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For the most part, the FIVB’s top brass likes what they see in Manila.
With days before the Philippines wraps up its first-ever FIVB Men’s World Championship hosting duties, FIVB president Fabio Avezedo believes that the country has passed with flying colors.
In an exclusive interview with The GAME during the knockout quarterfinals on Wednesday, September 24, Avezedo said that the Philippines has “exceeded expectations” as first-time hosts for the global showpiece.
“That’s fantastic! It actually has exceeded all of our expectations. I would tell you, in terms of the warming hospitality, the welcome, we felt it. All of us, from the athletes, referees, officials, to the professional team of FIVB and Volleyball World, we all felt very welcomed and respected,” Avezedo said.
According to Avezedo, many of the teams that he has spoken to are giving the Philippines a “10 out of 10,” while the SM Mall of Asia Arena has received praise for its “Olympic-level” quality.
“One coach said that this arena is an Olympic or international-level arena, so they have an amazing stage to perform,” Avezedo said. “[The Philippines] has all the conditions of food, hotel, and transportation. The public services are working really well, and it’s a huge commitment of the local government.
“So it could not be any better. I can tell you, it’s a 10 out of 10 and it’s the best Men’s World Championship [hosting] so far.”
Along with Thailand hosting the Women’s World Championship, this year marks the first time that the global showpiece has been held in Southeast Asia. And for Azevedo, what the Philippines did for this year’s Men’s World Championship cemented their status as a “great volleyball destination”.
While the Philippines has proven to be a volleyball hotspot thanks to its hosting of the Volleyball Nations League and continental tilts such as the AVC Nations Cup and Southeast Asia V.League, nothing compares to the challenge of hosting 32 elite teams for the World Championship, according to Azevedo.
“The Philippines was not in our radar as a great volleyball destination in the world before this event. So despite the fact that you guys organized the Volleyball Nations League with great success, and the World Grand Prix in the 90s and 2000s, this is the first time that we’re having a World Championship in Southeast Asia, right?” the FIVB chief said.
“So this one, it validated the Philippines as a great volleyball destination,” added Azevedo, while also commending the country’s past hostings of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) from 2022 to 2024.
Apart from the Filipino hospitality and accommodation, another plus for Azevedo is the local fanbase’s knowledge of volleyball — something that can be observed across social media during game day.
“They are amazing! One, they understand the game, they can recognize what is going on in the field of play. They totally understand the game. They love playing, which is great. We want more and more people to be engaged,” Azevedo said of his observations toward the Filipino fanbase.
If anything, the Filipino fanbase ties in with Azevedo’s long-term vision for volleyball, which is to double the number of people who are engaged in the sport. As he has said since assuming the presidency, around 800 million fans are already tuned in to volleyball, and he seeks to double that by the end of his term in 2032.
“And there is no other way to make it happen other than making our sport more accessible, more affordable, and more understandable. And [the Filipinos], they can understand the game, so we’re giving them the opportunity to be engaged, and to play, right?”
In line with the recently unveiled seven-year roadmap to elevate Philippine volleyball, Azevedo shared that a part of that plan is to create more volleyball facilities across the country, so that more and more Filipinos can pick up the sport and, in turn, become fans.
“We’ve discussed with your government also in order to construct more facilities. You know? More beach volleyball and [indoor] volleyball courts in the country for people to get engaged and play more,” Azevedo explained.
“So we totally believe that the Philippines can be a powerhouse. It’s the Filipino fans; they have a level of engagement above the curve, and that’s what we want to do. We want to make our sport accessible.”
Ironing out the kinks
Just like any other event, the Philippines’ World Championship hosting isn’t flawless by any means. While Fabio Azevedo and the FIVB are confident in giving the country a perfect 10, that’s not to say that they won’t acknowledge the points for improvement, either.
Among Azevedo’s points for improvement are the event tickets, which have been a sore point for local volleyball fans due to their steep prices. Before the organizers cut down the prices for the knockout rounds, ticket prices ranged from around PHP 500 to PHP 13,800 throughout the pool phase.
“I believe that in terms of ticketing sales, promotion would be better in order to give more opportunities for people to watch in the person. That would be great, right? To have more people at the venue at the stadium watching,” Azevedo explained.
Save for Japan’s games at the SMART Araneta Coliseum and Alas Pilipinas’ pool stage games, teams were often treated to empty seats at the venue, which could be attributed to the rather high prices at the time.
“Giving more opportunities for people to come and buy their tickets to watch the game, that would be better,” he said.
As the FIVB chief puts it, the World Championship is already the highest event for volleyball following the Olympics; not to mention, this is the first time the global showpiece is playing in the expanded 32-team format.
“Don’t take me wrong, when I said 10 out of 10, that’s it. But in terms of improvement, we are showing to the world, we are showing to the country the best of volleyball. After the Olympic Games, that’s the best volleyball in the world,” Azevedo said.
Based on available match reports, an average of 2,197 people were in attendance throughout the Round of 16, which involved a total of eight matches over four game days at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
During the one-week pool phase, an average of around 3,600 fans caught the games live at the MOA Arena, while around 1,800 attended the games live at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. Eight games per venue were played simultaneously throughout this opening stretch.
“In the Olympic Games, we have 32 countries, right? So that’s the best we can show to the world, and we would love to have more people watching, experiencing, and getting emotional with the games. To get inspired by our athletes, our teams,” he said.
While the Department of Tourism did release special tour packages, Azevedo also hopes that the Philippines can better promote its tourist spots moving forward, especially with international audiences traveling to the country to catch their teams live.
In the FIVB chief’s view, such international audiences would also love to experience the Filipino culture, cuisine, and tourist spots that range from picturesque beaches to relics of the past that include Intramuros in Manila.
“Believe that next time, we’re going to do better in showing the beauty of your country to the world, so people will come more; actually, I believe that [foreign audiences] will get this event as an example in the future, right?”
“They will remember that. Because before every single match, we show the beauty of the Philippines to the world in international feed as well,” Azevedo said, referring to the World Championship’s opening montage. “So I’m sure that people today in the US, Brazil, in Argentina, in Japan or wherever, they can say that it’s a beautiful country.”
On the FIVB’s end, some schedule tweaks are to be expected in the 2027 World Championship in order to prevent both fatigue and a longer-than-expected layoff that could kill momentum for the competing teams.
“Maybe in the next edition, for example, we can have the semifinals on Friday and finals on Sunday just to avoid them playing two days in a row,” said Azevedo, with this year’s semifinals and finals scheduled for September 26 and 27, respectively.
“And to allow them to play every other day instead of not playing for three days. So that’s fine-tuning, but you can only experience it while doing that. It’s all learning by doing, we’re executing now brilliantly, and we just have some small things to fine-tune for the next edition.”
Another event soon?
But again, this is not to say that the FIVB Men’s World Championship in Manila isn’t a success in Fabio Azevedo’s eyes. Apart from the Philippines cementing itself as a volleyball hotbed, this year’s staging also witnessed its share of underdog stories.
In this World Championship alone, home team Alas Pilipinas toppled Egypt for their first-ever win in the tournament, while up-and-coming nations like Bulgaria are through to the quarterfinals. Usual powerhouses like France and Brazil, meanwhile, also suffered some early exits.
While citing the FIVB’s Volleyball Empowerment program, Azevedo believes that volleyball around the world has started to improve, and perennial contenders are now at risk of getting swung the upset axe anytime.
“There are no longer those so-called underdogs; it does not exist in volleyball anymore. So I believe that the big guys, such as Italy, Brazil, Japan, and Poland, they understand now that they have to perform in every single point, every single set,” Azevedo said.
“If you take a look at [the Belgium-Italy] match, you can see that point number one of the match is a big battle already. So they are fighting for every single point,” continued Azevedo, with the interview taking place after Italy eliminated Belgium on Wednesday.
“These matches are so, so touch man! You cannot lose even one point, because that’s the difference, right?The Philippines lost against Iran [22-20], fifth set. So that’s the beauty of it.”
But what about the Philippines’ potential to host world-class events? As early as now, Azevedo says that the 2025 Men’s World Championship certainly won’t be the last in Manila.
“One-hundred percent. What you guys did here during the World Championship validated your country to host whatever kind of [indoor] volleyball and beach volleyball event in the future. I can declare that.”
Banner images from FIVB.