First came the men, and now it’s the women’s turn as Alas Pilipinas gears up for another historic appearance—this time at the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship, which will be hosted in the Philippines in 2029.
In a landmark announcement on the final day of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena on Monday evening, it was confirmed that the Alas Pilipinas women will get their shot at history, following in the footsteps of their male counterparts’ inspiring run in the past few weeks.
Despite being heavy underdogs, the Alas men pulled off a stunning win over higher-ranked Egypt and came painfully close to securing a spot in the Round of 16.
With years to prepare, the Alas women are determined to ready themselves for elite-level competition.
“We’re so, so happy. We couldn’t believe it at first, but now it’s here. That gives us a lot of time to prepare,” said Alas women’s skipper Jia Morado in a mix of English and Filipino.
“With what the Alas men showed—with just 16 months of preparation, and they still performed the way they did—there are just so many possibilities,” she continued.
Having already gained exposure in regional international tournaments in recent years, the national team program now takes its next big step with the World Championship, which will bring the world’s top teams to Philippine soil.
Alas libero Dawn Macandili-Catindig, eager to test herself against stronger opponents at this stage in her career, also expressed her excitement to build on the men’s momentum and deliver a strong showing of their own in four years’ time.
“We’re so excited to be going up against the top teams in the world. We also want to see how far we can go in the next four years,” she said in Filipino.
The Alas women have already enjoyed recent success, highlighted by a silver-medal finish at the 2025 AVC Nations Cup, where they placed just behind regional powerhouse Vietnam.
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