MANILA, Philippines -- After successfully hosting two legs of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) earlier this year, the elite competition will return to Manila in 2023.

Pasay City will host the third week of the men's tournament on July 4-9, with eight of the top teams in the world set to play in front of Filipino fans anew.

"You only need to take one look at the list of host cities to realize just how excited we are for VNL 2023," Volleyball World CEO Finn Taylor said.

"Once more, we are thrilled to have the support of each city and it goes without saying that we are looking forward to witnessing a wonderful competition on the court and experiencing the brilliant atmospheres inside these venues," he added.

Mabuhay, VNL! The Men's VNL returns to the Philippines for more exciting volleyball action! Save the dates: July 4-9, 2023 in Pasay City! #BePartOfTheGame

Competing teams:

Japan
China
Slovenia
Brazil
Poland
Italy
Netherlands
Canada pic.twitter.com/TsG4I1Vjy2

— Volleyball Philippines (@volleyball_phi) November 11, 2022

Set to play in Pasay City are: Japan, China, Slovenia, Brazil, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Canada.

In June, the Araneta Coliseum hosted Week 2 of the Women's VNL and Week 2 of the Men's VNL, with Filipino fans packing the Big Dome for the world's top teams.

• READ: Men's volleyball takes spotlight in PH leg of VNL

The Japan men's volleyball team, in particular, emerged as crowd favorites.

Coming Soon: "Otso Otso" Part 2

🏐 #BePartOfTheGame #VNL #VNL2023 #Volleyball pic.twitter.com/Cp0rO9vdlz

— Volleyball World (@volleyballworld) November 11, 2022

The first week of preliminary round action begins for the women between May 30 and June 4 in Ankara, Türkiye, and Nagoya, Japan, while the men get under way between June 6-11 in Ottawa, Canada, and Nagoya.

The VNL finals are scheduled to take place July 12-16 for the women’s event with the men’s competition set for July 19-23. The host cities for the VNL finals will be announced in December.