Alas Pilipinas Men seek bounce-back under pressure at home vs. Egypt in FIVB Worlds

Alas Pilipinas Men are gearing up to redeem themselves and shift the narrative after their challenging debut when they face Egypt in Pool A at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship. 

Hostilities began with a loss to Tunisia in their opening match, but there’s reason for optimism after glimpses of promise against a more experienced squad.

In that opener, the Philippines fell to Tunisia 0-3 (25-13, 25-17, 25-23) at the Mall of Asia Arena. Although the first two sets were largely one-sided, the third set saw the home team push back aggressively.

 Captain Bryan Bagunas led the charge with 23 points (20 kills, two aces, one block), supported by Marck Espejo who added nine. The Philippines even had chances late in set three—they tied the score multiple times, including 21-21—but Tunisia’s experience and composure under pressure allowed them to close it out.

Meanwhile, Egypt enters Tuesday’s match flush with confidence after pulling off a massive upset over world No. 13 Iran.

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Egypt is set to face Alas Pilipinas on Tuesday, and head coach Marco Bonitta is expecting a tough challenge from the host team.

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Ranked 23rd at the start, the Egyptians defeated Iran in four sets, 25-17, 16-25, 25-23, 25-20. Standout performances came from Ahmed Shafik with 18 points and Abdelrahman Elhossiny Eissa with 17. 

With that win, Egypt’s ranking surged upward.

Egypt head coach Marco Bonitta has already acknowledged the challenge ahead. Despite the Philippines’ loss, he’s wary of the fight the home team showed in the third set versus Tunisia. “It will be a very, very difficult match because the Philippines was a little bit nervous [in the] first and second set, but they played very good from the third set,” Bonitta said.

For Alas Pilipinas, the Egypt match represents more than just an opportunity to get on the board—it’s a chance to reward the support of a home crowd, to build belief, and to show they belong on this world stage. 

A win here would keep their hopes alive for reaching the Round of 16. A loss, however, would put them in a very tight position with just one pool game left.

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