PHOTOS: MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net, PHILIP FONG, JOEL NITO/AFP, PNVF
If you’re wondering why volleyball fans of a certain age demographic let out a collective squeal in various Titos and Titas group chats, blame it on a 90s–2000s Brazilian icon who first lit the flames of the country’s love affair with volleyball in the Grand Prix days. That legend is set to grace Finals weekend—instant core memory unlocked for fans of a particular vintage.
But that visit will just be one of the highlights of the men’s world championship and here are some things you might want to discuss with your arena seatmates in between sets during the tournament proper.
1. Yes, that Leila.
Brazilian volleyball legend Leila Barros will be a special guest of honor at the FIVB Men’s World Championship Finals in Manila, Philippines.–PNVF PHOTO
Leila Barros be in town for the Finals, a full-circle nod to the era when she packed arenas here and basically made volleyball cool before “stan” was a verb. So if your Gen X relative who has largely ignored your excitement over the tournament is suddenly hitchhiking on your ticket search, you know why.
READ: Leila Barros excited to ‘reconnect’ with PH volleyball fans
2. The 2025 edition is Manila’s showpiece.
FILE–A general view of the crowd during a game between Team USA and Japan in the VNL 2024 at Mall of Asia Arena.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Here are the key dates you might want to block off on your calendars: Sept 12–28, 2025.
Venues (important to note places around them you might want to hang out while waiting for the gate queues to shorten): Smart Araneta Coliseum and SM Mall of Asia Arena. That’s 64 matches over 17 days—just in case you wanna plan on vacation leaves and sick days.
3. It’s gone biennial.
Starting this cycle, the Worlds are every two years with an expanded 32-team field. More nations, more chaos, more late-night snack runs.
4. You read it right the first time; it’s now a 32-nation party.
The format is 8 groups of 4, and group topnotchers head to the Round of 16. Then it’s the quarterfinals, the semifinals and then the finals. Clean bracket, maximum drama. Oh, and yes, Leila. (FIVB)
5. Opening-night plot twist:
Tunisia’s Elyes Karamosli hits a return during the match between Turkey and Tunisia on the final day of the Volleyball World Cup 2023 men’s Olympic qualifying tournament at Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo on October 8, 2023. (Photo by Richard A. Brooks / AFP)
The host Philippines battles Tunisia to kick things off on Sept 12. Do your share and Google “10 things I need to know about the Tunisia men’s volleyball team.” The country’s 11 African championships don’t count. Everybody knows that already.
READ: FIVB Men’s World Championship: Philippines, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia
6. A tiny club of kings.
Only seven countries have ever won the men’s world title. The record still belongs to the Soviet Union (6); Italy is the reigning champion (2022).
7. Volleyball was world-championing before it was making Olympic appearances.
The first men’s Worlds were in 1949 (Prague)—15 years before Olympic volleyball debuted in 1964. So yes, pretty significant, this tournament.
8. K-pop on the serve.
BOYNEXTDOOR during the 2025 FIBA Volleyball Men’s World Championship appointment ceremony at the HYBE headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. K-pop group has been named Global Celebrity Ambassadors for the Philippines’ hosting of the event.
Rising boy group BOYNEXTDOOR was named global celebrity ambassadors—proof the Worlds is as pop-savvy as they are power-savvy. And it’s generation-crossing, too. Hence, Leila.
9. Mascots with personality.
Meet Hataw, Kid Lat, and Koolog, unveiled with the tournament anthem one month out. (Somewhere, a marketing team high-fived.)
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10. Venues with reps.
The Big Dome hosted VNL pools in 2022; MOA Arena hosted the men’s VNL pools in 2023 and 2024—so both buildings already “speak volleyball.”
That’s not mentioning how many times both arenas were filled by UAAP and PVL championship matches.
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