ALAS Pilipinas Men will take on an undermanned Tunisia side on opening day of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.
Tunisian ace winger Wassim Ben Tara, the team’s top scorer in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, did not make the final FIVB Worlds squad due to undisclosed ‘prior commitments.’
READ: Bagunas, Espejo back at full fitness in time for FIVB Worlds
With 11 continental titles under its belt, the most decorated African nation will lean on veterans Hamza Nagga and Elyes Karamosli to lead Tunisia past 82nd-ranked, Bagunas and Espejo-led Philippines and the rest of Pool A featuring world No. 13 Iran and world No. 23 Egypt.
Both 6-foot-2 opposite winger Nagga and 6-foot-4 outside hitter Karamosli backed Tara’s scoring exploits in Tunisia’s golden run back in the 2021 African Men’s Volleyball Championship.
Tara & Co. were denied a regional three-peat in 2023 as they slid to fifth place but still slotted in at No. 42 in the world rankings ahead of this year’s global conclave.
Egypt, Tunisia’s continental rival and Pool A competitor, won the African title that year.
Of the 32 teams in the biggest edition of the FIVB Worlds yet, Tunisia is the 11th-best ranked nation and is out to make amends for its top 16 finish in the 2022 edition of the World Championship.
Tunisia will open hostilities against the Philippines on Sep. 12, 7:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena, where Italian compatriot coaches Camillo Placi and Alas Men’s Angiolino Frigoni will take center stage.
Only the top two teams from each pool will advance to the knockout stage, with the bottom two teams to be eliminated from the competition straight away.
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