FIVB Girls’ U19 Volleyball World Championship Quarterfinals Set

The quarterfinal stage of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Girls` U19 World Championship, hosted in Osijek, Croatia, is confirmed for Friday. The lineup for the final eight features compelling matchups: Bulgaria will face Brazil, Türkiye is set to challenge China, Poland meets Japan, and Italy takes on the USA. These eight teams earned their advancement by winning their respective eighthfinal matches played on Tuesday across the host cities in Croatia and Serbia (Osijek, Vrnjacka Banja, and Trstenik). Playoff contests will continue across the entire bracket to finalize the standings for all 24 participating nations, from first to 24th place.

Quarterfinal Matches

Eighthfinal Match Summaries

Bulgaria was the first team to secure a quarterfinal spot with a dominant 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-16) victory over Mexico in Osijek. The European champions demonstrated superiority in attack (38-30 spike kills), blocking (11-3 stuff blocks), and serving (7-2 aces). Kalina Veneva, a 16-year-old outside hitter, led Bulgaria with 12 points (9 kills, 3 blocks). Viara Parapunova also contributed 12 points (10 kills, 2 blocks), and 15-year-old middle blocker Darina Naneva added 11 points (7 kills, 2 blocks, 2 aces). Mexico`s top performer was outside hitter Naomi Alejandra Cruz Toledo with 11 points, all from attack.

“Our pool was tough, which kind of prepared us to face tough opponents. Mexico is a decent team, so we expected a tough game, but we are happy that we managed to beat them by 3-0. The first set was a bit difficult for us, but once we settled, we were able to play our game.”

— Kalina Veneva, outside hitter of Bulgaria

Japan recovered from dropping the first set against Chinese Taipei in Vrnjacka Banja to win their all-Asian eighthfinal 3-1 (20-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-18). Japan showcased a significant advantage in blocking with 14 kill blocks compared to Chinese Taipei`s three. 16-year-old opposite Rion Chuganji was a standout player, contributing six kill blocks and two aces for a match-high 25 points. Her counterpart Xu Zhen-Xuan scored 19 points for Chinese Taipei.

“In the first set, we made so many mistakes, but from the second set we changed our mindset and did a good job. In the next match I hope we can do even better. We had to win this game and I think I did a good job in helping the team.”

— Rion Chuganji, opposite of Japan

Türkiye ended co-hosts Croatia`s participation in the tournament by defeating them 3-1 (25-12, 24-26, 25-13, 25-12) in Osijek. Croatia, who finished fifth in the previous edition, struggled with unforced errors (30-19). Türkiye was stronger in attack (46-29), blocking (16-9), and aces (7-6). 15-year-old opposite Aylin Uysalcan was Türkiye`s top scorer with 14 points, while 16-year-old opposite Asja Zolota led Croatia with 12 points.

“We were expecting a lot of their fans to turn up, so we had to stay focused and play our game. I am happy with my performance and that of the team, because we have proceeded to the next stage. We made some mistakes in the second set, but I’m happy with how we responded and played as a team to get the job done.”

— Aylin Uysalcan, opposite of Türkiye

Co-hosts Serbia also exited the tournament in the eighthfinals in Vrnjacka Banja after a thrilling 3-2 (25-19, 24-26, 24-26, 25-15, 16-14) battle against China. The Asian champions had an edge in all scoring elements, but Serbia, driven by the home crowd, fought hard, making the second, third, and fifth sets particularly dramatic. Five Chinese players reached double-digit scoring, led by captain Huang Yuexin with 25 points. Serbia`s Anja Miovcic was her team`s highest scorer with 21 points.

“Both teams played very well in this match. Our team fought for every ball. We will continue to try our best, step by step, to win as many matches as possible.”

— Huang Yuexin, outside hitter and captain of China

Poland extended their perfect record to six wins by comfortably defeating Thailand 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-23) to reach the quarterfinals. Poland, winners of Pool C, continued their strong form, outperforming Thailand in attack kills (37-33) and aces (8-3). Star outside hitter Natasza Ornoch scored 13 points for Poland, while Natthawan Phatthaisong led Thailand with 16 points. Poland`s next opponent in the quarterfinals is Japan.

“Thailand gave us a good game like we expected but defense won it for us. Today’s performance showed that we are a great team… It’s amazing that we are still unbeaten. We are ready to face Japan. It’s another team from Asia, so we have to plan well.”

— Nadia Siuda, setter and captain of Poland

Brazil secured a 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-19) victory over Belgium in Vrnjacka Banja after winning a tight first set. The most prolific scorers were the opposites: Brazil`s Luize Da Silva Tavares with 13 points and Belgium`s Mila Vlahovic with 14 points.

“We are very happy! Our team has been working really hard for this. We can do much, much better, but we are still really proud of what we are doing.”

— Mikaela Hestmann Tierno, outside hitter of Brazil

In Trstenik, Italy maintained their winning streak, achieving their sixth consecutive victory with a 3-1 (25-17, 22-25, 25-12, 25-12) win against Argentina. Italy`s strong blocking was a key factor, resulting in 17 team kill blocks. Middle blocker Alessandra Talarico contributed six blocks and seven kills, totaling 13 points. Argentina`s opposite Paula Tomasa was the match`s highest scorer with 17 points, all from attack.

“We are very happy to have won the match and reached the quarterfinals. We are pumped and motivated to face the final phases, especially after playing games where we showed our volleyball and what we are capable of. We are focused on the next challenge against the USA.”

— Caterina Peroni, outside hitter of Italy

Defending champions USA will face Italy in the quarterfinals after a hard-fought 3-2 (25-18, 26-28, 17-25, 25-15, 15-13) win over Germany in Osijek. The USA demonstrated strength in blocking (19-11) and serving (8-4 aces). Middle blockers Jordan Taylor and Gabrielle Nichols were instrumental in the block, both finishing with 13 points along with outside hitter Suliane Davis. Maria Tabacuks led Germany with a game-high 21 points.

“We talked about our defense being an issue in the pool play and it was nice to see our middle blockers fight back and organize the block against some talented outside hitters. It was an outstanding German team, who played very well… I’m so impressed by them. It was a challenging match and it’s nice to see your team in such moments and see how they respond. We had to make a lot of changes to our lineup and systems. Having a lot of players, who can play lots of positions, is one of our strengths and, thanks to our persistent team effort, we managed to win today.”

— Robert Keegan Cook, head coach of USA

17–24 Playoff Quarterfinal Summaries

Canada achieved a notable comeback, rallying from two sets down to defeat Peru 3-2 (21-25, 20-25, 25-17, 25-21, 15-12) in their 17th-place playoff match in Osijek. Middle blocker Maya Bukovcan`s game-high 20 points (15 kills, 2 blocks, 3 aces) sparked Canada`s win. Camila Lorena Monge scored 17 points for Peru.

Puerto Rico will meet Canada in a 17th-place semifinal after their 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-17, 25-21) victory over Tunisia in Trstenik. Pamela Zoe Agosto led Puerto Rico with 15 points (10 kills, 5 aces). Eya Toumi was the match`s top scorer with 16 points for Tunisia.

Spain began their classification matches strongly, sweeping Egypt 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-21) in Osijek. Opposite Paz Okeke Salva was Spain`s top performer with 16 points (12 kills, 1 block, 3 aces). Nour Awad led Egypt with 10 points.

Chile won a back-and-forth five-set match against the Dominican Republic in Trstenik, securing a 3-2 (25-17, 26-24, 17-25, 23-25, 15-10) victory. Captain Aina Grimalt was Chile`s leading scorer with a match-high 19 points (15 kills, 1 block, 3 aces). Ambar Avril Hernandez was the Dominican Republic`s most prolific scorer with 18 points (15 kills, 1 block, 2 aces).

Upcoming Match Schedule

Find the full FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U19 World Championship schedule and results.