bulgaria CEV 8th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 19 1949 2022 Runners-up (1970)
 Portugal CEV 9th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 2 1956 2002 8th place (2002)
 Finland CEV 10th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 8 1952 2018 9th place (2014)
 Tunisia CAVB 11th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 11 1962 2022 15th place (2006)
 China AVC 12th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 15 1956 2022 7th place (1978, 1982)
 Romania CEV 13th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 10 1949 1982 Runners-up (1956, 1966)
 Chile CSV 14th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 1 1982 23rd place (1982)
 South Korea AVC 15th World ranked non-qualified team 30 August 2024 9 1956 2014 4th place (1978)
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Notes
a France, 4th placers of the tournament qualified since Italy, the runners-up of this tournament were the defending world champions.
b Competed as East Germany from 1956 to 1990 (7 times) and as West Germany from 1956 to 1990 (8 times); 5 appearances as Germany.
c Competed as SFR Yugoslavia from 1956 to 1970 (4 times) and as Serbia and Montenegro from 1998 to 2006 (3 times); 4 appearances as Serbia.
d Competed as Czechoslovakia from 1949 to 1990; 5 appearances as Czech Republic.

Format

The tournament is played in two rounds: a preliminary round (pool phase) and a final round (direct elimination phase). During the preliminary round, 32 qualified teams were divided into eight pools, labeled A through H, with four teams in each pool. In this phase, every team within a pool competed against the other three teams once. After the pool phase, the top two teams from each pool will advanced to the final round, creating a round of 16 teams. Simultaneously, the bottom two teams from each pool will be ranked from 17th to 32nd based on the Team Combined Ranking System.[17][18]

The final round follows a single-elimination format with the round of 16 match-ups determined by each team's pool and ranking position. The initial pairings—A1 versus H2, H1 versus A2, D1 versus E2, E1 versus D2, B1 versus G2, G1 versus B2, C1 versus F2, and F1 versus B2—ensured that teams from pools A, D, E, and H will not encounter with teams from pools B, C, F, and G until the final match. As the competition progresses, the round of 16 losers will be ranked from 9th to 16th according to the Team Combined Ranking System, while the winners will advance to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals followed a similar pattern, with losing teams will rank from 5th to 8th, and victorious teams will moving to the next stage of the competition. In the semifinals, the losers will compete for the third place, while the winners will face each other in the final match.[17][18]

Pools composition

The 32 teams were distributed to eight pools of four teams. The draw of lots took place at Solaire Hotel in Parañaque on 14 September 2024.[19][20][21] Rankings of teams are shown in brackets.

The host and the top seven teams are automatically seeded as the first teams of the eight pools.[22]

More information Seeded teams, Pot 1 ...
Seeded teams Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3
 Philippines (61) (Hosts)
 Poland (1)
 France (2)
 United States (3)
 Slovenia (4)
 Italy (5)
 Japan (6)
 Brazil (7)		  Germany (8)
 Argentina (9)
 Serbia (10)
 Canada (11)
 Cuba (12)
 Netherlands (13)
 Iran (14)
 Ukraine (15)		  Belgium (16)
 Turkey (17)
 Czech Republic (18)
 Bulgaria (19)
 Egypt (20)
 Qatar (21)
 Portugal (22)
 Finland (23)		  Tunisia (24)
 China (25)
 Romania (26)
 Chile (27)
 South Korea (28)
 Libya (44)
 Colombia (45)
 Algeria (50)
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Draw
More information Pool A, Pool B ...
Pool A Pool B Pool C Pool D
 Philippines  Poland  France  United States
 Iran  Netherlands  Argentina  Cuba
 Egypt  Qatar  Finland  Portugal
 Tunisia  Romania  South Korea  Colombia
Pool E Pool F Pool G Pool H
 Slovenia  Italy  Japan  Brazil
 Germany  Ukraine  Canada  Serbia
 Bulgaria  Belgium  Turkey  Czech Republic
 Chile  Algeria  Libya  China
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Team ranking system

Pool standing procedure

To establish the ranking of the teams after the preliminary round, the following criteria were implemented:

  1. Total number of victories (matches won, matches lost)
  2. In the event of a tie, the teams will be ranked by the most point gained per match as follows:
    • Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 points for the winner, 0 points for the loser
    • Match won 3–2: 2 points for the winner, 1 point for the loser
    • Match forfeited: 3 points for the winner, 0 points (0–25, 0–25, 0–25) for the loser
  3. If teams are still tied after examining the number of victories and points gained, then the FIVB will examine the results in order to break the tie in the following order:
    • Set quotient: if two or more teams are tied on the number of points gained, they will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of the number of all set won by the number of all sets lost.
    • Points quotient: if the tie persists based on the set quotient, the teams will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of all points scored by the total of points lost during all sets.
    • If the tie persists based on the point quotient, the tie will be broken based on the team that won the match of the Round Robin Phase between the tied teams. When the tie in point quotient is between three or more teams, these teams ranked taking into consideration only the matches involving the teams in question.

Teams combined ranking system

To establish the final ranking of the teams, the following criteria were implemented:

  1. Position of the team in the Pool (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th)
  2. Total number of victories (matches won, matches lost)
  3. In the event of a tie, the teams will be ranked by the most point gained per match as follows:
    • Match won 3–0 or 3–1: 3 points for the winner, 0 points for the loser
    • Match won 3–2: 2 points for the winner, 1 point for the loser
    • Match forfeited: 3 points for the winner, 0 points (0–25, 0–25, 0–25) for the loser
  4. If teams are still tied after examining the number of victories and points gained, then the FIVB will examine the results in order to break the tie in the following order:
    • Set quotient: if two or more teams are tied on the number of points gained, they will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of the number of all set won by the number of all sets lost.
    • Points quotient: if the tie persists based on the set quotient, the teams will be ranked by the quotient resulting from the division of all points scored by the total of points lost during all sets.
    • If the tie persists based on the point quotient, the tie will be broken based on the team that won the match of the Round Robin Phase between the tied teams. When the tie in point quotient is between three or more teams, these teams ranked taking into consideration only the matches involving the teams in question.

After the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, the eliminated teams were ranked in the final standings according to the Teams Combined Ranking System, which takes into account all matches played during both the preliminary and final rounds.

Squads

Main article: 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship squads

Each national team had to register a long-list roster with up to 25 players, which eventually had to be reduced to a final list of 14 players.[23]

Venues

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Host venues of the FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship in the Greater Manila Area

The tournament will have two venues in two cities in Metro Manila.[a] Both the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay and the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City were the first two confirmed locations for the championship. There were possibilities for the finals to be held at the Mall of Asia Arena due to its capacity and the technical reasons. Other host cities would be confirmed later.[24][25] The former was confirmed to be the venue for the final round matches.[26]

Additionally the Philsports Arena in Pasig, the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan, and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium and Rizal Memorial Coliseum within the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila are named as official training venues for the participating teams.[27]

More information Preliminary and final rounds, Preliminary round ...
Preliminary and final rounds Preliminary round
Pasay Quezon City
SM Mall of Asia Arena Araneta Coliseum
Capacity: 20,000 Capacity: 14,429
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Preliminary round

Pool A

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  Tunisia 3 2 1 6 7 3 2.333 234 210 1.114 Final round
2  Iran 3 2 1 5 7 6 1.167 293 289 1.014
3  Philippines (H) 3 1 2 4 5 7 0.714 269 279 0.964
4  Egypt 3 1 2 3 4 7 0.571 244 262 0.931
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Source: FIVB Men's World Championship - Standings
(H) Host
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Venue Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
12 Sep19:00MAAPhilippines  0–3  Tunisia 13–2517–2523–25  53–75P2 Report
14 Sep13:30MAAIran  1–3  Egypt 17–2525–1623–2520–25 85–91P2 Report
16 Sep13:30MAAIran  3–1  Tunisia 23–2525–2025–2325–16 98–84P2 Report
16 Sep17:30MAAPhilippines  3–1  Egypt 29–2723–2525–2125–21 102–94P2 Report
18 Sep13:30MAAEgypt  0–3  Tunisia 19–2518–2522–25  59–75P2 Report
18 Sep17:30MAAPhilippines  2–3  Iran 25–2121–2525–1723–2520–22114–110P2 Report
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Pool B

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  Poland 3 3 0 9 9 1 9.000 256 209 1.225 Final round
2  Netherlands 3 2 1 6 7 4 1.750 267 260 1.027
3  Qatar 3 1 2 3 4 7 0.571 241 266 0.906
4  Romania 3 0 3 0 1 9 0.111 227 256 0.887
Close
Source: FIVB Men's World Championship - Standings
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Venue Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
13 Sep18:00ACNetherlands  3–1  Qatar 25–1825–2326–2825–23 101–92P2 Report
13 Sep21:30ACPoland  3–0  Romania 34–3225–1525–19  84–66P2 Report
15 Sep18:00ACNetherlands  3–0  Romania 25–2326–2426–24  77–71P2 Report
15 Sep21:30ACPoland  3–0  Qatar 25–2125–1425–19  75–54P2 Report
17 Sep10:30ACQatar  3–1  Romania 20–2525–2325–2025–22 95–90P2 Report
17 Sep18:00ACPoland  3–1  Netherlands 22–2525–2325–1925–22 97–89P2 Report
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Pool C

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  Argentina 3 3 0 7 9 5 1.800 309 302 1.023 Final round
2  Finland 3 2 1 6 8 6 1.333 304 294 1.034
3  France 3 1 2 5 7 6 1.167 291 262 1.111
4  South Korea 3 0 3 0 2 9 0.222 219 265 0.826
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Source: FIVB Men's World Championship - Standings
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Venue Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
14 Sep10:30ACArgentina  3–2  Finland 19–2518–2525–2225–2215–11102–105P2 Report
14 Sep18:00ACFrance  3–0  South Korea 25–1225–1825–16  75–46P2 Report
16 Sep10:30ACArgentina  3–1  South Korea 25–2223–2525–2125–18 98–86P2 Report
16 Sep18:00ACFrance  2–3  Finland 19–2525–1727–2925–219–15105–107P2 Report
18 Sep10:30ACFinland  3–1  South Korea 25–1825–2317–2525–21 92–87P2 Report
18 Sep18:00ACFrance  2–3  Argentina 26–2823–2525–2125–2012–15111–109P2 Report
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Pool D

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  United States 3 3 0 9 9 1 9.000 250 202 1.238 Final round
2  Portugal 3 2 1 5 6 6 1.000 262 262 1.000
3  Cuba 3 1 2 3 5 6 0.833 249 258 0.965
4  Colombia 3 0 3 1 2 9 0.222 220 259 0.849
Close
Source: FIVB Men's World Championship - Standings
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Venue Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
13 Sep10:00MAAUnited States  3–0  Colombia 25–2025–2125–14  75–55P2 Report
13 Sep13:30MAACuba  1–3  Portugal 25–2022–2519–2519–25 85–95P2 Report
15 Sep10:00MAACuba  3–0  Colombia 25–2225–2125–20  75–63P2 Report
15 Sep21:00MAAUnited States  3–0  Portugal 25–1925–2225–17  75–58P2 Report
17 Sep10:00MAAPortugal  3–2  Colombia 23–2521–2525–2025–2115–11109–102P2 Report
17 Sep17:30MAAUnited States  3–1  Cuba 25–1725–2223–2527–25 100–89P2 Report
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Pool E

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  Bulgaria 3 3 0 8 9 2 4.500 271 217 1.249 Final round
2  Slovenia 3 2 1 7 8 4 2.000 269 258 1.043
3  Germany 3 1 2 3 4 6 0.667 252 249 1.012
4  Chile 3 0 3 0 0 9 0.000 157 225 0.698
Close
Source: FIVB Men's World Championship - Standings
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Venue Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
13 Sep17:30MAAGermany  0–3  Bulgaria 38–4022–2520–25  80–90P2 Report
13 Sep21:00MAASlovenia  3–0  Chile 25–1925–2025–16  75–55P2 Report
15 Sep13:30MAAGermany  3–0  Chile 25–1725–2325–21  75–61P2 Report
15 Sep17:30MAASlovenia  2–3  Bulgaria 19–2514–2525–1825–2313–1596–106P2 Report
17 Sep13:30MAABulgaria  3–0  Chile 25–1725–1225–12  75–41P2 Report
17 Sep21:00MAASlovenia  3–1  Germany 25–2117–2531–2925–22 98–97P2 Report
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Pool F

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  Belgium 3 3 0 8 9 2 4.500 258 215 1.200 Final round
2  Italy 3 2 1 7 8 3 2.667 256 221 1.158
3  Ukraine 3 1 2 3 3 6 0.500 191 190 1.005
4  Algeria 3 0 3 0 0 9 0.000 146 225 0.649
Close
Source: FIVB Men's World Championship - Standings
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Venue Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
14 Sep14:00ACUkraine  0–3  Belgium 16–2517–2522–25  55–75P2 Report
14 Sep21:30ACItaly  3–0  Algeria 25–1325–2225–17  75–52P2 Report
16 Sep14:00ACUkraine  3–0  Algeria 25–1725–1225–11  75–40P2 Report
16 Sep21:30ACItaly  2–3  Belgium 23–2520–2525–2225–2113–15106–108P2 Report
18 Sep14:00ACBelgium  3–0  Algeria 25–2225–2025–12  75–54P2 Report
18 Sep21:30ACItaly  3–0  Ukraine 25–2125–2225–18  75–61P2 Report
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Pool G

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  Turkey 3 3 0 9 9 1 9.000 250 196 1.276 Final round
2  Canada 3 2 1 6 6 4 1.500 238 226 1.053
3  Japan 3 1 2 3 3 6 0.500 201 199 1.010
4  Libya 3 0 3 0 2 9 0.222 206 274 0.752
Close
Source: FIVB Men's World Championship - Standings
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Venue Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
13 Sep10:30ACCanada  3–1  Libya 22–2525–2025–1229–27 101–84P2 Report
13 Sep14:00ACJapan  0–3  Turkey 19–2523–2519–25  61–75P2 Report
15 Sep10:30ACTurkey  3–1  Libya 25–1823–2525–1425–16 98–73P2 Report
15 Sep14:00ACJapan  0–3  Canada 20–2523–2522–25  65–75P2 Report
17 Sep14:00ACCanada  0–3  Turkey 21–2516–2525–27  62–77P2 Report
17 Sep21:40ACJapan  3–0  Libya 25–2025–1725–12  75–49P2 Report
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Pool H

More information Pos, Team ...
Pos Team Pld W L Pts SW SL SR SPW SPL SPR Qualification
1  Serbia 3 2 1 6 6 3 2.000 219 203 1.079 Final round
2  Czech Republic 3 2 1 6 6 3 2.000 202 201 1.005
3  Brazil 3 2 1 6 6 4 1.500 233 217 1.074
4  China 3 0 3 0 1 9 0.111 216 249 0.867
Close
Source: FIVB Men's World Championship - Standings
More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Venue Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
14 Sep17:30MAASerbia  0–3  Czech Republic 22–2523–2520–25  65–75P2 Report
14 Sep21:00MAABrazil  3–1  China 19–2525–2325–2225–21 94–91P2 Report
16 Sep10:00MAABrazil  3–0  Czech Republic 25–1125–2225–18  75–51P2 Report
16 Sep21:00MAASerbia  3–0  China 25–1825–1929–27  79–64P2 Report
18 Sep10:00MAABrazil  0–3  Serbia 22–2520–2522–25  64–75P2 Report
18 Sep21:00MAACzech Republic  3–0  China 26–2425–1925–18  76–61P2 Report
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Final round

Main article: 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship final

 
Round of 16QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
 
              
 
23 September
 
 
 Tunisia0
 
25 September
 
 Czech Republic3
 
 Czech Republic3
 
23 September
 
 Iran1
 
 Serbia2
 
27 September
 
 Iran3
 
 Czech Republic1
 
22 September
 
 Bulgaria3
 
 United States3
 
25 September
 
 Slovenia1
 
 United States2
 
22 September
 
 Bulgaria3
 
 Bulgaria3
 
28 September
 
 Portugal0
 
 Bulgaria1
 
20 September
 
 Italy3
 
 Poland3
 
24 September
 
 Canada1
 
 Poland3
 
20 September
 
 Turkey0
 
 Turkey3
 
27 September
 
 Netherlands1
 
 Poland0
 
21 September
 
 Italy3 3rd place match
 
 Argentina0
 
24 September28 September
 
 Italy3
 
 Italy3 Czech Republic1
 
21 September
 
 Belgium0  Poland3
 
 Belgium3
 
 
 Finland0
 

Round of 16

More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
20 Sep15:30Turkey 3–1 Netherlands27–2925–2325–1625–19 102–87P2 Report
20 Sep20:00Poland 3–1 Canada25–1823–2525–2025–14 98–77P2 Report
21 Sep15:30Argentina 0–3 Italy23–2520–2522–25  65–75P2 Report
21 Sep20:00Belgium 3–0 Finland25–2125–1725–21  75–59P2 Report
22 Sep15:30Bulgaria 3–0 Portugal25–1925–2325–13  75–55P2 Report
22 Sep20:00United States 3–1 Slovenia19–2525–2225–1725–20 94–84P2 Report
23 Sep15:30Tunisia 0–3 Czech Republic19–2518–2523–25  60–75P2 Report
23 Sep20:00Serbia 2–3 Iran25–2319–2526–2422–259–15101–112P2 Report
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Quarterfinals

More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
24 Sep15:30Italy 3–0 Belgium25–1325–1825–18  75–49P2 Report
24 Sep20:00Poland 3–0 Turkey25–1525–2225–19  75–56P2 Report
25 Sep15:30Czech Republic 3–1 Iran22–2527–2525–2025–21 99–91P2 Report
25 Sep20:00United States 2–3 Bulgaria25–2125–1917–2522–2513–15102–105P2 Report
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Semifinals

More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
27 Sep14:30Czech Republic 1–3 Bulgaria20–2525–2321–2522–25 88–98P2 Report
27 Sep18:30Poland 0–3 Italy21–2522–2523–25  66–75P2 Report
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3rd place match

More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
28 Sep14:30Czech Republic 1–3 Poland18–2525–2322–2521–25 86–98P2 Report
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Final

More information Date, Time ...
Date Time Score Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Total Report
28 Sep18:30Bulgaria 1–3 Italy21–2517–2525–1710–25 73–92P2 Report
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Final standing

The final ranking for the tournament is based on the teams combined ranking system.
More information Rank, Team ...
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Awards

Statistics leaders

Further information: 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship statistics

Statistics leaders correct as of final round.

More information Best Scorers, Player ...
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Marketing

Filipino indie band Ben&Ben was named as the official music partner in March 2025. The band's 2024 song "Triumph" was also used as the official song. In the same month, Philippines national team players Eya Laure and Bryan Bagunas were named ambassadors, followed by Philippine volleyball icon Alyssa Valdez who was added in June 2025.[37][38][39]

The host nation's battle cry, "Set Na Natin 'To", the official anthem "Electrify" by Karencitta, the introduction of the mascots "Koolog",[b] "Hataw",[c] and "Kid Lat",[d] and the championship trophy were all unveiled during the ceremony at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, which took place one month prior to the competition.[40] The organizing committee also did the "Set Na Natin 'To Mascot and Trophy" tour in three cities: Cebu City, Laoag, and Cagayan de Oro.[41][42][43]

On 12 September 2025, prior to the opening match between the Philippines and Tunisia, K-pop group BoyNextDoor performed as the headline act for the opening ceremony, serving as global celebrity ambassadors for the event.[44] The next day, the organizing committee announced that ticket prices had been lowered as a gift to the fans of the sport and in commemoration of President Bongbong Marcos's birthday. The prices were lowered by 30 percent, effective the following day.[45][46]

Concerns and controversies

Gambling platform sponsorship

The partnership of gambling platform 1xBet with the FIVB was scrutinized since 1xBet has no license to operate in the Philippines. It was clarified that the 1xBet only appears in Volleyball World for global subscribers of the FIVB streaming platform and the branding 1xBet does not appear on marketing materials or the actual venues.[47][48]

Volleyball World confirmed that the television feed of the tournament for broadcast of the Philippine broadcaster Cignal TV is free of virtual overlay and graphics promoting unlicensed and unauthorized gambling platforms.[49]

Ticket prices and attendance

Despite having been lowered by 30% starting on 14 September, the games' initially high ticket prices were again tackled by Philippine senators Erwin Tulfo and Risa Hontiveros, who made speeches in a Senate plenary session on 23 September. The senators noted the low attendance in those tournament games that did not involve the Philippines, Japan, and the United States, which they attributed to the high ticket prices, directing this lament to the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) under the leadership of Ramon Suzara.[50][51][52] The low attendance was also noted by the media arm of the Polish league PlusLiga.[50][53][54] However, ticket prices were further slashed by half by the organizers during the last few matches of the knockout stage, and attendance spiked (notably during the quarterfinal five-set game won by Bulgaria against the crowd favorite Team USA), drawing crowds that almost reached or surpassed the 10,000-mark. On 28 September, tickets for the final game were reported to have sold out.[55] Per FIVB's report, a total of 16,429 fans went to the SM Mall of Asia Arena to watch the final game.[56]

Alleged censorship

Senator Erwin Tulfo also condemned the alleged censorship of the journalist who reported on the high ticket pricing controversy.[57] John Mark Garcia of Sports Interactive Network Philippines (Spin.ph) had his media accreditation revoked for "negative reports".[58]

The Philippines' National Press Club (NPC) also condemned what it said were attempts by the PNVF to censor media coverage of the tournament, alleging that the local Federation warned Rappler and other media outlets against publishing critical material about the event. The NPC also noted Suzara's prior libel charges against The Manila Times and Daily Tribune following the 2019 SEA Games, which were dismissed.[59][60] Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick Gregorio made a successful request to the PNVF to reinstate Spin.ph's accreditation.[61] The Philippine Sportswriters Association issued a statement condemning "backhanded form of censorship".[62]

Broadcasting rights

More information Country/region, Broadcaster ...
Country/region Broadcaster
 Philippines Cignal[63]
 Brazil Grupo Globo[64]
 Bulgaria Max Sport
bTV[e]
NOVA[e]
BNT 1[e]
 Finland YLE
 Poland Polsat
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See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    For promotional purposes the host city of the tournament is designated as "Manila". The two competition venues within Metro Manila are outside the City of Manila.[1]
  2. [b]
    Koolog is a combination of the Filipino word "kulog" (which refers to thunder) and the idea of the mascot being energetic and dynamic.
  3. [c]
    Hataw represents strength, speed, and dynamism—qualities that are central to the sport of volleyball, especially with the fast-paced spikes and powerful movements on the court.
  4. [d]
    Kid Lat is a playful name that represents speed, agility, and power—similar to a lightning strike—qualities that are essential in volleyball, especially with the rapid movements and quick reflexes required during matches. The name emphasizes the fast-paced, electrifying nature of the sport, with a fun, youthful twist, as "Kid" suggests energy and enthusiasm.
  5. [e]
    Bulgaria's quarterfinal and semifinal matches were simulcasted on Max Sport and bTV. The final was simulcasted on Max Sport, bTV, NOVA and BNT 1.[65][66][67][68]

References

External links

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