The 2025 Men's Volleyball World Championship is being held in the Philippines. Expectations were for packed arenas and an unmatched atmosphere, like the country already created during the Nations League two years ago. Instead, cameras showed half-empty stands from the very first days of the tournament. The reason turned out to be prosaic – high ticket prices.
Going to a match – an expensive pleasure
Colleagues from the Polish publication siatka.org quote Piotr Złoch – one of the co-authors of the podcast "Szósty Set", who calculated that tickets for the World Championship have become up to three times more expensive compared to the home tournament in the Philippines from the 2023 Nations League. According to his calculations, prices range between 106 and 863 zloty (approximately 50–400 leva), with the most expensive seats being courtside. An additional inconvenience is that morning and evening sessions are treated as separate events and paid for separately.
Official data from the Philippine Federation confirms the high prices: day passes for the Mall of Asia Arena and Smart Araneta Coliseum range from ₱500 (500 Philippine pesos) to ₱20,000 (20,000 Philippine pesos) – approximately 16–640 leva. The cheapest tickets are for the General Admission section, while Courtside reaches amounts that equal or even exceed the average monthly salary in the Philippines.
| Category | Price (₱ – Philippine pesos) | Price (approx. leva) |
|---|---|---|
| General Admission | ₱500–₱1000 (500–1000 Philippine pesos) | 16–32 |
| Upper Box | ₱1875–₱3000 (1875–3000 Philippine pesos) | 60–96 |
| Lower Box / Patron | ₱6000–₱12,500 (6000–12,500 Philippine pesos) | 192–400 |
| Courtside | ₱12,000–₱20,000 (12,000–20,000 Philippine pesos) | 384–640 |
The difference between the most affordable and most expensive tickets is nearly 40 times. While General Admission is within reach for some fans, Courtside proves to be an unbearable expense not only for the average Filipino, but also for many Europeans, if we add travel, accommodation, and stay costs.
The organizers realized the problem only after the championship started. The World Championship was opened with the match between hosts Philippines and Tunisia – a match that traditionally should have started a festive atmosphere. Instead, even then the stands failed to fill up, which we from volleyweek.bg witnessed firsthand.
Photos of empty seats in numerous sections went around the world and sparked criticism. The solution came the very next day, September 13 – the birthday of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Then the local organizing committee announced a 30% discount on all tickets. In the official announcement, the promotion was presented as "a gift for the president, who is a passionate sports enthusiast, and a gift for volleyball fans".
Despite the 30% discount, dissatisfaction among fans in the Philippines does not subside. Dozens of comments appeared under the official promotion posts:
"The prices remain the same" – writes a fan named Aliza Concepcion.
"Please reduce tickets for Alas Pilipinas too. Even if you make them free, it will still help the players' morale" – appeals Vjm Vince.
"You shouldn't have increased them at all. The people watching are mainly students, and they have no income" – notes Darling FJ RG.
"You should have lowered by 50%, not 30. How will volleyball develop in our country if you don't let fans watch international events? #DecreasePriceTicketMore" – writes Phillip Omilleng Latawan.
"As if all Filipinos are children of rich entrepreneurs, looking at the ticket prices..." – sarcastically adds Mon Ray.
"As someone who regularly goes to the Nations League, I can say – prices are still high, even with 30% off. Courtside, Patron, Lower Box, and Upper Box are divided into more categories with different rates. They need to drop more to have full arenas" – says Jaylyn Sayson.
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FIVB's desire to expand volleyball's geography is understandable, but the choice of the Philippines for the men's World Championship and Thailand for the women's raises several questions:
Climate – in both countries, the months of August-September coincide with the rainy season. This makes it impossible for fans to combine sports emotion with tourist experiences.
Logistics and costs – the most numerous fan bases are in Europe, as well as Brazil. For them, traveling to Southeast Asia is long and expensive, and on-site ticket prices are also high.
Format – the tournament lasts more than two weeks, due to the participation of 32 teams (September 12–28), which makes it difficult to attend multiple matches for both local and foreign fans.
Conclusion
FIVB is certainly seeking new markets for volleyball, but when selecting hosts, the actual geography of fans must also be considered. High prices, expensive and distant travel, as well as the lack of tourist prospects in the rainy season turn attendance at the World Championship in the Philippines into a real challenge.
The story with the 30% discount, tied to President Marcos Jr.'s birthday, is indicative – volleyball remains a national passion in the Philippines, but even the most passionate fans are careful about how deep they reach into their pockets.
