The Ukrainian men’s volleyball national team has arrived in the Philippines, where the 2025 World Championship will take place from September 12 to 28.
At the airport, the Ukrainian athletes were welcomed according to local tradition – each player received a beaded necklace (lei) placed around their neck, symbolizing respect, friendship, and warm wishes for the guests. The welcome signs read the traditional Filipino greeting “Mabuhay!”, which means “Welcome!”.
Footage of the arrival was shared on Telegram by Ukraine’s main opposite hitter, Vasyl Tupchii.
This will be Ukraine’s second consecutive World Championship appearance. On September 14 at 09:00 (Kyiv time), coach Raúl Lozano’s team will play its opening match against Belgium. The following games will be against Algeria (September 16, 09:00) and the defending world champions Italy (September 18, 16:30).
The coaching staff led by Lozano has already confirmed the final roster for the tournament.
Compared to the 2025 Nations League, outside hitter Oleksandr Nalozhnyi, middle blocker Andrii Cheleniak, and setter Serhii Yevstratov are not included. Returning to the squad is experienced middle blocker Maksym Drozd, who missed the previous tournament due to injury.
Ukraine roster for the 2025 World Championship:
Setters: Vitalii Shchytkov (“Epicentr-Podolyany”),Yurii Synytsia
Opposites: Vasyl Tupchii (“Barkom-Kazhany”),Danylo Uryvkin (“Epicentr-Podolyany”)
Outside hitters: Yevhenii Kisiliuk (“Rapid”, Romania),Illia Kovalov (“Barkom-Kazhany”),Dmytro Yanchuk (“Panathinaikos”, Greece),Tymofii Poluian (“Milon”, Greece)
Middle blockers: Maksym Drozd (“Epicentr-Podolyany”),Oleksandr Koval (“Epicentr-Podolyany”),Yurii Semeniuk (“Projekt Warszawa”, Poland),Valerii Todua (“Benfica”, Portugal)
Liberos: Oleksandr Boiko (“Epicentr-Podolyany”),Yaroslav Pampushko (“Barkom-Kazhany”)
