Round of 16 sees 11 European teams still in the fight for the title at the Men's World Championship

11 of the 15 European teams participating at the 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship progressed to the knockout phase of the competition, with notable sides like Olympic champions France and Germany being knocked out after conceding two losses in the preliminary round.

The 32 participating teams at the  2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship in Philippines were divided into eight pools of four teams each for the preliminary round, with the top two teams in each pool progressing to the next phase of the competition.

From the seven pools containing European sides, five were won by European teams, with four European teams securing three wins in as many matches - Belgium, Türkiye, Bulgaria and reigning European champions Poland.

By far, the biggest surprise of the competition so far was France’s early elimination, with the reigning Olympic champions and the fourth-placed side at the CEV EuroVolley 2023 Men being shocked by Finland (2:3) and Argentina (2:3) on their way to the 18th place in the competition, tying their worst-ever result.

However, Finland are on pace for their best-ever result in the competition and can secure it with a win over Belgium in the Round of 16. This is one of the three 100% European matches in this phase of the competition, with three European teams being ensured a place in the quarter-finals.

Belgium are one of the surprise packages of the competition, winning all three matches so far and dropping only two sets, with their shocking 3:2 win over Italy in the preliminary round transforming them into a dark horse.

“Personally, I hope we can continue the momentum. The team feels like we have mental and physical strength and that we can perform under pressure. We will take our chances,” said Belgium’s Seppe Rotty before the match against Finland.

Another 100% European tie is the one between Bulgaria and Portugal, with Bulgaria emerging as one of the medal candidates after a pitch perfect preliminary round, where they beat Germany (3:0), Slovenia (3:2) and Chile (3:0).

Since their last medal in 2006, Bulgaria have been on a downward trend, with the seventh place in 2010 as their best result, but they can easily compete, as proven against tough European opposition.

“It’s amazing to be part of this team. I’m happy that the boys grew up so fast to such a high level. I am not sure who we can play against in the next round, but for me the most important is our game, on our side of the court, and to prepare for it as well as possible,” said captain Aleks Grozdanov.

The third all-European tie will pit Türkiye against the Netherlands. So far, Türkiye have lost a single set and dished wins against Canada and Japan in straight sets, proving to be incredibly consistent. A win here would cement their best-ever finish in the competition, beating their previous record of the 11th place, set in 2022.

On the other side, the Netherlands still have plenty of firepower, but lost against Poland (1:3) and their win against Romania (25:23; 26:24; 26:24) was by an inch, yet they can still create issues for any possible opponent.

Poland will be favoured against Canada in the Round of 16 match, as will Czechia against Tunisia, despite the European side finishing second in their pool, but a win against Serbia will surely boost their confidence.

Serbia, pool winners after Czechia beat China and Brazil were eliminated, will face the Islamic Republic of Iran, while Slovenia have a tough encounter with the United States of America for a place in the quarter-finals.

The surprise package of the competition is Argentina, which won their group, especially thanks to their win against France, and will now face a mammoth of a task, against the current title holders, Italy.

Italy have lost their match against Belgium (2:3), but swept Ukraine and Algeria, yet will still have a daunting task against Argentina, in a winner-takes-all scenario, where Italy could lose their crown.

“We played very well from the start against Ukraine and stayed together in the difficult moments. Now, we want to continue like this. The teams here are very leveled, so we need to play well in every match and be aware that difficult moments will come and be ready for them," said Italy’s opposite Yuri Romanò for Volleyball World.

The Round of 16 at the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship will take place between 20 and 23 September, with two matches scheduled every day in Pasay City.