2025 Volleyball World Championship:
Iran lands Philippines, Egypt, Tunisia in pool phase
Iran will take on host Philippines, Egypt, and Tunisia in Pool A of the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship – starting September 12 next year.
The draw for the 21st edition of the flagship international event took place in the Filipino city of Parañaque on Saturday, where 32 teams were split into eight pools.
The date and time of the pool fixtures are yet to be announced by the FIVB, the international governing body of the sport.
Knocked out in the last 16 by Brazil in the previous edition in 2022, Iran will have a new head coach in Italian Roberto Piazza – appointed to the job earlier in the month – for next year’s World Championship.
The former coach of the Dutch national team and now in charge of top-flight side Powervolley Milano in his home country, Piazza, 56, took over from Brazilian Mauricio Motta Paes, who was sacked midway through June’s Volleyball Nations League after only seven games at the helm, with his number two Payman Akbari serving as the interim coach for the remainder of the VNL campaign.
Iran will be looking for a fresh start under the Italian, who is set to start his four-year job ahead of next June’s Nations League, following a dire run of results over the past 16 months – during which the Asian team finished in the bottom three of the VNL preliminary-round table twice and failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics, while being outclassed by Japan on home soil in last year’s Asian Championship final.
In other pools of the World Championship, VNL champion Poland was drawn against the Netherlands, Qatar, and Romania in Pool B, with Olympic gold winner France, Argentina, Finland, and South Korea completing the lineup in Pool C.
The United States, Cuba, Portugal, and Colombia are in Pool D, while Pool E features Slovenia, Germany, Bulgaria, and Chile.
Reigning world champion Italy was pitted against Ukraine, Belgium, and Algeria in Pool F, and Pool G will see Asian powerhouse Japan, Canada, Turkey, and Libya go head-to-head.
Three-time champion Brazil, Serbia, Czechia, and China are in Pool H.
The top two of each group will progress to the round of 16.