Jan Galabov is hopeful that Czechia’s strong run in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship will help bring greater attention to the sport back home.
Volleyball has long struggled to gain mainstream popularity in Czechia, where it trails behind more established sports like ice hockey and football. But the former European League MVP believes their recent success on the world stage could be a turning point in raising the sport’s profile in the country.
Czechia’s dominant 25-19, 25-18, 25-23 sweep of Tunisia in the Round of 16 secured its best-ever finish in the World Championship since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
“Yeah, that’s true,” said Galabov, who finished with 13 points in the victory. “Honestly, volleyball isn’t really a popular sport in the Czech Republic. There’s not a huge fan base.
“But I really hope that with the historic successes we’re bringing home, more people will start following volleyball. I really wish for that to happen,” he added.
Before this breakthrough, Czechia had previously placed 19th in 1998, 13th in both 2002 and 2006, and 10th in 2010. It then missed the next three editions of the tournament. That history made this long-awaited achievement even more meaningful.
With Czechia now making waves against higher-ranked nations, Galabov sees the campaign not only as a competitive milestone but also as an opportunity to inspire stronger support and recognition for volleyball in the country.
That growing support was already evident in Manila, where opposite hitter Patrik Indra cherished the chance to meet a handful of Czech fans who made the long trip to cheer for the team.
Indra expressed his gratitude, saying their presence gave the squad added motivation and made the victory even more special.
“We really appreciate this because, you know, the Czech Republic is many thousands of kilometers away. Some of them live here, some of them came from the Czech Republic, so we appreciate everybody,” Indra said.
“It was amazing. We heard them in the stands during the game, and it definitely gave us some power. I hope they will also come to the next game.”
#WATCH: Patrik Indra and Czechia make history with their first-ever #MWCH2025 quarterfinals as an independent nation 🇨🇿🏐#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/Ly3BvWwI2i
📹 @jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/MUPbWdVOZ1
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 23, 2025
