Germany, Kenya, Poland and Vietnam to engage in a race for the eighthfinals
Published 08:00, 21 Aug 2025
Poland ready for a long-awaited World Championship podium
The most prestigious event in the international volleyball calendar in the 2025 season, the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship is set to enter a new era later this week, when the 20th edition of the tournament starts in Thailand.
This year’s tournament, which will be held across four cities – Bangkok, Nakhon Ratchasima, Phuket and Chiang Mai - from August 22 to September 7, will go down as the first in the new format, which will see the world title put in dispute every two years.
The event will also be the first to have an expanded field of 32 national teams, allowing more countries to participate in the sport’s main event and generating more opportunities for them to continue their development.
The 32 national teams were split into eight pools of four and will face each of their three opponents during pool play. The top two national teams in each pool will advance to the elimination rounds, which will feature the eighthfinals, the quarterfinals, the semifinals and the medal matches.
Pool play will have as many as 48 matches held in the four host cities between August 22 and 27. For the elimination rounds, the competition moves entirely to Bangkok, which will host the eighthfinals from August 29 to September 1, the quarterfinals on September 3 and 4, the semifinals on September 6 and the medal matches on September 7.
It will be a historic edition of the World Championship and in the days leading up to the start of the tournament, we preview each of the eight pools, giving you all the information you need to tune in to VBTV and enjoy the matches.
Host City: Phuket
Match Schedule
August 23, 17:00 local (10:00 UTC): Germany v Kenya
August 23, 20:30 local (13:30 UTC): Poland v Vietnam
August 25, 17:00 local (10:00 UTC): Germany v Vietnam
August 25, 20:30 local (13:30 UTC): Poland v Kenya
August 27, 17:00 local (10:00 UTC): Kenya v Vietnam
August 27, 20:30 local (13:30 UTC): Poland v Germany
Germany is one of the teams that qualified for the World Championship through the FIVB Volleyball World Ranking. Currently, they are ranked 11th in the world, the second highest among the four teams in Pool G. Their teams have been present at 17 previous editions of the women’s World Championship and their best results so far were the fourth places the team of East Germany took in 1974 and in 1986. Earlier this year, Germany finished seventh in the Volleyball Nations League.
In Thailand, Italian head coach Giulio Bregoli’s squad will be captained by 25-year-old middle blocker Camilla Weitzel. Libero Anna Pogany, outside hitters Lina Alsmeier, Lena Stigrot and Hanna Orthman, and middle blocker Marie Scholzel will star as some of the more experienced players among the 14 traveling to Phuket, while the most notable injury absences are those of setter Pia Kastner and libero Annie Cesar.
Kenya picked up one of Africa’s spots at the World Championship as 2023 continental champions. They have not played any official matches counting towards the World Ranking since their appearance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and now they stand as the world’s number 23 team in the chart. It will be Kenya’s seventh participation in the women’s World Championships. They finished 13th in 1994 and 1998 and those were their best results in the history of the competition.
In Phuket, head coach Geoffrey Omondi Onyango’s line-up will be captained by 28-year-old outside hitter Meldinah Nemali Sande. The squad also features six of last year’s Olympians in France: setter Emmaculate Nekesa Misoki, opposite Pamella Adhiambo, outsides Juliana Namutira and Veronica Adhiambo, and middle blockers Belinda Barasa and Lorine Chebet.
Poland were the highest ranked team to qualify for the World Championship through the World Ranking. They are also the highest ranked team among the four Pool G participants, currently positioned as the world’s number three. They have made 11 previous appearances at the World Championships and the silver they earned at the inaugural edition back in 1952 was their best achievement in the history of the competition. Poland also picked up bronze in 1956 and in 1962. Poland are the bronze medalists of the last three editions of the Volleyball Nations League. Last year they finished sixth at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
12 of the 14 players from the stellar squad that represented the home team at last month’s VNL Finals in Gdansk have been selected by Italian head coach Stefano Lavarini on Poland’s team for Thailand 2025. The list is highlighted by names like those of middle blocker and captain Agnieszka Korneluk and strikers Magdalena Stysiak, Martyna Lukasik and Malwina Smarzek, to name a few.
Vietnam is set to make its debut at the women’s World Championships. They earned that right by finishing fourth at the 2023 AVC Asian Championship. They are positioned just above Kenya in the World Ranking, in number 22. Earlier this year, Vietnam triumphed as AVC Nations Cup winners for the third consecutive time. Less than two weeks ago, the team claimed historic gold at a women’s Southeast Asian Volleyball League (SEA V League) tournament.
The Most Valuable Player of both these competitions, opposite Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, however, is not traveling to Phuket with the Vietnamese squad, but the team will be headlined by Dream Teamers like outside hitters Tran Thi Thanh Thuy and Vi Thi Nhu Quynh, middle blocker Tran Thi Bich Thuy and libero Nguyen Khanh Dang.
