MANILA, Philippines — ALL athletes, coaches, delegates and fans will feel “at home” when the Philippines hosts the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship (MWCH) 2025 solo for the first time in September next year.

And the volleyball world will discover that this sport is very popular among Filipinos.

“We can’t get enough of volleyball,” Ramon “Tats” Suzara said at the 39th FIVB World Congress during its main session in Porto, Portugal, this weekend. “The Philippines is a country that loves volleyball.”

Suzara was elected president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation in September, just three years into his tenure as head of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF).

And in front of more than 200 members of the sport’s world body, including new FIVB president Fabio Azevedo and former president Ary Graça, both of Brazil, and general secretary Hugh McCutcheon, of New Zealand, Suzara gave a preview of what to expect at the MWCH that the country is hosting from September 12 to 28 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena and Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“The rest of the world doesn’t know yet…that we love volleyball and Filipino volleyball fans set the standard,” he said, mentioning the Filipinos’ unprecedented response to the Nations League of Volleyball, or VNL, which the country has hosted for now. three years in a row.

“We shout and applaud louder than anyone else,” Suzara added, noting that fan attendance was estimated at 8,000 on average among the organizers, including 19,000 recorded at one time last June.

“We bring our love of the game to arenas, online and everywhere we go,” he said. “We warmly welcome everyone who plays this game, and even foreign players and fans feel at home, because as long as you love volleyball, the Philippines will feel like home.”

Suzara also proudly announced to the congress delegates that, rising from 117th in the world, the Philippine men’s team rose to 57th in less than three years after the pandemic.

PNVF Vice President Ricky Palou, Secretary General Donaldo Caringal and Director Tonyboy Liao joined Suzara at the congress. TMT