Fan favorites USA and Japan, ranked sixth and fifth in the world respectively, enter the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship as dark horse contenders when the tournament unfolds from September 12 to 28 at the Mall of Asia Arena and Smart Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines, with both squads eager to improve on past finishes and challenge the world’s best among 32 competing nations.
Ranked No. 5 in the world, Japan will rely on stars Yuki Ishikawa and Ran Takahashi, though the team may miss the services of newly married opposite spiker Yuji Nishida. The Ryujin Nippon aim to bounce back after finishing 12th in the 2022 World Championship and enduring quarterfinal exits in both the 2024 Paris Olympics and this year’s Volleyball Nations League.
The USA, sixth in the world, is also gunning for a breakthrough after placing sixth in the last World Championship. The squad will be led by veteran setter Micah Christenson, libero captain Erik Shoji, and middle blocker Taylor Averill—recently named second-best middle in Paris—who were instrumental in the Americans’ bronze-medal Olympic finish last year.
Slovenia, another strong contender, will be without star attacker Rok Mozic due to a knee injury, but remains a threat with the leadership of captain Tine Urnaut and seasoned players Klemen Cebulj, Alen Pajenk, Dejan Vincic, and Gregor Ropret. The team seeks to build on its impressive fourth-place finish in 2022.
In pool play, Japan will compete in Pool G alongside Canada, Turkey, and Libya; the USA is in Pool D with Cuba, Portugal, and Colombia; while Slovenia is grouped in Pool E with Germany, Bulgaria, and Chile. Other squads expected to make deep runs include Germany, Argentina, and Cuba.
Tournament preparations are in full swing under Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara, who chairs the Local Organizing Committee with co-chairs William Vincent “Vinny” Araneta Marcos, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, and Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco.
As hosts, the Philippines will open the competition on September 12 at the MOA Arena against 11-time African champion Tunisia, following a star-studded opening ceremony headlined by K-pop group BOYNEXTDOOR.