The Philippines is set to make more history after being named as the host country for the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship 2029 following the success of the Men’s World Championship 2025 in Manila.
The development was announced by FIVB President Fabio Azevedo and legendary volleyball player Leila Barros before the gold medal match between Italy and Bulgaria last Sunday.
“Hosting the Volleyball Women’s World Championship 2029 in the Philippines is an opportunity to again showcase not only the very best of volleyball but also the positive impact our sport has on society,” Azevedo told Volleyball World.
The 2027 edition of the Women’s World Championship will be hosted by the United States and Canada, while the Men’s World Championship 2029 will be held in Qatar.
Bright future
Members of the Alas Pilipinas Women team were present during the special announcement, with Philippine team captain Jia De Guzman claiming that the tournament will be a big opportunity for the women’s team.
De Guzman told reporters that the Women’s World Championship 2029 would boost the growth of the volleyball scene in the Philippines and would also open a bright future for young volleyball players.
“We’re just happy that we’re going to be given the opportunity to represent the women’s (team) on this stage,” she added, according to One Sports.
Aside from hosting the major tournament in 2029, FIVB Executive Vice President and Asian Volleyball Confederation President Ramon Suzara also announced a seven-year development plan to ensure growth of volleyball in the country.
Suzara highlighted the Philippines’ successful hosting of the Men’s World Championship and stressed that the volleyball programme would further strengthen both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams.
“We are determined to carry forward the momentum of the World Championship 2025 and channel it into something lasting for our athletes, our fans, and our nation,” he added.
One of the main goals of the seven-year initiative is to sustain the momentum of the Alas Pilipinas Men after finishing 19th in the Men’s World Championship 2025.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Liverpool news: Curtis Jones calls for calm after Champions League defeat
Italy crowned kings of volleyball
After the announcement of the host countries for the upcoming major volleyball tournaments last Sunday, Italy defeated Bulgaria in four sets, 25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 25-10, to secure the gold medal at the Men’s World Championship 2025.
Poland also beat Czechia in four sets last Sunday to claim the bronze medal in Pasay City.
Italian star player Alessandro Michieletto was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament and was awarded as one of the Best Outside Spikers.
Aleksandar Nikolov (Bulgaria) was named the other Best Spiker, while Yuri Romano (Italy) was recognised as the Best Opposite Spiker.
Aleks Grozdanov (Bulgaria) and Jakub Kochanowski (Poland) were awarded the Best Middle Blockers during the closing ceremony, while Simone Giannelli (Italy) was the Best Setter.
Fabio Balaso (Italy), who was named as the Best Libero, completed the dream team for this year’s volleyball tournament.
Even though Bulgaria lost the gold medal to the Italian team, they emerged as the best World Championship performer after gaining 58.40 points after the tournament.
The country entered the competition as the No.15 team in the FIVB World Rankings but has now jumped to the No.9 spot after their incredible run in Manila.
READ NEXT: West Ham news: Nuno Espirito Santo happy with draw at Everton, but ‘work to be done’
SportJustSport writers