The year 2025 did not just open doors for Philippine sports to host more international events on home soil; it also gave Filipinos more opportunities to showcase their talent before their own countrymen.

One of the highlights was the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championships, held from 12 to 28 September, which gave the world a glimpse of what Alas Pilipinas could deliver on the international stage.

Truth be told, competing against global men’s volleyball powerhouses, Filipinos could only hope that the team might at least steal a set. What Alas Pilipinas delivered, however, was far more than that, a historic win against world No. 21 Egypt, the nation’s first-ever victory on the World Championships stage.

Beyond that breakthrough, their high-octane duel against Iran, though it ended in heartbreak, gave fans ample reason to believe that the team truly belongs on the world stage.

That loss ended their campaign, as they settled for a 19th-place finish with a 1–2 record in this year’s World Championship finals. Still, those results served as clear evidence of what the squad could offer the country—hope.

There is now a flicker of belief that this group can bring Philippine volleyball to greater heights, armed with the talent and firepower they continue to develop.

Navigating heights in the SEA Games

Six years after the Philippines last stood on the Southeast Asian Games podium, expectations were high for the national team to break through once more, carrying the same fire they displayed on the world stage.

The nationals fell to host Thailand, which sent them to the bronze medal match, a contest they won to bring the country back onto the SEA Games podium and rekindle national optimism.

Through these different competitions, Alas Pilipinas showed Filipinos what hope looks like in real terms.

What began as a modest aspiration has grown into something lasting, proof that even when a team is counted out at times, it can still rise, earn recognition, and achieve milestones that once seemed out of reach.