On Friday, Iran concluded Finland`s impressive journey, securing a 3-1 (30-28, 21-25, 25-16, 25-20) victory to earn their spot in the semifinals of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Boys` U19 World Championship held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Finland displayed resilience early on, pushing the first set to extra points and leveling the match in the second. However, the Asian powerhouse took full control in the subsequent two sets, demonstrating robust net defense and precise attacks. Amir Naderi Noureyni was Iran`s top scorer with 19 points, while Mohammad Amin Rahimi and Mohammadnima Bateni contributed 15 and 14 points respectively. For Finland, Vikot Viljamaa scored 16 points.
Quarterfinal Highlights
France also secured their spot in the semifinals, defeating Italy 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 32-30, 25-18) in one of the day`s most closely contested matches. Both teams delivered high-quality volleyball, but France gained an edge with 10 service aces, seven of which came from Andrej Jokanovic. He concluded the match with 23 points, while Noa Dufflos Rossi contributed another 23 points from attacks. Italy`s Manuel Zlatanov also scored 23 points, but his teammates struggled to match France`s overall team depth.
Poland played their fourth five-set match of the tournament, prevailing over Korea with a 3-2 (25-17, 24-26, 27-25, 19-25, 15-13) victory. Maksymilian Lyson was the top scorer with 37 points, including four blocks and 33 successful attacks. Oskar Trawka added 17 points, five of which were blocks, while the Polish defense collectively made 17 blocks. For Korea, Bang Kangho led with 26 points, and Lee Seungil contributed 21.
Spain also required five sets to defeat Bulgaria, executing a reverse sweep to win 3-2 (24-26, 19-25, 25-17, 25-17, 15-8). Cesar Irache was the match`s top scorer with 31 points, including four service aces. Gerard Rejon Faundez contributed 18 points, and Izunna Kennedy Okafor Asierika registered six blocks. Bulgaria started strong with Zhasmin Velichkov and Deyan Marinov combining for 34 points, but they couldn`t maintain their pace as Spain seized control in the final three sets.
Placement Matches Results
9th-16th Place Bracket:
In the 9th-16th place bracket, China confidently swept Pakistan 3-0, showcasing disciplined net defense and committing only 10 errors. Meanwhile, Argentina mounted a comeback to defeat the United States 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-20, 15-9). Samuel Guidi Correa and Mauro Danilo Gay collectively scored 45 points in that victory.
Brazil defeated host nation Uzbekistan 3-1 (25-13, 23-25, 25-15, 25-18), with Andre Luis Berto Aleixo and Lucas Righi Carvalho each scoring 18 points. Belgium concluded the day by narrowly defeating Japan in a dramatic five-set encounter, which included an epic 42-40 second set and a decisive 15-11 final frame. All Belgian starters reached double figures in points, effectively countering Japan`s Karen Masajedi`s impressive 34-point performance.
17th-24th Place Playoff Matches:
In the 17th-24th place playoff matches, Cuba defeated Türkiye 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-21), while Puerto Rico triumphed over Colombia 3-1 (25-17, 24-26, 25-20, 25-21). Tunisia narrowly edged out Algeria in five sets, 3-2 (25-19, 28-30, 21-25, 25-17, 15-7), and Egypt confidently beat Canada 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-20) with a strong performance in both offense and defense.
Upcoming Semifinals
The top four teams are now confirmed. In Saturday`s semifinals, Poland will compete against Spain, and France will face Iran. These matches will determine which teams will contend for the world title.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood