The Philippines set a remarkable record in the final of the 2025 Volleyball World Championship.

This figure not only demonstrates the match’s strong appeal but also highlights the rapid growth of volleyball in the Philippines — a country traditionally known for its passionate love of basketball but now showing an increasing passion for volleyball.

To understand the significance of this record, one can look back at the attendance statistics for Men’s World Championship finals since 2002. Before 2025, the record was held by the 2014 tournament in Poland with 12,528 spectators.

The tournaments in 2010 and 2018 in Italy recorded 12,211 and 12,011 spectators respectively, while the 2006 final in Japan had 9,650 attendees. The 2022 event, also in Poland, attracted 9,639 fans, and the 2002 final in Argentina had 8,777 spectators. Therefore, the 16,429 attendance in the Philippines greatly exceeded all previous milestones, setting a new standard for the tournament’s popularity.

This number not only reflects the high quality and excitement of the final between Italy and Bulgaria but also symbolizes volleyball’s growing prominence in the global sports arena.

The fact that the Philippines — a Southeast Asian country — successfully hosted and set an attendance record at a major global tournament also signals a positive trend for the sport’s expansion beyond traditional powerhouses like Italy, Poland, and Brazil.

The record at the SM Mall of Asia Arena is not only a source of pride for the Philippines but also an important milestone in the history of the Men’s World Championship, demonstrating the boundless appeal of men's volleyball worldwide in the 21st century.