BACK-TO-BACK Olympic champion France and world No. 1 Poland lead the 32-nation field for the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship (MWCH) with solo host Philippines kicking off a year-to-go countdown with the Alas Pilipinas men and women engaging two top Japanese clubs in a weekend of friendlies at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

“The ball is served!” said Ramon “Tats” Suzara, head of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation on Wednesday fresh from his election as president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation last Friday in Bangkok.

It will be a busy week for the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the MWCH and first on the agenda will be the friendlies at the PhilSports Arena this Saturday (September 7) pitting the Alas Pilipinas Women against the Saga Hisamitsu Springs at 3 p.m. and the Alas Pilipinas Men against the Osaka Bluteon at 6 p.m.

All four teams return to the court following the same schedule also at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday (September 8) to conclude the friendlies that precede the much-anticipated Draw on September 14 at the Solaire Resort Hotel.

Tickets to the friendlies are available through Ticketmax.ph.

“It’s all systems go for the preparations heading to the world championship that will be marked with year-long activities including a Trophy Tour that would bring the MWCH trophy to key cities in the country,” Suzara said.

The Philippines, as host, is seeded along with reigning world champion Italy to the world championship set September 12 to 28 next year.

The FIVB announced the roster for the world championships with 15 slots filled through the continental championships last year and the remaining 15 completed just before the start of the one-year countdown to the prestigious tournament.

World No. 4 Slovenia is the third team from Europe to earn a world championship slot through the continental competitions, while world No. 3 USA, 11th-ranked Canada and No. 12 Cuba qualified from the North, Central America and Caribbean confederations.

Advancing from South America were world No. 7 Brazil, ninth-ranked Argentina and No. 45 Colombia, while world No. 6 Japan, 15th-ranked Iran and No. 21 Qatar head the Asian teams.

World No. 20 Egypt, 44th-ranked Libya and No. 50 Algeria head the African squads.

The final 15 slots were filled entering September 2024, with 11 berths claimed by European teams Germany, Serbia, The Netherlands, Ukraine, Belgium, Türkiye, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Portugal, Finland and Romania.

Asian powerhouse China (No. 25) and Korea (No. 28) also made the field, along with African squad Tunisia (No. 24) and South America’s Chile (No. 27).

While hard-hitting Bryan Bagunas has recently been joined by young clutch player Buds Buddin and the charismatic spiker-turned-libero Josh Ybanez as the faces of the Philippine team, also expected to rock the SM Mall of Asia Arena and the Smart Araneta Coliseum in the world championship are Volleyball Nations League (VNL) fan favorites Ran Takahashi and Yuki Ishikawa of Japan and Micah Christenson and Matt Anderson of the US.

Jean Patry is again expected to lead the way for world No. 2 France which is likely to retain the core of the Olympic team that also topped the 2024 Volleyball Nations League, while Paris Games silver medalist and VNL third placer Poland is likely to again count on Wilfredo Leon in the bid to assert its top ranking.