MANILA, Philippines — Poland opens its redemption tour in Pool B against fellow European squads, the Netherlands and Romania, as well as Qatar in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship starting September 13.

All games in Pool B will be held at Smart Araneta Coliseum, with Poland facing Romania on their campaign opener, while the Netherlands takes on Qatar.

READ: FIVB Men’s World Championship Pool A: Philippines, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia

Poland: Redemption bid

Poland’s #09 Wilfredo Leon Venero returns the ball in the men’s volleyball gold medal match between France and Poland at the South Paris Arena 1 in Paris during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on August 10, 2024. (Photo by Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP)

Poland, which was swept by Italy in the final in the 2022 World Championship, rose to the top of the Volleyball Nations League final in China, dominating its tormentor.

The Polish also emerged as the No.1 in the world after earning 400 points from the VNL. They also reached the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics but settled for silver.

With their experience and continuous rise, Poland seeks to rule the World Championship with top-ranked spiker Wilfredo Leon, VNL MVP middle blocker Jakub Kochanowski, and Best Opposite Spiker Kevin Sasak.

Netherlands: Star returns

The Netherlands’ Nimir Abdel Aziz during the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Manila leg.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

All eyes are on Nimir Abdel-Aziz’s comeback in Manila, leading the Netherlands in the World Championship, this time.

Abdel-Aziz dazzled in the VNL Manila last year, scoring a pair of 37 points to emerge as the top scorer with 284 points in the season and the first VNL player to score 30-plus points in five matches.

The World No. 19 Netherlands, however, missed the final eight last year and the Paris Olympics. This year, the Dutch spikers were relegated to the Nations League after a 1-11 campaign.

Abdel-Aziz is eager to restore his team’s contender status after finishing 10th in the 2022 World Championship.

Qatar: Rising force

Qatar’s Belal Abunabot smacks the ball as Raimi Wadidie (13) looks on at the volleyball bronze medal match between Japan and Qatar during the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China’s eastern Zhejiang province on September 26, 2023. (Photo by Adek BERRY / AFP)

Qatar continues its rise with its second consecutive World Championship appearance in Manila.

The World No. 20 Qatar qualified after finishing with a bronze medal in the 2023 Asian Championship.

The team, led by middle blocker Belal Abunabot, also finished third in the AVC Nations Cup and missed the chance to defend its throne from last year.

Qatar hopes to improve its 21st place finish in the 2022 World Championship.

Romania: Long-awaited comeback

Poland’s players pose on the podium after winning the third place match of the Men’s 2019 CEV Volleyball European Championship between France and Poland at the Accor Hotel Arena in Paris, on September 28, 2019. (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU / AFP)

Romania makes its World Championship debut after 43 years.

Romania rose to the World No. 22 after impressive runs in the CEV Golden League, with  Adrian Aciobanitei, Alexandru Rata, and Claudiu Dumitru leading the way.

The Romanians’ last appearance in the World Championship was in 1982 when they finished 15th place in the tournament. They used to be a powerhouse in the early years of the World Championship with two runner-up finishes in 1956 and 1966 and a pair of bronze medals in 1960 and 1962.

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