Out of 16 European teams participating in the 2025 FIVB Women`s Volleyball World Championship, nine have successfully advanced to the knockout phase. The remaining seven teams were eliminated after not securing a top-two finish in their respective pools.
The pool phase was marked by dramatic shifts, yet two teams stood out for their dominant performance: reigning European champions Türkiye and Italy. Both nations secured three decisive 3:0 victories, with Italy conceding only one set throughout their matches.
Türkiye showcased their strength by defeating Spain (25:18, 25:20, 25:23), Bulgaria (25:23, 25:19, 25:13), and Canada (25:21, 27:25, 25:13) in straight sets. Coach Daniele Santarelli skillfully managed his team`s rotations, allowing key player Melissa Vargas to rank 13th in scoring with 50 points while conserving energy.
Italy, fresh off an impeccable run in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Nations League Women, continued their winning streak. They secured straight-set victories against Slovakia (25:20, 25:14, 25:17) and Cuba (25:9, 25:8, 25:16), and overcame Belgium in a 3:1 battle (25:16, 25:16, 21:25, 25:18).
From these pools, Spain, Bulgaria, and Slovakia faced early exits. However, Belgium successfully advanced, largely due to their straight-set wins over Cuba and Slovakia.
Defending world champions Serbia began their campaign in Pool H strongly, with straight-set victories over Ukraine (25:21, 25:19, 25:17) and Cameroon (25:16, 25:17, 25:12). However, a challenging loss to Japan complicated their path to defending their title.
In their match against Japan, Serbia fought hard, dropping the first two sets (23:25, 28:30) before claiming the third (25:23), but ultimately fell in the decisive fourth set (18:25). Compounding their difficulties was the absence of Tijana Bošković, MVP of the last two World Championships, who was sidelined with an ankle injury sustained against Cameroon.
Serbia`s next challenge in the Round of 16 will be against the Netherlands. The Dutch team emerged as Pool A winners after a hard-fought 3:2 victory over Sweden (25:27, 25:11, 25:21, 21:25, 15:9), a match where Isabelle Haak, the reigning CEV Champions League Women MVP, delivered an outstanding 31 points.
The Netherlands also secured a 3:0 sweep against Egypt and battled past hosts Thailand with a thrilling 3:2 win, taking the decider 16:14. Unfortunately for Sweden, a 0:3 loss to Thailand (18:25, 20:25, 22:25) saw them finish third and exit the competition.
Pool D witnessed the fiercest battle for a qualification spot. While the USA dominated with three straight wins against Slovenia, Czechia, and Argentina, the other three teams each finished with a 1-2 record, forcing qualification to be decided by points.
Slovenia ultimately secured their progression with four points, ahead of Argentina (three) and Czechia (two). Despite a 3:2 loss to Czechia after initially leading by two sets, Slovenia`s crucial 3:0 victory over Argentina sealed their historic qualification in their debut World Championship appearance. They are now set to face Türkiye in the Round of 16.
In Pool G, Poland and Germany comfortably advanced by overcoming Kenya and Vietnam. Poland clinched the top spot after a thrilling 3:2 victory against Germany (21:25, 25:15, 19:25, 28:26, 19:17 in the decider). Meanwhile, France also secured their knockout berth from Pool C, despite Brazil claiming first place with a 3:2 win over the European squad. Notably, Sweden`s Isabelle Haak concluded the pool phase as the top scorer with an impressive 95 points.
With the Round of 16 scheduled from August 29 to September 1 in Bangkok, at least four European teams are guaranteed a spot in the quarter-finals. The matchups include: Netherlands vs. Serbia, Türkiye vs. Slovenia, Italy vs. Germany, and Poland vs. Belgium.
