Tag: 2025 Mens World Championship

September 25, 2025. Bulgaria are back among the best four of an FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship for the first time since 2006. In front of well over 10 thousand fans on the stands in Pasay City on Thursday, they mounted a sensational comeback from two sets down in their quarterfinal against the United States to pick up the last semifinal vacancy at Philippines 2025. Bulgaria will take on Czechia in one of the two semifinal matches set to take place on Saturday, September 27.

American opposite’s Gabriel Garcia’s powerful serving made the big difference in the first set. It gave them a substantial advantage early into the set. Bulgaria leveled the play, but never quite leveled the score as USA stepped in front. The Europeans took a small lead in set two, but practically refused to break further way with the overwhelming number of mistakes they made from the serving line. USA took advantage and, with middle blocker Merrick McHenry on fire, opened a wide gap. It was McHenry that put the final touch with a monster block to get the US lead in the match doubled.

Bulgaria finally found their rhythm in set three. With middle Iliya Petkov’s solid contribution both in offense and from the serving line, they were unstoppable on the way to taking the set by a wide margin. Things heated up as the fourth set offered an even battle throughout. In the money time, however, the Bulgarians remained more focused to edge forward and win the set on a kill block by opposite Asparuh Asparuhov.

Bulgaria’s first four points in the tie-breaker were personally delivered by 21-year-old outside hitter Aleksandar Nikolov. The next two came from the hands of his younger brother, 18-year-old setter Simeon Nikolov. In fact, Aleks produced as many as eight points on the way to a 12-9 Bulgarian lead. 22-year-old sub-in outside Georgi Tatarov killed the next two to bring Bulgaria to a quadruple match point. The first three opportunities to close the game were denied, but on the fourth, Iliya Petkov hammered the match winner for 3-2 (21-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-13).

The Bulgarians did slightly better than the Americans on all scoring counts – 61-57 in attack kills, 7-5 in serving aces and 7-6 in kill blocks. Aleks Nikolov was above all with a match-high 29 points, including two aces and a block. Asparuhov contributed another 12, including two blocks, while Petkov aced twice and registered a 73% success rate in offense to finish with 10 points.

USA made fewer unforced errors than Bulgaria, 30 against 34. Outside hitters Ethan Champlin and Jordan Ewert were their leading scorers with 17 and 15 points, respectively. McHenry registered an impressive 83% success rate in attack. He put away an ace and a kill block to finish with 12 points.

“In the moment, it’s not great, but when you look at the big picture, we came into this tournament ready to learn a lot, and I think we did. It’s served its purpose for us. This experience is wonderful for a lot of us, including myself,” USA’s star setter and captain Micah Christenson commented. “Obviously, it stinks. I hurt for these guys who put in so much. They are such incredible people – not only volleyball players, but teammates and people. But that’s how sports goes sometimes. So, we are going to learn from it, but we are proud of the battle. We are excelling in an accelerated rate and I am really proud of us.”

September 22, 2025.- Gabriel Garcia was on fire as he spearheaded the United States into the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in the Philippines.

In Monday’s eighthfinal match in Pasay City, the Americans came back from a set down to beat Slovenia in four. USA will take on Bulgaria in one of the two quarterfinal matches set to take place on Thursday, September 25.

On Thursday, they will meet Bulgaria in a duel for a spot in the semis

In the first set, Slovenia broke away with an 11-6 lead after six points in a row and managed to stay ahead and close the set by a six-point margin. In set two, USA fought back to open a wide lead. In the epilog, Slovenia denied three set points before outside hitter Jordan Ewert squeezed the ball between the block and the net to convert the fourth.

Riding the momentum and mostly outblocking the opponents, the Americans stayed well in control of the third set and it was Ewert again who delivered the set winner, this time with a pipe shot. USA continued dominating in set four until opposite Gabriel Garcia fired a blistering ace to end the game at 3-1 (19-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-20).

Garcia showed some magnificent serving throughout the match and authored seven of the team’s 12 aces, the element that made the biggest difference towards the outcome of the game, as Slovenia produced only two direct serving points. USA also outperformed their opponents in net defense by 10-7 in kill blocks, with Garcia taking credit for four, and in attack by 53-49 in spike kills, with Garcia delivering 15 towards a match-high 26 points. Outside hitter Ethan Champlin chipped in with three aces and a kill block towards a 15-point tally, while Ewert finished with 13 points, all in swings.

“How can you not be pleased? We are staying alive, going to the next round. I think that’s kind of the heartbeat of this team, just find a way to win! It didn’t always look pretty tonight, but we got it done when it counted, and there is a ton of credit to the guys for staying mature, staying focused in those big moments,” USA’s star setter and captain Micah Christenson told VBTV. “They are playing lights out! It’s awesome just to be in the moment. We’ve got no expectations of getting to a certain place. We are just taking it day by day, so we are going to go and enjoy this tonight, and then, prepare for our next round.”

Slovenia showed better precision in their game than USA, committing fewer unforced errors. They made 19 of those, while the Americans gifted them 26 “free” points. Opposite Toncek Stern was Slovenia’s leading scorer with 18 points. 20-year-old outside Nik Mujanovic hammered the team’s two aces to finish with a total of 13 points. Star middle blocker Jan Kozamernik raised four kill blocks and reached the double digits in scoring with a total of 10 points.

September 20, 2025- Poland secured its place in the quarterfinals at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025 in the Philippines. This Saturday in the city of Pasay, the finalists of the last three editions overcame Canada’s resistance in a four-set Round of 16 match. The number one team in the FIVB World Ranking will face Turkiye in one of the two quarterfinal matches scheduled for Wednesday, September 24.

Poland remained well in control of the scoreboard for most of the four sets, taking advantage of the abundant errors on the Canadian side, on the way to a convincing 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-18, 25-14) victory. Only in the decisive moment of the second set, the North Americans managed to break through the Polish domination and win the set.

Canada gave Poland 35 points in unforced errors, while their opponents committed only 16 of those. The European side also dominated in serving with 5-2 in aces, and in net defense with 10-7 in blocks.

Canada outperformed Poland in the number of successful attacks, 52 against 48. Their opposite Sharone Vernon-Evans (Sho) was the top scorer of the match. He attacked with a 57% success rate and got two blocks and one ace to finish with the highest score of the match, 23 points. Outside hitter Jackson Young, who closed the second set for Canada with a huge block, also scored 11 points in offense and finished with a total of 12.

“Obviously we are not so happy to have lost, of course, but I think there were good things in the game. Of course, they are a great team, but we know this is the benchmark where we want to be, so we have to just keep building. We definitely grew as a team throughout the tournament. With me coming later in the summer and Nick (Nicholas Hoag) coming back, I think it took time to gel, but I think we did a good job and we are taking a step in the right direction,” Sho commented after the match.

“It feels good. I definitely feel like I belong, and the guys did a good job helping me come back and welcoming me. I just wanted to try to bring what I was doing in Japan and try to help the team be the best we can.” he concluded.

September 17,  2025.- The United States knocked Cuba out of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in the Philippines. In the last Pool D match in Pasay City on Wednesday, the Americans beat the Caribbeans in four sets and left them third in the final pool standings on a 1-2 win-loss record.

Portugal, who finished pool runners-up with 2-1, will join undefeated USA in the eight finals. The squad from southwestern Europe will face Pool E winners, Bulgaria, for a spot in the quarterfinals, while USA will meet Slovenia on September 22 at 8PM (local time).

The Americans took the first two sets of the match, enough to secure the first place in the pool. With their backs against the wall, the Cubans started mounting a comeback. In set three, they were denied the first five of six consecutive set points, but on the sixth, they managed to close the set.

A similar story unfolded in set four, but this time Cuba failed to hold on to the advantage they had at 23-19. They also failed to convert the set point they reached at 24-23 as USA dramatically turned the course of the set around to a 3-1 (25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 27-25) victory, with outside hitter Cooper Robinson nailing the match winner.

Robinson emerged as the best scorer of the match with 14 points. He spiked 13 points at a 59% success rate and added a kill block to his tally. These were the two elements the Americans performed better than the Cubans – 61-45 in spike kills and 13-10 in kill blocks. Their outside Jordan Ewert (two blocks and a 71% success rate in attack) and opposite Gabriel Garcia (two aces, two blocks and a 62% success rate in attack) also reached the double digits with 12 points apiece.

“We knew that Cuba needed this game. We knew Cuba was going to come out firing on all cylinders. But we were also on the edge. It was a great game for us. All 14 guys came in the court and did their job. I think we still have a lot of learning, a lot of growing up to do, but for us to pull out this win the way we did was pretty impressive,” Gabi Garcia told VBTV. “Being ready at all moments here at this World Championship is going to be important for all of us.”

Before exiting the tournament with grace, Cuba did better than USA in serving by 6-3 in aces and in precision by 23-28 in unforced errors. Their middle blocker Javier Octavio Concepcion attacked at a 67% success rate and raised four kill blocks to finish with a total of 12 points and share the team’s leading scorer honors with opposite Jose Israel Masso, who put away two blocks and an ace. Star middle Robertlandy Simon registered a 70% success rate in spiking and also reached the double digits with 10 points, including three blocks.

September 17, 2025.- Türkiye defeated Canada in the last game of the pool stage at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in the Philippines and finished as the undefeated leader of the final Pool G standings.

This Wednesday in Quezon City, the Turks defeated Canada in straight sets, who also advanced to the Round of 16 as pool runners-up with a record of two victories and one loss.

Now the Canadians will face on September 20 at 8 PM (local time) in the Round of 16 Poland, a team they have faced twice, the first in the 2006 World Championship in the Pool Stage with a 0-3 loss, and the second in 2010, also with a 0-3 loss.

Türkiye achieved a convincing 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 27-25) victory over Canada, eighth in the world. With this result, the European team took away 16.59 ranking points from their rivals and moved three positions up to number 13, while Canada fell to ninth place.

Türkiye outperformed Canada in attack with 43-28 in successful spikes, which marked the big difference in this match. The European team also committed fewer unforced errors: 19 against 24 from the North Americans. Opposite Adis Lagumdzija led with 15 points, all in spikes, with a 71% success rate. Outside hitter Efe Mandiraci registered a 55% success rate in spikes and added one ace for a total of 12 points. He was the one who scored the winning point in the intense overtime of the third set.

Canada did not fall without a fight. In fact, they outperformed the Turks in serving with 8-3 in aces and matched them in net defense with seven kill blocks each. Opposite Sharone Vernon-Evans (three aces, two blocks), middle blocker Fynnian McCarthy (three aces, one block), and outside hitter and captain Nicholas Hoag (two aces, one block) were the top scorers of their team with eight points each.

September 15, 2025.- The United States became the fourth national team guaranteed in the Round of 16 of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Monday, when they secured their second victory in the tournament’s Pool D at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, in Pasay City.

With six points earned and no sets dropped, the Americans are the first national team qualified in Pool D.

The Americans joined continental rivals Canada and European sides Bulgaria and Türkiye among the first teams qualified for the elimination rounds thanks to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-17) victory over Portugal in their second match in the tournament.

The USA’s second sweep in the tournament has them at the top of the Pool D standings with six points and, with that, they can no longer be caught by either Colombia, who have no points or wins, or Portugal, who could match the Americans’ six points and two wins in the third round, but would still be behind in the set ratio tie-breaker. With that, the Europeans will dispute the second spot in the Round of 16 with Cuba, which earlier on Monday defeated Colombia 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-20).

Gabriel Garcia and Jordan Ewert were the most important pieces in the American offense against the Portuguese, registering 12 points each – the opposite had eight kills, two blocks and two aces, while the outside hitter had 11 kills and one block. Outside hitter Ethan Champlin added another ten, with eight kills and two aces.

“We knew that Portugal had a good side-out game, they’re a crafty team with a lot of different shots, so we focused a lot on our blocking and defense today,” libero Erik Shoji analyzed. “Our transition game wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough to get us the points we needed to win the match. We won the first two matches now and continue to improve every day, so that’s great.”

On the Portuguese side, outside hitter Lourenço Martins was the most productive with 12 points (ten kills, one block, one ace). Opposite, José Pinto contributed nine, all in kills.

The ten-point gap in opponent errors (23 to 13) was, indeed, the biggest difference in favor of the Americans, who also outscored the Portuguese in kills (40 to 36) and blocks (eight to five) – each team fired four aces.

Pool D’s match schedule will be completed in Pasay City on Wednesday, with Portugal playing Colombia at 10:00 local time and NORCECA rivals the United States and Cuba meeting later, at 17:30.

September 15, 2025.- Things cleared up in Pool G of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in the Philippines and revealed the shocking truth that big pool favorites Japan will have to pack up at the end of the first stage of the competition. Canada and Türkiye will be the two teams from this pool to compete in the eighth finals.

Canada inflicted a second straight-set defeat on Japan in Quezon City on Monday. Earlier in the day, Türkiye also took their second victory by beating Libya.

With 10 kill blocks against two and 40 kills in attack against 33, Canada outplayed Japan on the way to a stunning 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-22) shutout. With this emphatic victory, the North Americans grabbed as many as 16.32 ranking points from Japan and moved a spot up the FIVB World Ranking, to number eight, just below the Asian team, which still kept its seventh position.

Opposite Sharone Vernon-Evans (Sho) led Canada with a match-high 14 points, including the block-out hit that closed the game and got the Canadian party started. He registered a 52% success rate in attack and put away one ace and one kill block towards the victory. Outside hitter and captain Nicholas Hoag also fired one ace, to which he added 12 spike kills at a 60% success rate to sign off with 13 points.

“We are over the moon, for sure. Qualifying to the playoffs is a huge step. That was our goal, and we knew, coming into this match, we had a real opportunity to do that, so I am glad. The fight in the guys – you could just feel it from the start once we got here that we were on it and we just never let up. It’s amazing!” Sho told VBTV. “We will all be ready to go to fight Turkey for first place.”

Japan managed to outserve Canada by 7-3 in aces, with outside hitter Ran Takahashi and opposite Kento Miyaura each authoring two of those. They both reached double digits with a total of 11 and 10 points, respectively. The other three aces were delivered by star outside and captain Yuki Ishikawa.

The last two Pool G games, between Canada and Turkiye (2.00 PM Local Time) for first place in the pool, and between Japan and Libya for first win and third place, are set to be played on Wednesday, September 17.

September 15, 2025.- Cuba responded strongly to an unexpected first-round group stage defeat to Portugal and dominated Colombia on Monday to secure their first victory at the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship and keep their hopes of advancing to the Round of 16 very much alive.

The Caribbeans opened the fourth day of matches in the Philippines with a duel against debutants Colombia and used their greater experience to handle the pressure in what was a do-or-die match for them, prevailing 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-20) at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The three points obtained with the sweep against the South Americans have placed Cuba alongside Portugal in the Pool D standings.

Inserted into Cuba’s starting lineup after the loss to Portugal, outside hitter Osniel Melgarejo led his team against the Colombians with 14 points (12 kills, one block, one ace). Opposite José Masso tallied 12 (nine kills, two blocks, one ace) and outside hitter Marlon Yant contributed 11 (ten kills, one block).

“We want to stay humble and face every opponent as if they were the best team in the world,” middle blocker Javier Concepción reflected. “We saw what happened in our first match, and we’re focused on not getting too confident and preparing well for each game because every team here is dangerous. We needed to win today, and we just pushed hard and gave our best.”

Opposite Miguel Ángel Amaranto was the only Colombian player to reach double digits, leading all scorers with 18 points (16 kills, one block, one ace).

Cuba’s recipe for defeating Colombia and securing their first World Championship victory was outscoring their opponents both in kills (43 to 31) and blocks (seven to six). Each team landed three aces, and the number of errors was similar, with the Cubans giving away 23 points and the Colombians 22.

Cuba plays against the United States on September 17th at 5:30 PM (local time).

September 13, 2025.- Portugal shocked Cuba with a victory in their debut at the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship in the Philippines. In a Pool D match played in Pasay City on Saturday, the Europeans came back after losing the first set to celebrate their first World Championship win in nearly 23 years.

With 19 points from 22-year-old outside hitter Nuno Marques, Portugal (world ranking No. 29) defeated world No. 10 Cuba 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-19).

Portugal was stronger at the net with 11-7 kill blocks and showed better accuracy, committing only 23 unforced errors compared to Cuba’s 31. Marques registered a 65% success rate in attack and sealed the match with a winning swing. He also added two aces and two kill blocks. Middle blocker Filip Cveticanin stood out with four blocks and a 71% attacking success rate, finishing with 14 points, while opposite José Pinto also scored 14, including three blocks.

Cuba matched Portugal in successful kills (48 each) and was better from the service line with 7 aces to 5. Outside hitter Marlon Yant also posted 19 points (two aces, two blocks), matching Marques as the game’s top scorer. Opposite José Massó contributed 12 points, while captain Miguel López added another 11.

Cuba faces Colombia on September 14 at 10:00 AM (hora local).

September 13, 2025.- Playing his first match with the Canadian national team since the Tokyo Olympics four years ago, opposite Sharone Vernon-Evans made a difference and helped the North Americans avoid what would have been a major upset, scoring 22 points to lead them to victory in their 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship debut.

Canada faced Libya, who returned to the World Championship after 45 years, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Pasay City, Philippines. The Canadians came back after unexpectedly dropping the first set and prevailed 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-12, 29-27) in the Pool G opening match.

Despite the opening-set loss, Canada still secured all three points with their four-set victory, while the Libyans left empty-handed. Each team will play two more group-stage matches, and the top two will advance to the Round of 16.

A key figure for Canada between 2017 and 2021, the 27-year-old Vernon-Evans had transitioned to beach volleyball, appearing in some Beach Pro Tour events in 2023. In his return to international indoor volleyball, he picked up where he left off and finished as the match’s top scorer with 22 points (16 kills, three blocks, three aces).

Canadian captain and outside hitter Nicholas Hoag, also returning after missing the Nations League, shone with 20 points (15 kills, four aces, one block). Middle blockers Fynn McCarthy and Daenan Gyimah added 12 and 11 points, respectively.

“I think everyone was a little nervous in the first set,” Hoag admitted. “Libya plays very aggressively, and if they pass well, they’re hard to stop. I’m glad we got the win, but we need to play better if we want to beat Japan in the next match. They’re a great team, we can’t give them anything. We’ll also need to be very disciplined with our blocking.”

Serving was the big difference: Canada scored 15 aces against only 3 from Libya. The North Americans held a slight edge in kills (51 to 49) and blocks (12 to 9), while both teams gave away 23 points in errors.

Canada will face Japan on September 15 at 2:00 PM (local time).

September 13, 2025.- Back with the U.S. men’s national team after missing the Volleyball Nations League, captain Micah Christenson (Olympic medalist setter) guided the Americans to a solid victory in their first match of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship on Saturday in the Philippines.

Led by their star setter, the Americans started their campaign in the tournament with a strong 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-14) triumph over Colombia at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, in Pasay City.

The victory gave the Americans their first three points in Pool D, while the Colombians left empty-handed in their historic World Championship debut. Each team will play two more group-stage matches, and the top two from each pool will advance to the Round of 16.

Ethan Champlin and Gabriel Garcia were key pieces in the offense run by the veteran 32-year-old setter. The outside hitter led the U.S. team with 17 points (12 kills, three aces, two blocks), while the opposite registered 12 (eight kills, four aces). Fellow outside hitter Jordan Ewert added 11 points (ten kills, one block).

“I think it was a good start,” Christenson said. “It was the first time for a lot of our guys in a World Championship match, and I think we didn’t have many ups and downs. Colombia had some good moments during the game, and we showed maturity in dealing with them.”

The Americans were superior in every aspect: they outscored Colombia in kills (40 to 31), blocks (6 to 4), and aces (8 to 3). They also made fewer errors (17 to 21) to secure their first tournament victory.

USA’s next match will be on September 15 against Portugal at 9:00 PM (local time).

August 31, 2025.- The United States conquered its first medal in the history of the competition in this age category, after sweeping Czechia 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-18) in the bronze medal match.

Fourteen years after coming very close to the podium, the Americans set the pace with calm and control, steadily pulling away in each set to complete the sweep.

The victory was built on a balanced and complete performance, as the United States totaled 42 kills, four aces and eight blocks, while limiting their errors to only 13. Captain Sean Kelly led with 19 points (14 kills, three blocks and two aces), while Cole Hartke contributed 12.

Their solid defense contained the Czech attack, limiting captain Matej Pastrnak to 13 points and opposite Tomas Brichta to just six. With rallies consistently defined thanks to blocking and floor coverage, the Americans closed out the match and celebrated a long-awaited place on the podium.

Within the Dream Team, Sean Kelly of the United States was included, who was chosen as one of the Best Outside Hitters, after helping his team to achieve the historic bronze medal.

Cuba finishes seventh place

For seventh place, Cuba defeated host China 3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 20-25, 25-22), driven by the power of Daniel Martínez, who scored 26 points, and Carlos Javier Pereira Larea, who added 17. After conceding the third set to Wu Haoze and Li Hai, the Cubans regrouped in the fourth to close their tournament with a victory.

August 30, 2025.- The United States will play for the bronze medal at the Men’s U21 World Championship against Czechia, after falling in the semifinals to a determined Iranian team.

Playing in Jiangmen, China, the Americans were unable to stop Iran’s momentum and lost 0-3 (21-25, 20-25, 20-25). On Sunday the 30th, they will face Czechia at 5 PM (local time) for third place.

The U.S. squad is eager to avenge the bitter memories from 2023, when Czechia defeated them twice at the U21 World Championship in Manama, Bahrain. Back then, the Americans fell 1-3 in the first round and suffered another loss in the second round, this time 0-3.

Iran dominated the match across all stats — in attacks (41-35), blocks (10-7), and serves (2-1), and also capitalized on 22 unforced errors by the Americans.

Opposite Cole Hartke was the top scorer for the United States with 13 points (10 kills and 3 blocks).

Other NORCECA Teams in Placement Matches:

Canada defeated Brazil 3-2 (23-25, 25-20, 26-28, 25-20, 18-16) to secure 17th place in the tournament. Owen Harris (19 points), Dawson Pratt (16), Zachary Yewchuk (15), and Daniil Hershtynovich (14) powered the Canadian victory.

Puerto Rico fell to Colombia 1-3 (22-25, 17-25, 25-23, 23-25) to finish 22nd. Despite opposite Ramón Andrés Rosado’s 24 points in attack, it was not enough for the Boricua side.

Match Schedule August 31 (local time):

7th/8th place: Cuba vs. China – 2 PM

Bronze Medal Match: United States vs. Czechia – 5 PM

August 29, 2025.- In a thrilling five-set match, the United States defeated France and advanced to the semifinals of the U21 World Championship being held in Jiangmen, China. Cuba, the other NORCECA semifinalist, was not as fortunate and ended up losing to Italy in four sets.

The Americans came back twice from being down in sets against the French, turning the score around to win 3-2 (21-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-23, 15-12).

The match was very even, with a slight edge for the North Americans in blocks (14-9) and serves (5-4). Both teams executed 59 successful attacks and committed 30 unforced errors.

Outside hitter and U.S. captain Sean Kelly was the top attacker with 21 points, 20 of them coming from the net. Cole Hartke was key from the service line, delivering 3 aces and finishing the match with 19 points. Crist, Jordan, and Foley combined for a total of 10 blocks.

The United States will play the semifinal on August 30 at 5 PM (local time) against Iran. The other semifinal will feature Italy against Czechia, three hours after the Americans’ match.

Cuba, meanwhile, fought hard but lost 1-3 (18-25, 25-22, 18-25, 21-25) against Italy, who never let their guard down. The Cubans outperformed the Italians in blocks (10-9), but the Europeans were stronger in attacks (55-38) and serves (8-4).

Opposite Guillermo Martínez was Cuba’s main weapon in attack, scoring 24 points (19 attacks, 2 blocks, and 3 aces), but it was not enough to secure the victory.

August 27, 2025.- The United States maintained their unbeaten streak with a straight-set victory over Bulgaria this Wednesday in the Round of 16, being one of the teams that remain undefeated and that advanced to the quarterfinals of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship 2025 in Jiangmen.

Iran, Czechia and Italy also advanced with flawless records, while France, Cuba, Poland and China joined them to complete the lineup of the top eight.

The Americans kept their momentum going with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-20) win, leaving Bulgaria trailing from the start. Sean Kelly led the attack with 13 points, Jackson Cryst contributed 11, and setter Tread Rosenthal added four blocks as part of a dominant defensive performance.

Each set followed a similar pattern, with USA taking early leads and never relinquishing control. Their 34 kills and 11 team blocks reflected the balance across the entire rotation.

Cuba had to fight harder, overcoming Egypt in extended sets before closing 3-0 (30-28, 27-25, 25-17). Opposite Daniel Martínez finished with 28 points, while Félix Ernesto Rodríguez Hernández added 10. Captain Hamza Awad (Elsafy) scored 20 for Egypt, but did not have enough support to force a fourth set.

On August 29, the United States will play for a spot in the Semifinals against France at 11 AM (local time), while Cuba will face Italy at 8 PM (local time).

November 27, 2024.- The tournament will kick off on September 12 with the opening match between the host country, the Philippines, and Tunisia.

The 32 national teams that will take part in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, in the Philippines, are now familiar with what the start of their journeys in the tournament will be like as the event’s match schedule was released.

Set to take place from September 12-28 in the country’s capital Manila, and having the Smart Araneta Coliseum and the SM Mall of Asia Arena as venues, the 2025 World Championship will have 64 matches over the course of 17 days of action.

Watch the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship live onVBTV

A single match will be held on the opening day, September 12, pitting hosts the Philippines, who are set to make their first-ever appearance in the event, and Tunisia, who will be competing for a seventh-straight time, against each other, at 19:00 local time (12:00 GMT), in a Pool A encounter.

International volleyball heavyweights the United States, Japan and Poland will all be on the court on the second day of action, September 13. With new head coach Karch Kiraly on the sidelines, the Americans will meet Colombia, at 10:00 (3:00 GMT), in a Pool D encounter.

Japan, who will also have a new leader in French Olympic champion Laurent Tillie, will start their Pool G campaign at 14:00 (7:00 GMT), against Türkiye. Three-time world champions and FIVB World Ranking leaders Poland will appear in the last match of the day, scheduled for 21:30 (14:30 GMT), when they battle fellow Europeans Romania in Pool B.

The debut of defending champions Italy will be one of the attractions of the third day of the event, September 14. The Europeans will bring the day to an end, meeting Algeria at 21:30 (14:30 GMT) in Pool F.

Reigning Olympic champions France will be another team to play on the day, as they start their Pool C campaign against Korea, at 18:00 (11:00 GMT). Later, at 21:00 (14:00 GMT), three-time world champions Brazil make their Pool H debut against China.

2025 Men’s World Championship – Match Schedule

Pool play will unfold from September 12 to September 19, with the top two national teams in each of the eight pools advancing. After a rest day, the elimination rounds begin on September 20 with the Round of 16, which will go until September 23, with two matches per day.

Two quarterfinal duels will be held on September 24 and another two on September 25. After another rest day, it will be time for the medal rounds, with the two semifinals taking place on September 27 and the bronze and gold medal matches ending the event on September 28.

The 2025 World Championship will be the first in the ‘new era’ of the tournament. Starting in this edition, the tournament will be held biannually and will have an expanded field, featuring 32 national teams per gender.