Thailand, Italy, Brazil advance to round of 16 at FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship

CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Several teams have secured berths in the round of 16 with their second victory respectively at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship on Sunday.

Both Pool A and Pool B have two qualified teams decided after the second round.

In Pool A, host Thailand advanced to the next round with a straight set win over Sweden by 25-18, 25-20, 25-22. The Netherlands ranked second in the pool, also in straight set victory against Egypt.

In Pool B, the duel between Olympic champions Italy and Cuba ended up in a lopsided affair with the European side cruising to victory in 25-9, 25-8 and 25-16. Belgium also secured its second win, sweeping past Slovakia in three sets. Italy and Belgium are now tied at the top of the group, with their upcoming matchup to decide the group winner.

In less than two months after their previous match at the 2025 Volleyball Nations League, it once again took Brazil five sets to beat France in a Pool C thriller. Brazil recovered from a two-set down to win 21-25, 20-25, 25-15, 25-17, 15-13, which turned out enough for the South American powerhouse to advance to the round of 16. Greece defeated Puerto Rico in the other match to keep their hope for the next round alive.

In Pool D, the United States made it out of the group after beating Argentina 4-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-12, 25-17), while the Czech Republic edged Slovenia in five sets.

The other 16 teams are scheduled to have their second pool match on Monday. ■