Six countries have qualified for the Round of 16 of the ongoing Volleyball Men’s World Championship in the Philippines after registering their second wins of the competition.
World Ranking leaders Poland, Türkiye, Canada, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, USA all secured early passage to the Round of 16 following their wins on Day 4 of the competition.
The top two teams in each pool qualify for the Round of 16 which will start on Saturday as the competition continues in single elimination format through the last 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and the final to determine who will eventually be crowned world champion.
Türkiye, who had stunned Japan by 3-0 in their opening Pool G match last Saturday, defeated Libya 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-14, 25-16) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Monday to become the first team to seal a spot in the Round of 16. The Europeans now have six points and a 2-0 win-loss ratio heading into their last Pool G match.
They were quickly joined by Canada, who beat Japan by 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-22) on Monday to secure the second Pool G slot and eliminate the Asian champions from the competition. Canada, who now have six points and 2-0 win-loss ratio, had defeated Libya by 3-1 in their first match also played last Saturday.
Canada and Türkiye will face off in a winner-takes-it-all match on Wednesday to determine the final Pool G rankings.
Pool E leaders Bulgaria had to dig deep before proceeding to the elimination round after edging out Slovenia by 3-2 (25-19, 25-14, 18-25, 23-25, 15-13) on Monday. It was the second win for the Balkan country after their 3-0 rout of Germany last Saturday.
Bulgaria are in pole position to top Pool E ahead of their clash with Chile on Wednesday when Germany and Slovenia, who are level on three points and have one win apiece, will battle it out for second place and a spot in the Round of 16.
USA followed up their opening-day 3-0 victory over Colombia last Saturday with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-17) romp of Portugal on Monday to qualify for the Round of 16. The Americans carry a two-match unbeaten record to their last Pool D match against NORCECA rivals Cuba.
Reigning Volleyball Nations League champions Poland maintained their perfect run in the competition after beating Qatar in straight sets (25-21, 25-14, 25-19) on Monday. The World number 1 team had defeated Romania by a similar margin on Saturday to take control of Pool B.
Joining Poland in the Round of 16 is the Netherlands, who overcame Romania in straight sets on Monday. The Dutch team had edged out Qatar by 3-1 in their opening Pool B match last Saturday and will now take on Poland on Wednesday to determine who finishes top of the group.
In the other matches Germany picked up their first win of the tournament against Chile and Cuba beat Colombia,
