Iran Secures Decisive Victory Over Philippines at Volleyball World Championship

Iran’s national volleyball team clinched a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Philippines in their final group-stage match at the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship on Thursday afternoon, securing a spot in the knockout stage.

Iran’s national volleyball team edged past host nation Philippines 3-2 in a thrilling five-set battle, sealing their place in the 2025 Men’s World Championship knockout stage, The Caspian Post reports citing Mehr news.

The match, played in front of a near-capacity crowd of 20,000, saw Roberto Piazza’s squad overcome a shaky start before eventually prevailing 21-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 22-20.

Iran struggled in the opening set, overwhelmed by the home crowd’s energy, and lost the set 25-21. However, the team quickly regained composure in the second, dictating play and taking it by the same scoreline, 25-21. Esfandiar’s blistering serves - some clocked above 115 km/h - were key to Iran’s turnaround.

Coach Piazza surprised fans with a bold tactical change, bringing in a libero for outside hitter Esfandiar.

Despite this adjustment, individual errors plagued Iran in the third set while the Philippines delivered their best volleyball of the tournament, taking it convincingly 25-17 to go 2-1 up.

The fourth set was a nail-biter, with both teams exchanging points and showing inconsistency. Iran, however, managed to edge out the hosts 25-23, forcing a decisive fifth set.

In the 5th set, Iran displayed composure and resilience under pressure, eventually triumphing 22-20 to seal the match 3-2.