Alas Pilipinas Males will face Tunisia within the opening match of the 2025 FIVB Males’s World Championship on Friday on the Mall of Asia Area.
The Philippine males’s nationwide volleyball crew will characteristic a mixture of veterans and rising stars, with Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo main the 14-man squad.
READ MORE | Alas Pilipinas lineup for the FIVB Men’s Championship
Ranked No. 82 on this planet, Alas just lately accomplished coaching camps in Portugal and Romania as a part of their preparations for the Philippines’ debut within the prestigious event.
Philippine head coach Angiolino Frigoni expressed confidence following their ultimate tune-up match in Romania, however acknowledged the emotional weight of the historic second.
“Filipinos have by no means been within the World Championship of their volleyball life. There shall be emotion, I don’t know,” stated Frigoni. “I hope that we are going to react properly anyway.”
READ MORE | Frigoni keeps expectations in check, says Alas has ‘nothing to lose’ at FIVB Worlds
Tunisia, ranked No. 43, will carry priceless championship expertise. They received three of their 11 African titles in 2017, 2019, and 2021, earlier than being dethroned within the 2023 version of the African Volleyball Championship.
The Philippines might want to be careful for key Tunisian gamers, together with reverse hitter Hamza Nagga, setter Khaled Ben Slimene, exterior hitter Ilyès Karamosli, and center blockers Ahmed Kadhi and Selim Mbareki, all of whom competed in the Tokyo Olympics.
Alas Pilipinas and Tunisia will open the event at 7:00 p.m.
Previous to that, BOYNEXTDOOR from South Korea will headline the opening ceremony at 4:30 p.m., which shall be led by Philippine Nationwide Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara and FIVB president Fabio Azevedo.
A complete of 32 groups will compete within the eight-pool event. Along with the Mall of Asia Area, the Sensible Araneta Coliseum will host preliminary spherical matches that includes groups similar to Japan and Poland.
READ MORE | 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship: What You Need to Know
—JKC, GMA Built-in Information
