The Alas Pilipinas Girls’ under-16 volleyball team jumped to world No. 25 in the latest FIVB Girls’ U17 rankings after qualifying for the 2026 World Championship in Santiago, Chile. The team climbed 17 spots from No. 42 following their fifth-place finish at the 2nd AVC Asian Women’s U16 Championship in Amman, Jordan.
“Awesome leap from 57 to 25! We didn’t realize that our small wins in the Asian Qualifying were that instrumental in raising our country’s standing to a higher rank,” coach Edwin Leyva said. “It just shows that the level of play here in the Philippines has improved and is slowly catching up with our top Asian counterparts.”
Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara called the team’s achievement “big” and credited the federation’s grassroots program, established in 2021, for nurturing volleyball development. “We are now reaping the fruits of the grassroots program that the PNVF has started four years ago,” he said.
The U16 squad is now the highest-ranked Philippine volleyball team, ahead of Alas Women at No. 46 and Alas Men at No. 80. Leyva emphasized that the milestone is just the beginning. “Being in the top 25 is already a milestone. Why stop dreaming? Let’s train hard, play harder! We have the momentum, and we are highly motivated. First, win a set or two, then work up from there. It’s up to us to keep the fire burning,” he said.
The team secured their world championship berth after a 3-1 victory over Thailand, earning 14 ranking points and the last Asian ticket to the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U17 World Championship. Other Asian qualifiers include South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and defending champion China. The championship runs from August 5 to 16 in Santiago.
