Pasay city: The United States eliminated Cuba from the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship with a 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 27-25 victory at the Mall of Asia Arena.
According to Philippines News Agency, the undefeated world No. 5 USA is set to face Slovenia in the next round, while fellow Pool D qualifier Portugal will take on Pool E's Bulgaria. Bulgaria, also undefeated, advanced after defeating Chile 25-17, 25-12, 25-12. Slovenia secured its spot with a win over Germany, 25-21, 17-25, 31-29, 25-22.
The Americans clinched first place in their pool by winning the first two sets against Cuba. Cooper Robinson, an outside hitter, secured the match winner and led with a game-high 14 points. "We knew that Cuba needed this game. We knew Cuba was going to come out firing on all cylinders. But we were also on the edge. It was a great game for us. All 14 guys came on the court and did their job. I think we still have a lot of learning, a lot of growing up to do, but for us to pull out this win the way we did was pretty impressive," Gabi Garcia, the opposite spiker, said in a post-match interview.
Meanwhile, Turkiye continued its unexpected performance by sweeping the pool stage and upsetting world No. 8 Canada with a 25-21, 25-16, 27-25 victory at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, climbing to No. 13 in the world rankings. Poland defeated the Netherlands 22-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-22 in Pool B, setting up a clash with Canada on Saturday. The Netherlands will face Turkiye next.
Japan, a crowd favorite, concluded its tournament on a high note with a 25-20, 25-17, 25-12 victory over Libya in Quezon City. This marked Japan's only win in three games, while Libya left the tournament winless. "I was really happy and proud to have been able to represent Japan in this tournament," said Larry Ik Evbade-Dan, a middle blocker for Japan. "It was very important for us to end the season with a victory. We'll come back stronger next year."
The tournament will take a break after the pool matches and resume with the Round of 16 from September 20 to 23. All games leading up to the final on September 28 will take place at the Pasay arena.
