Next year, the Philippines will be hosting the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship. The event will definitely put the country on the world sporting map as it is considered the biggest and most prestigious volleyball tourney outside of the Summer Olympics. Reigning champion Italy is favored together with Asian powerhouse Japan, American superpower United States, Africa supremo Egypt, and European heavyweight Poland.

Sure, there will be minnows like South Korea, China, Turkey and Ukraine. And they should not be taken lightly as they are capable of pulling off some stunning victories that will underscore the high level of the competition that will be staged at the Mall of Asia Arena and Smart Araneta Coliseum from 12 to 28 September 2025.

As host, the Philippines has been given a slot. We landed in a tough bracket where we will have to get past Egypt, Iran and Tunisia in the preliminaries if we want to essay a memorable performance that will serve as the yardstick of the success of this blockbuster endeavor. And that will be the Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s biggest challenge.

You see, the Filipinos are still far from the level of some of the elite teams of the world. They are ranked No. 64 in the latest International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) ranking, giving them no right to sit at the same table with Italy, the United States, Egypt and Poland.

At the Asian level, they haven’t won a gold medal, with their best finish — a bronze — achieved during the Jakarta Asian Games in 1962. Even in Southeast Asia, the Filipinos have failed to figure prominently. In fact, international volleyball sideliners often ignore them, hardly mentioning them in the same breath as Thailand or Indonesia as they haven’t won a gold medal in the SEA Games.

Their best finish was a silver medal — the first was in 1977 in Kuala Lumpur and the second was in 2019 in Manila under the leadership of the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, the predecessor of the new federation, the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF).

In short, it will take a miracle for the Filipinos to win in a world-class event where they are expected to shell out a fortune to accommodate the players, coaches, and officials from more than 32 countries as well as the ranking executives of the FIVB.

It’s really hard to compare the coming FIVB world tourney with the FIBA Basketball World Cup, which the country hosted — and spent for — last year.

During the World Cup, the entire country was abuzz with excitement. Filipino basketball fans had a great time cheering for National Basketball Association (NBA) superstars like Luka Doncic of Slovenia, Dennis Schroevder of Germany, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Dominican Republic, and Austin Reaves of the United States, with some of them coming over from as far as the Visayas and Mindanao just to see them in action.

Aside from that, Gilas Pilipinas paraded a powerhouse roster with superstars like eight-time Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, NBA prospect Kai Sotto, and Utah Jazz swingman Jordan Clarkson at the helm.

On the contrary, the FIVB hype machine is hardly moving. Ordinary Filipinos do not seem to care about the looming world-class tourney as they are clueless as to the identities of the global volleyball superstars who will be coming over. Even the players on the home team — Alas Pilipinas — are not as popular as say, Fajardo or Sotto, proving that men’s volleyball is still light years behind professional basketball in terms of commercial value.

Still, there’s one option left for the PNVF to turn its hosting into a resounding success — by developing a fighting team. Although there’s zero chance of emerging victorious against the world superpowers, if the federation will sell Alas Pilipinas as an underdog that is determined to do everything to defend the pride and glory of the country against foreign invaders, then the narrative will completely change. The prey suddenly becomes the predator and interest among sponsors and fans will start to trickle in.

But it won’t be an overnight process. To win the hearts and minds of the sports-loving Filipinos and convert their support into sponsorships and ticket sales, the federation must show sincerity and that it is determined to come up with a strong and fighting team. It is a battle that is way bigger than Alas Pilipinas will be facing on the court. The clock is ticking.