FIVB worlds final 8 set; Poland, Italy, USA lead quarterfinal pack

MANILA, Philippines, September 24 ------ After multiple upsets, heartbreaks and expected dominant stretches, the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship is down to its final eight contenders following Iran’s gripping five-set conquest of Serbia to end the playoffs’ first knockout phase.

The world No. 16 Iranians, after breaking host nation Philippines’ heart with a five-set extended reversal to end the eliminations, again made waves, this time in a 23-25, 25-19, 24-26, 25-22, 15-9 escape of the No. 12 Serbians to stay as Asia’s last remaining representative on the world stage.

Kicking off the quarterfinals on Wednesday, September 24, at the Mall of Asia Arena are a pair of world-class matches. World No. 2 and defending champion Italy tests the underdog mettle of No. 15 Belgium at 3:30 pm, as the likes of Alessandro Michieletto and reigning world MVP Simone Giannelli defend their title and national pride. At 8 pm, world No. 1 Poland, meanwhile, seeks to plow through dark horse contender and No. 14 Turkey, which embarrassed top 10 squads Japan and Canada on the way to the knockout phase. Turkey’s hot momentum is set to clash Poland’s cold and calculated balance, with the latter squad not having a single tournament top 20 scorer, with Kamil Semeniuk ranking the highest on the list at No. 29.

On Thursday, September 25, 3:30 pm, Iran meets world No. 18 Czech Republic, which earned its ticket through a straight set blasting of No. 37 underdog Tunisia. Veteran smarts meet young hustle in the last quarterfinal match as the Micah Christenson-led, world No. 4 United States takes on the 11th-ranked Bulgarians — a highly intriguing side boasting and average age of 23 and powered by young brothers Aleks and Moni Nikolov.

With ticket prices lower than ever before, the Philippines can still experience men’s volleyball at its absolute best, with few true contenders left to fend off a parade of upset-minded squads.

Source: rappler.com