Men’s World Championship Pool Previews: Pool A

Just five days after the new world champions were crowned among the women, the 32 men’s teams that will compete in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship will get to start their journeys in the tournament, which is set to begin on Friday.

For the first time in history, volleyball-loving the Philippines will host the World Championship, having the Smart Araneta Coliseum and the SM Mall of Asia Arena, both located in the metro area of the country’s capital Manila, as the venues for the 66 matches that will be held from September 12-28.

• Watch the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship on VBTV

The 21^st edition of the tournament will be the first in the new era, which will have the world title put in dispute every two years and 32 national teams fighting for it.

The 32 participating teams were split into eight pools of four and will face each of their three opponents during pool play from September 12-18. The top two national teams in each pool will advance to the elimination rounds. The Round of 16 will go from September 20-23, with the quarterfinals following on September 24-25, the semifinal being held on September 27 and the medal matches ending the event on September 28.

With fans from all over the world preparing to tune in on VBTV and enjoy the matches, we’ll preview each of the eight pools.

Pool A

Match Schedule

September 12 – Philippines vs. Tunisia – 18:00 local time (10:00 GMT)
September 14 – Iran vs. Egypt – 13:30 local time (5:30 GMT)
September 16 – Iran vs. Tunisia - 13:30 local time (5:30 GMT)
September 16 – Philippines vs. Egypt - 17:30 local time (9:30 GMT)
September 18 – Egypt vs. Tunisia - 13:30 local time (5:30 GMT)
September 18 – Philippines vs. Iran - 17:30 local time (9:30 GMT)

Philippines

Qualified as the host country, the Philippines are set to make their World Championship debut in front of their home fans in a few days. The tournament will, in fact, mark the first international experience for the country’s national team, which has been competing in continental events, such as the Asian Championship, the Asian Games and the AVC Nations Cup, for several decades.

Currently in 82^nd place in the FIVB World Ranking, the Filipinos have high hopes that veteran Italian head coach Angiolino Frigoni, who was appointed in 2024, could lead the team to a successful campaign. Inside the court, team captain Marck Espejo and fellow outside hitter Bryan Bagunas will be critical for the team, as well as middle blocker Kim Malabunga

Iran

Iran secured their spot at the World Championship by taking silver in the Asian Championship in 2023, picking one of their continent’s three berths in the event. The Asians have made seven appearances before, making their debut in 1970, returning in 1998 and competing in the five editions held since 2006. Their best result was a sixth-place finish in 2014.

The 13^th best team in the FIVB World Ranking, Iran are led by Italian Roberto Piazza, who took over at the start of the season. The team lost their leading scorer, opposite Amin Esmaeilnezhad, a few days before the start of the tournament due to an injury, and will have outside hitters Amirhossein Esfandiar and Morteza Sharifi as key pieces in their campaign.

Egypt

Egypt’s ninth African title, won in 2023, took the team to the World Championship as they claimed one of the continent’s three spots in the event. The Africans took part in the tournament for the first time in 1974 and have returned nine times after that, having not missed an edition since 1994. Their best result to date is a 13^th-place finish in 2010.

Currently the 23^rd-best team on the planet according to the FIVB World Ranking, Egypt is led by veteran Italian coach Marco Bonitta, who’s in his first season with the team. Part of the squad that represented the country at last year’s Paris Olympics, libero Mohamed Reda and outside hitters Abdelrhman Elhossiny, Muhammed Asran and Ahmed Azab Abdelrahman will be the pillars of the team.

Tunisia

Tunisia were among the 15 national teams that earned the right of competing in the Philippines thanks to their FIVB World Ranking placement. Over 60 years after their World Championship debut, in 1962, the Africans are set to make their 12^th appearance and the seventh-straight. Their best campaign was in 2006, when they ranked 15^th.

The Tunisians are in 43^rd place in the FIVB World Ranking and trust the guidance of experienced Italian coach Camilo Placi, who started working with the team this season. The scoring power of opposite Hamza Nagga will be critical for the team, which has setter Khaled Ben Slimene, outside hitter Ilyès Karamosli and middle blockers Ahmed Kadhi and Selim Mbareki as returning players from their most recent Olympic campaign, in Tokyo 2020.

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