Seven matches are on Sunday’s schedule, with 14 national teams making their debuts
Published 11:30, 13 Sept 2025
Setter Simone Giannelli captains Italy as they try to defend the title they won in 2022
The 14 national teams that are yet to debut in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship will do it on Sunday, when the last first-round pool matches will be held in the Philippines.
With Pools A, C, F and H all set to see some action, the third day of matches in the tournament will have the debuts of defending champions Italy, back-to-back Olympic champions France and three-time world champions Brazil as the highlights of the schedule.
Based at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Pool A will only have one match on Sunday, with Asian powerhouse Iran facing reigning African champions Egypt at 13:30 local time (5:30 GMT). The Iranians will try to overcome the absence of the injured star opposite Amin Esmaeilnezhad and start their campaign with a victory, while the Egyptians count on the many players who were part of the team’s squad at last year’s Paris Olympics to challenge their opponents.
Pool A got started on Friday, when hosts the Philippines and Tunisia met in the tournament’s opening match and the Africans triumphed 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-23).
Back-to-back Olympic champions France will try to extend their dominance in international volleyball with their first World Championship title and will have Korea as their first opponents at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, at 18:00 (10:00 GMT). With star outside hitter Earvin Ngapeth recovered from injury, the French will be at full force for their debut.
“We could easily have stopped after taking gold in Paris last year, but we all want to keep going and that’s part of our identity as a team,” Ngapeth said. “Winning the World Championship is a big goal for all of us. It’s the only gold medal missing, and we’re very motivated to go get it.”
A few hours earlier, at 10:30 (2:30 GMT), the other teams in the pool, Argentina and Finland, will face off. One of the attractions of the match will be the presence of 37-year-old Argentine star setter Luciano De Cecco, who was out of the team during the Volleyball Nations League but returned and is set to make an impressive sixth appearance on the World Championship.
Defending champions Italy will get on the court at the Smart Araneta Coliseum right after France, facing Algeria in their debut, scheduled for 21:30 (13:30 GMT). The Europeans still have the core of the team that won gold three years ago, but will have to try to repeat without outside hitter Daniele Lavia, who sustained a hand injury during their preparations.
"The guys were very good at responding to what happened," head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi said. "This is part of their unique trait. We handled it in the best way we could, which was difficult because Daniele is very important to us in many different ways. We immediately started to look for the best solutions and to figure out how the team would work without him."
European sides Ukraine and Belgium are the other teams in Pool F and will meet earlier, at 14:00 (6:00 GMT). While the Ukrainians will try to build on the seventh-place finish they achieved in 2022, the Belgians will try to make the most of their return, after missing the last edition.
Three-time champions Brazil and Asian giants China will battle in their debut at the SM Mall of Asia Arena at 21:00 (13:00 GMT). The South Americans will try to continue progressing with their team rebuild after taking bronze in the Volleyball Nations League, while the Asians will need to overcome the absence of star outside hitter Jingyin Zhang to produce a solid campaign.
An all-European match will get the action started in Pool H, with Serbia and Czechia dueling at 17:30 (9:30 GMT).
2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship: Match Schedule & Results
FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship schedule for Sunday, September 14, 2025
10:30 local time (2:30 GMT) – Pool C – Argentina vs. Finland
13:30 local time (5:30 GMT) – Pool A – Iran vs. Egypt
14:00 local time (6:00 GMT) – Pool F – Ukraine vs. Belgium
17:30 local time (9:30 GMT) – Pool H – Serbia vs. Czechia
18:00 local time (10:00 GMT) – Pool C – France vs. Korea
21:00 local time (13:00 GMT) – Pool H – Brazil vs. China
21:30 local time (13:30 GMT) – Pool F – Italy vs. Algeria
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