The Volleyball World Championship 2025 in the Philippines continues to deliver shocking results.
One of the biggest surprises of the second round is the early elimination of Japan from the playoff race. The team of Laurent Tillie, ranked fifth in the world before the tournament, suffered two straight defeats and is now out of medal contention.
In the second-round match of Group G, Japan lost to Canada 0–3 (20:25, 23:25, 22:25). The top scorers were Takahashi (11) and Miyaura (10) for Japan, while Hoag and Vernon-Evans led Canada with 13 points each.
Earlier, the “Land of the Rising Sun” had also lost in straight sets to Turkey – 0–3 (19:25, 23:25, 19:25).
This means that Japan’s final group match against Libya has no tournament significance. Canada and Turkey have already secured playoff spots from Group G with two victories each.
The disastrous start also cost Japan in the FIVB ranking: after two matches, they lost more than 37 points and dropped to seventh place (293 points).
The 2025 World Championship has once again proven: there are no true favorites here – even top teams can be knocked out as early as the group stage.
