2025 Women’s Volleyball World Championship: Eighthfinal Match-Ups Confirmed, Action Kicks Off Friday!

Continental showdowns among the main highlights as the tournament moves to the knockout stage in Bangkok.

With the pool stage of the 2025 FIVB Women`s Volleyball World Championship in Thailand now concluded, the full line-up of eight eighthfinal pairings has been set. While 16 teams have finished their journey and are heading home, the remaining 16 will converge in Bangkok, the capital, to continue their pursuit of world honors.

The second round of the World Championship will unfold over four intense competition days, from Friday, August 29, to Monday, September 1. Each day will feature two matches, starting at 17:00 and 20:30 local time (10:00 and 13:30 UTC).

Notably, six of the eight upcoming matches will pit teams from the same continent against each other. The most anticipated clash in Bangkok is undoubtedly the all-Asian encounter between host nation Thailand and the crowd`s beloved Japan.

This highly anticipated game will headline the first day of eighthfinal action, with the stands expected to be packed as Thailand takes on Japan in Friday`s late match. The home team secured second place in Pool A after a narrow five-set loss to the Netherlands in Tuesday`s decider for the top spot. Japan, enjoying significant fan support in Thailand, emerged as undefeated winners of Pool H, triumphing over defending world champions Serbia on Wednesday. Serbia will now seek to rebound as they face the unbeaten Pool A leaders, the Netherlands, in an all-European clash that will open the eighthfinal round on Friday.

Saturday`s schedule promises two more all-European battles. First, the world`s top-ranked team, reigning Olympic and Volleyball Nations League champions Italy, will be challenged by Germany. As expected, Italy dominated Pool B, securing maximum points. Germany finished as runners-up in Pool G, but not before pushing favorites Poland to a grueling five-set match for first place on Wednesday, only narrowly losing in overtime. It was a fierce contest to avoid facing Italy in the next round. Nonetheless, the victorious Poland will not have an easy day on Saturday either, as they meet Pool B runners-up Belgium in the second match. The Belgians demonstrated remarkable tenacity, even against Italy in Phuket, showing no intention of an early departure.

Sunday will be dedicated to intercontinental eighthfinals. The day`s competition will commence with a match between Asian powerhouse China and the rising European force, France. China earned a perfect nine points from their three matches in Pool F, while France secured second place in Pool C after pushing mighty Brazil to five sets in what proved to be a pivotal battle for the top position. The South Americans clinched that tie-breaker by the narrowest of margins, enough to finish undefeated at the top of their pool. They will now face the formidable squad of NORCECA representatives, the Dominican Republic, who finished second to China in Pool F.

The final day of eighthfinal action on Monday will begin with a North American derby between the United States and Canada. The USA topped Pool D with three wins out of three, while Canada finished as runners-up to Turkiye in Pool E. The Canadians faced their toughest test in Nakhon Ratchasima on Monday against Spain, enduring a five-set marathon to secure their spot in the next round. Turkiye, meanwhile, achieved a perfect record in their pool, not dropping a single set in the tournament`s first stage. In another all-European duel, they will now confront first-round sensations Slovenia, the World Championship debutants who managed to take Czechia to five sets and defeat Argentina, thereby securing the coveted second place in the final Pool D standings.