The FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship final is set to feature Italy and Bulgaria. This marks Italy’s second consecutive appearance in the final, while for Bulgaria, it`s only the second time in history they will contend for a gold medal. Both European teams secured their spots in the championship match by triumphing over Czechia and Poland, respectively, in Saturday’s semi-finals.
Italy is now poised to compete for its sixth world title, following an impressive 3:0 victory (25:21; 25:22; 25:23) against Poland in what was arguably the most anticipated match of the tournament, second only to the final itself.
Despite trailing 11:7 in the opening set, the Italians staged a remarkable comeback, displaying exceptional volleyball. Yuri Romanò contributed 15 points, and Alessandro Michieletto added 12, significantly impacting the match.
Although Poland had a slight edge in blocks (10-9) throughout the game, Italy proved more effective in critical moments. Notably, in the second set, when faced with a 22:21 deficit, they responded with an unanswered 4:0 run, moving decisively closer to the final.
Poland began the third set strongly, establishing a five-point lead at 14:9. However, they once again faltered under Italy’s relentless pressure, with captain Simone Giannelli delivering another superb performance in setting up his teammates. Ultimately, Italy clinched the set 25:23, securing their second consecutive final appearance, as they now aim for their fifth world title.
Meanwhile, Bulgaria will challenge for a world title for the first time in 55 years. Their last final appearance was in 1970 on home soil, where they lost to East Germany.
The semi-final against Czechia showcased another outstanding display from the tournament’s dark horses, Bulgaria. They have maintained a perfect record, winning all six of their matches so far and dropping only five sets.
The match was a closely contested affair, with victory hinging on minor details. Bulgaria took the first set 25:20, but then conceded the second 23:25.
However, propelled by the stellar form of top scorer Aleksandar Nikolov, who amassed 31 points, they secured the third (25:21) and fourth sets (25:22), earning themselves a phenomenal opportunity to claim their inaugural world title.
“Incredible! I am lost for words… We are medalists of this World Championship and I can’t believe it! Tomorrow we are just going to try to color the medal in gold. But we have a medal, so we are happy. It definitely felt like a really good game. I owed it to the guys after the bad start against the US. They pulled me out in that game and we managed to win a great quarterfinal. I had to repay them by playing this game like I did, so I am happy that I could,” Nikolov shared with VBTV.
The final is scheduled for Sunday at 12:30 CEST in Pasay City. Italy will be striving for its fifth title, while Bulgaria has already secured its sixth medal in the competition, and its first since winning bronze in 2006.
The bronze medal match, featuring Czechia and Poland, is set to commence at 08:30 CEST.
Finley Blackwood