In a nail-biting five-set encounter, Italy`s national women`s volleyball team overcame Brazil, extending their remarkable winning streak and advancing to the final of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women`s World Championship to face Türkiye.
Italy`s impressive 35-match winning streak was severely tested on Saturday by a formidable Brazilian squad, but the reigning Olympic champions ultimately prevailed, securing their place in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women`s World Championship final.
The highly anticipated semifinal clash, featuring the top two teams in the FIVB World Ranking, unfolded before an enthusiastic crowd of 6,000 fans at the Huamark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok. Italy emerged victorious with a hard-fought 3-2 scoreline (22-25, 25-22, 28-30, 25-22, 15-13), marking their first-ever victory against their South American rivals in the history of the World Championship.
Italy is now set to compete against Türkiye in the tournament`s grand final on Sunday, scheduled for 19:30 local time (12:30 GMT). Meanwhile, Brazil will vie for third place against Japan four hours earlier. Türkiye previously secured their spot in the final by defeating Japan 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-18, 27-25) in the earlier semifinal match.
Undefeated since May 2024, the Italian team has a unique opportunity to simultaneously hold the titles of reigning Olympic, Volleyball Nations League, and World Champions. This achievement guarantees Italy their fourth medal at the World Championship, adding to their gold in 2002, silver in 2018, and bronze in 2022.
A pivotal moment in Italy`s triumph came with the exceptional play of substitute Ekaterina Antropova. Stepping in for star opposite Paola Egonu during the first set, Antropova led the team with an impressive 28 points, comprising 20 kills, six blocks, and two aces.
Ekaterina Antropova expressed her excitement: “We feel great. I’m very happy that we could pull it out at the end. It was an incredible match, fun to watch and to play. It was so hard and just as we expected. I’m proud of the team. We didn’t always show our best game, but still managed to stay there. Brazil did an incredible job, and we could tell they were pouring their hearts into the court. Now we need to recover as fast as we can, because we have another final to play.”
Outside hitter Myriam Sylla also played a crucial role for Italy, contributing 21 points (19 kills, two blocks). Paola Egonu, who returned for the decisive tie-breaker, added 11 points with ten kills and one ace.
For Brazil, captain Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimarães was the match`s highest scorer, tallying 29 points (27 kills, two blocks). Opposite Rosamaria Montibeller followed with 20 points (19 kills, one ace), while middle blockers Diana Alecrim and Júlia Kudiess contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Gabi reflected on the loss: “It’s difficult to lose a match like this; we know it was about the small details. I made a few mistakes in the tie-breaker and I wish I could have helped the team a little bit more. I’m really proud of the team; we fought a lot. Italy are an amazing team and they deserve to be in the final. They used many different players today and played very well under pressure. Now we focus on the third-place match, because it’s very important for us to return home with a medal.”
Both teams showcased strong blocking performances, with Brazil recording an impressive 22 blocks and Italy achieving 15. While both sides secured 69 points from kills, Italy held a slight edge in aces with four to Brazil`s two. Ultimately, Brazil’s higher number of errors (27 compared to Italy`s 19) proved to be a decisive factor in the outcome of the match.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick