Following a decisive victory against Japan, Bulgaria secured another significant win against a top-ranked team, beating Slovenia 3-1 and climbing to fifth place in the VNL standings.
Just two days after sweeping Japan, who were then the fourth-best team in the FIVB World Ranking, Bulgaria pulled off another upset on Friday. They defeated Slovenia in their second match of the second week of the Volleyball Nations League 2025.
Playing in front of their home fans in Burgas, the Bulgarians overcame world number four Slovenia. After dropping the first set, they fought back to secure a 3-1 victory (18-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22) at Arena Burgas.
This win against a higher-ranked opponent earned Bulgaria 14.63 FIVB World Ranking points, helping them move up from 15th to 14th. Slovenia, on the other hand, dropped from fourth to fifth after the loss.
With two victories in Burgas and four wins out of six VNL 2025 encounters overall, Bulgaria has significantly boosted its chances for a spot in the Finals. They now sit in fifth place in the VNL standings with 11 points, the same total as Slovenia, who are now sixth. The top seven teams from the Preliminary Phase will join hosts China in the Finals, scheduled to be held in Ningbo from July 30 to August 3.
Star outside hitter Aleksandar Nikolov once again played a crucial role in Bulgaria`s victory, tallying 19 points (16 kills, two aces, one block) against the Slovenians. Opposite Dimitar Dimitrov, making his first appearance in the tournament, also had a productive performance, adding 11 points (seven kills, four blocks).
“We got the best fans in the world,” Nikolov said about the support of the home crowd. “Our game dropped a lot in the third set after we had a 12-3 lead, but we managed to come back. Only good teams can come back from this. We’re a good team and we’re here to win.”
For Slovenia, opposite Nik Mujanović led the scoring with 13 points (12 kills, one block), two more than outside hitter Rok Možič, whose entire production came from kills.
In another match held in Burgas, Ukraine defeated Japan 3-2 (24-26, 25-17, 25-18, 22-25, 15-13). Saturday`s schedule in Burgas features Slovenia playing France at 15:30 local time (12:30 GMT), while Bulgaria will face Türkiye at 19:00 (16:00 GMT).
Iran Defeats Argentina in Belgrade
In Belgrade, the first match of the day saw Iran dominate Argentina, securing a 3-1 victory (25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22). This was Iran`s second consecutive win in the Serbian capital.
The Iranian team now has ten points (three wins, three losses) and is ranked ninth in the VNL 2025 standings. The loss caused Argentina to drop to 12th place, with eight points (three wins, three losses).
Outside hitters Morteza Sharifi and Ali Haghparast were instrumental in Iran`s win. Sharifi was the top scorer with 14 points (13 kills, one block), and Haghparast contributed 11 (eight kills, two aces, one block). Sharifi unfortunately left the match injured in the fourth set.
“We had a very good start to the match,” commented opposite Amin Esmaeilnezhad. “We couldn’t play at the same level after the first set, but at least we managed to win. I hope Morteza can come back soon because we need him very much.”
Argentina had two players who scored more points than the Iranian leaders: opposite Pablo Kukartsev topped all scorers with 18 points (16 kills, two blocks), and outside hitter Luciano Palonsky added 15 points (13 kills, two aces).
Cuba and the Netherlands also played today in Belgrade. Saturday’s matches in the city include Germany playing Iran at 16:30 local time (14:30 GMT) and Serbia meeting Argentina at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick