11 out of 16 teams in the World Championship knockouts are from Europe

The group stage of the World Championship in the Philippines has concluded, with the final day delivering several truly dramatic matches. For instance, the reigning two-time Olympic champion France failed to reach the playoffs after losing a five-set thriller to Argentina. However, there were also some unexpected and positive outcomes.

Pool A

Egypt - Tunisia  0 – 3 (19–25, 18–25, 22–25)

Philippines - Iran  2 – 3 (25–21, 21–25, 25–17, 23–25, 20–22)

Iran advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2025 Men’s Volleyball World Championship after a dramatic 3-2 win over the Philippines. The hosts missed six match points, including a 20-18 moment in the tie-break, before Iran completed the comeback with a decisive block from 22-year-old Yousef Kazemi Poshtpari.

Iran edged the stats with 63-62 in attacks and 6-5 in aces. Poriya Khanzadeh and Ali Hajipour both scored 22 points, matching the Philippines’ captain Bryan Bagunas, who also tallied 22. Leo Ordiales added 21 for the hosts, while Marck Espejo (15) and Kim Malabunga (10) hit double figures.

Coach Roberto Piazza admitted Iran struggled under pressure but praised the team’s resilience. The Philippines, despite their historic debut win earlier in the tournament, were eliminated after this heartbreaking defeat.

Pool C

France - Argentina 2 – 3 (26–28, 23–25, 25–21, 25–20, 12–15)

France, the reigning two-time Olympic champions, were eliminated from the 2025 World Championship after a dramatic 3-2 loss to Argentina in Quezon City. The South Americans stayed undefeated in Pool C and will face Italy in playoff.

Finland secured second place in the pool with a 2-1 record and will play Belgium in the next round.

Argentina won 3-2 relying on strong defense with an 11-5 edge in kill blocks and fewer errors than France. Luciano Vicentin led all scorers with 22 points, supported by Luciano Palonsky (17) and Agustin Loser (12).

France led in attacks (71-62) and aces (3-2), but it wasn’t enough. Trevor Clevenot scored 16 points, Theo Faure added 13, while Barthelemy Chinenyeze and Nicolas Le Goff each tallied 11.

Finland - Korea 3 – 1 (25–18, 25–23, 17–25, 25–21)

Finland finished the group stage in second place in Group C. Their final match was against Korea, which they won 3-1.

The Finns outscored their opponents in attack (62 to 54) and in blocks (10 to 9), but lost in aces (5 to 4). The Finns also had more errors (19), while the Koreans committed 16.

Luka Marttila and Joonas Jokela were effective for the Finns. They contributed 25 points (22 points, three blocks), and 21 points in attack, two aces, and two blocks, respectively.

Shin Hojin scored 24 points in Korea: 22 hits, one block, and one ace. Jeong Hanyong scored 16 points (13 spikes, two blocks, and one ace).

Pool F

Belgium - Algeria 3 – 0 (25–22, 25–20, 25–12)

Belgium secured the top spot in Pool F after a decisive straight-set victory against winless Algeria. The Red Dragons remained unbeaten in the group and will next face Finland. 

After overcoming Algeria’s brief four-point lead in the opening set, Belgium dominated the match and earned a 3-0 win. 

Although Belgium committed more unforced errors (19 to Algeria’s 16), they excelled in other areas: 10-1 in blocks, 5-1 in aces, and 44-33 in spike kills. Opposite Ferre Reggers and captain Sam Deroo each contributed 15 points. Reggers added two aces and two blocks, finishing as the match’s top scorer with 19 points. Algeria’s substitute outside hitter Tizit Farouk led his team with 11 points.

Italy - Ukraine 3 – 0 (25–21, 25–22, 25–18)

Italy continues to defend their World Cup title. They defeated Ukraine 3-0, qualifying for the playoffs from second place in Group F with two wins and one loss. The Italians earned seven points in the group.

Among the best players in this match was Alessandro Michieletto, who scored 13 points, while Mattia Bottolo and Yuri Romano also scored 11 each.

For the Ukrainian team, Yuri Semeniuk led the way with 14 points (11 spikes and three blocks). Ilya Kovalov added 12 attacking points. Ukraine committed significantly more errors (24 to 13), which was likely the key factor in their defeat. Italy had more blocks (6 to 3) and served more aces (4 to 3).

Italy will now face Argentina in the Round of 16. Belgium, meanwhile, will face Finland. Both matches will take place on Sunday.

Pool H

Czechia - China 3 – 0 (26–24, 25–19, 25–18)

Czechia claimed their place in the Round of 16 with a decisive win against China. The straight-set victory not only confirmed Czechia’s advancement from Pool H but also sealed Brazil’s elimination from the tournament.

The European side dominated from start to finish, posting a 3-0 win to conclude pool play with a 2-1 record. 

Opposite Patrick Indra was instrumental in the triumph, leading all scorers with 29 points (23 spikes, 4 block, 2 aces). 

For China, outside hitter Wang Bin made 11 spikes and 1 ace. 

Statistically, Czechia outperformed their opponents in all major categories: they led in spikes (47-39), blocks (10-4), and aces (4-3).

With this result, Czechia move on to the Round of 16, while Brazil — winners of three Olympic gold medals and three World Championship titles — suffered a shock early exit from the tournament after finishing third in the pool with two victories.

Brazil - Serbia 0 – 3 (22–25, 20–25, 22–25)

Another shocker occurred on the final day of the group stage: Serbia prevented Brazil from advancing to the knockout round. This was the second consecutive victory for the Serbs, who finished first in Group H with six points, while the Brazilians finished third with two wins and one loss.

Serbia was superior to its opponent in every statistical category:

43 to 40 in attacks
10 to 6 in blocks
4 to 2 in aces
18 to 16 in opponent's errors

Serbia's opposite hitter Drazen Luburic played a key role in the Serbian victory, leading the team's attack with 19 points (17 shots, two aces). Outside hitter Pavle Peric also contributed significantly to the victory, scoring 15 points (13 shots, one block, one ace).

Brazil's top scorer was opposite Alan de Souza with 10 points (9 shots, one block).

To sum up the following 11 European teams will play on the Round of 16: Türkiye, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Belgium, Finland, Bulgaria, Portugal, Slovenia, Czechia, Serbia. 

The knockout stage begins on Saturday, 20 of September.