The eighth competition day of the Men's World Volleyball Championship 2025 in the Philippines opens the elimination phase. The first two round of 16 matches will be played in Pasay City, determining the first quarter-finalists in the competition.

Saturday's program kicks off with an all-European clash Turkey against the Netherlands, while in the evening, champions Poland will face off against the ambitious Canadian squad.

Round of 16 Match 1: Turkey Netherlands

Turkey enters the match as Group G winner undefeated and with only one set conceded. Impressively, besides the expected win over Libya, the Turks also defeated Japan and Canada. This moved them up to 14th place in the world rankings.

The leading scorers in the squad are outside hitter Efe Mandıracı and opposite hitter Adis Lagumdzija, who finished the group stage with 45 points each. Mandıracı is also the second-most effective server in the entire tournament with 10 aces.

Their opponent, the Netherlands, holds 20th place in the world rankings and has a silver medal from the 1994 World Championship. Now, the "Tulips" finished second in Group B after Poland, having defeated Qatar and Romania. Opposite hitter Michiel Ahyi is their big weapon with 61 points and leading in aces (12).

The history of rivalries shows Dutch dominance in recent years. Turkey has not won an official match against this opponent since 2018.

Round of 16 Match 2: Poland Canada

Poland is #1 in world volleyball and arrives as Group B winner after three decisive victories. "Druzyna Polska" already won the Nations League title in June and once again looks like a favorite. The experienced captain Bartosz Kurek, who accumulated 32 points in just two matches, is the leader.

Tradition is also on the Poles' side they have 21 wins from 21 official matches against Canada. Nevertheless, the North Americans showed their teeth in their last encounter in the VNL 2025 in Chicago, when they took a 2-0 lead in sets and forced the Poles to stage a comeback.

Canada, 11th in the rankings, has ambitions to improve its best-ever finish 7th place in 2014. The team started with a win over Libya, shocked Japan 3-0, but was stopped by Turkey. Opposite hitter Sharone Vernon-Evans is the leader with 44 points, and middle blocker Fynnian McCarthy, who is Alex Grozdanov's teammate at Bogdanka, impressed with 9 aces the third best in the tournament so far.

Schedule for September 20, 2025

The day offers two contrasting clashes an evenly matched European duel where Turkey will try to break its losing streak against the Netherlands, and a "life and death" match for Canada against the most decorated team of the last decade Poland.

Photo:volleyballworld.com