Article in collaboration Ivan (from Quezon City) and Danijel (from Pasay City) ©️Volleytimes.com
2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Monday already showed first verdicts and not without upsets.
Türkiye claimed a spot the Round of 16, while Cuba kept their campaign alive with a straight sets win over Colombia, 3-0 (25:22, 25:21, 25:20).
In Quezon City, Türkiye earned their second Pool G victory by beating Libya 3-1 (25:18, 23:25, 25:14, 25:16), with middle blocker Bedirhan Bülbül and outside hitter Efe Mandıracı who led the charge with 16 points each, well supported by Adis Lagumdžija and Gökçen Yüksel, also in double digit with 15 and 13 points each.
Libya’s Ahmed Ikhbayri was the match’s top scorer with 19 points, showing a great performance for the World Championship debutants.
Earlier in Pasay City, in first match of the day, Cuba bounced back from their opening defeat against Portugal, sweeping Colombia in Pool D.
Osniel Melgarejo was the most prolific player with 14 points, while José Masso and Marlon Yant added support with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Colombia’s Miguel Ángel Amaranto topped all scorers with 18 points, but the South Americans fell to 0-2 and are officially out of contention.
Cuba now faces a decisive showdown against USA.
In one of the biggest shocks of the competition so far, Japan suffered a huge blow as they were eliminated from Pool G following a straight-set defeat to Canada!
This result secured playoff spots for Canada and Türkiye, leaving the Asian giants out far earlier than expected.
The winners celebrated a commanding 3-0 win (25:20, 25:23, 25:22), dominating with 10 kill blocks and 40 attack points, led again by opposite Sharone Vernon-Evans, who powered Canada with 14 points, while captain Nicholas Hoag added 13.
For Japan, the loss was devastating, despite Ran Takahashi’s 11 points, Kento Miyaura’s 10 and captain Yuki Ishikawa’s three aces who fought hard, but their efforts weren’t enough to stay in contention.
With Pool G settled, the story is already clear: Canada and Turkiye advance, while Japan say good bye to World Championship!
Meanwhile, Germany claimed their first triumph in Pasay City, sweeping Chile in straight sets.
After a disappointing opening defeat against Bulgaria, they delivered a convincing performance to close their Pool E encounter 3-0 (25:17, 25:23, 25:21).
Leading the charge was veteran opposite Gyorgy Grozer, who showed all his class with a match-high 19 points through 63% efficiency including one ace and one block, while outside hitter Erik Rohrs chipped in 13 points, and middle blocker Anton Brehme who added 10 points on a 73% success rate.
Chile, meanwhile, found their brightest moments through Vicente Parraguirre, who tallied 14 points through 64% spike efficiency, while Noe Aravena added 11 points with one ace and one block.
On the same Pool, Slovenia lost 2-3 (19:25, 14:25, 25:18, 25:23, 13:15) to Bulgaria in their second group-stage match after two hours and 20 minutes of play, with Bulgaria confirming a place in the round of 16, while Slovenia will decide their fate against Germany on Wednesday.
Bulgaria controlled the first two sets, but Slovenia responded by winning the next two. In the decisive fifth set, Slovenia led 11–9, but Bulgaria turned the score around and secured a well-deserved victory 15–13.
Slovenia’s Tonček Štern was the most prolific player of the game with 21 points, while Asparuh Asparuhov and Alex Nikolov led the winners with 18 and 16 points, points, respectively.
Germany, who defeated Chile 3–0, will be Slovenia’s next opponent, and the winner of Wednesday’s match will advance to the knockout stage.
But also Poland and the Netherlands sealed their places in the Round of 16 of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship, after both teams claimed straight-set wins today.
In Pool B, Poland made quick work against modest Qatar, winning 3-0 (25:21, 25:14, 25:19), led by outside hitter Kamil Semeniuk who led the charge with 13 points, while Jakub Kochanowski and Kewin Sasak added eight each. The winners outperformed their rivals in attack, blocks (8–3), and aces (4–2), committing far fewer errors. Qatar’s Pape Diagne and Nikola Vasić each scored eight in a desperate effort.
On the same Pool, earlier in the day, the Netherlands also kept their perfect record, edging past Romania in a hard-fought 3-0 victory (25:23, 26:24, 26:24). Michiel Ahyi was the most prolific player of the game with 19 points including five aces, while Tom Koops added 13. For Romania, Bela Bartha left the court with 14 points.
With both teams now on two wins each, Poland and the Netherlands are guaranteed passage to the knockout rounds, while Qatar and Romania exit the competition without a victory so far.
The final Pool B clash between Poland and the Netherlands on September 17 will determine who tops the group.
In Pool D, USA celebrated another commanding performance at the 2025 FIVB World Championship, defeating Portugal 3-0 (25:19, 25:22, 25:17) to secure a place in the Round of 16 too, remaining unbeaten and becoming one more team to officially move on, joining Poland, Canada, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Türkiye in the knockout stage.
Gabriel Garcia and Jordan Ewert led the charge with 12 points each, while Ethan Champlin continued his strong performances with 10 points, and Merrick McHenry also contributed eight from the middle.
Portugal’s Lourenço Martins also scored 12 points, while José Pinto added nine.
“We respected Portugal a lot—they’re crafty and can be dangerous,” U.S. libero Erik Shoji said after the match. “But our serving and blocking made the difference, and we’re building momentum at the right time.”
And now, USA will face Cuba on September 17, while Portugal battles Colombia in a must-win match to stay in contention.
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🌏| 2025 FIVB World Championship | Pool Stage
👉🏼Monday September 15 2025
Pool D | 📍 Pasay City
• 10.00 (Local Time) | Cuba – Colombia 3-0 (25:22, 25:21, 25:20)
Pool G | 📍 Quezon City
• 10.30 (Local Time) | Türkiye – Lybia 3-1 (25:18, 23:25, 25:14, 25:16)
Pool E | 📍 Pasay City
• 13.30 (Local Time) | Germany – Chile 3-0 (25:17, 25:23, 25:21)
Pool G | 📍 Quezon City
• 14.00 (Local Time) | Japan – Canada 0-3 (20:25, 23:25, 22:25)
🏐| POOL G STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Türkiye 6
2. Canada 6
3. Lybia 0
4. Japan 0
Pool E | 📍 Pasay City
• 17.30 (Local Time) | Slovenia – Bulgaria 2-3 (19:25, 14:25, 25:18, 25:23, 13:15)
🏐| POOL E STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Bulgaria 5
2. Slovenia 4
3. Germany 3
4. Chile 0
Pool B | 📍 Quezon City
• 18.00 (Local Time) | Netherlands – Romania 3-0 (25:23, 26:24, 26:24)
Pool D | 📍 Pasay City
• 21.00 (Local Time) | USA – Portugal 3-0 (25:22, 25:19, 25:17)
🏐| POOL D STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. USA 6
2. Portugal 3
3. Cuba 3
4. Colombia 0
Pool B | 📍 Quezon City
• 21.30 (Local Time) | Poland – Qatar 3-0 (25:21, 25:14, 25:19)
🏐| POOL B STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Poland 6
2. Netherlands 6
3. Qatar 0
4. Romania 0
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NEXT GAMES:
Tuesday September 16, 2025
Pool H | 📍 Pasay City
• 10.00 (Local Time) | Brazil – Czech Republic
Pool C | 📍 Quezon City
• 10.30 (Local Time) | Argentina – Korea
Pool A | 📍 Pasay City
• 13.30 (Local Time) | Iran – Tunisia
Pool F | 📍 Quezon City
• 14.00 (Local Time) | Ukraine – Algeria
Pool A | 📍 Pasay City
• 17.30 (Local Time) | Philippines – Egypt
Pool C | 📍 Quezon City
• 18.00 (Local Time) | France – Finland
Pool H | 📍 Pasay City
• 21.00 (Local Time) | Serbia – China
Pool F | 📍 Quezon City
• 21.30 (Local Time) | Italy – Belgium
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