Vietnam’s U21 women’s volleyball team is preparing to face Egypt in the 17th–24th place playoff at the 2025 U21 World Championship, following a sudden and heavy penalty from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).

FIVB determined that one Vietnamese player had violated tournament regulations, leading to the annulment of all matches in which she played. The athlete has been expelled from the competition. So far, FIVB has not revealed the player’s identity or the specific rule breached.

As a result, Vietnam forfeited three group-stage victories against Indonesia, Serbia, and Canada, with only the final win over Puerto Rico on August 12 - where the player in question was not on the roster - still standing. This drop from second place to the bottom of Group A eliminated Vietnam from the round of 16.

The ruling came as a huge blow to the young players, prompting coach Nguyen Trong Linh and his staff to work on stabilizing the team’s morale. Star player Lan Vy and her teammates will now focus on the playoff match against Egypt, ranked 11th in the world, kicking off at 1 p.m. on August 13 in Indonesia.

Dai Nam