Italy reaffirmed its status as world champions, delivering a flawless performance in the playoff stage of the 2025 FIVB Men`s Volleyball World Championship, culminating in a convincing 3:1 victory over Bulgaria in the final.
This marks Italy`s fifth World Championship title overall and second in a row, following triumphs in 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2022. They are now just one title shy of the most decorated team in history, the Soviet Union, which won the trophy six times.
Photo credit: Volleyball World
Italy once again demonstrated its resilience in this match, much like the day before when they rallied in all three sets of the semi-final against Poland. This time, Bulgaria held a two-point lead midway through the first set, but Italy scored five consecutive points to secure a 25:21 win in the opening set.
Five consecutive aces from Yuri Romanò – another magnificent showing from the opposite hitter who made the All-Star team – provided the pivotal moment of the second set, which Italy confidently won 25:17, drawing closer to victory.
However, Bulgaria, a young and relatively inexperienced team, managed to bounce back, winning the third set 25:17, propelled by another outstanding performance from outside hitter Aleksandar Nikolov, also selected for the All-Star team. He alone scored 23 points in this match.
Nikolov, the tournament`s top scorer, was unable to make an impact in the fourth set, where Italy dominated from start to finish. Their superstar core, featuring Simone Giannelli, MVP Alessandro Michieletto, and Romanò, played almost perfectly, securing a 25:10 victory and the world title.
Just a week after their 2:3 loss to Belgium in the preliminary round, Italy rebounded with five consecutive wins, dropping only one set along the way, to claim their fifth world title. The European powerhouse had four players in the All-Star Team: MVP Michieletto, setter Giannelli, opposite Romanò, and libero Fabio Balaso.
In the bronze medal match, Poland secured a podium finish with a 3:1 victory over Czechia.
Photo credit: Volleyball World
2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship – All-Star Team
- MVP: Alessandro Michieletto (Italy)
- Setter: Simone Giannelli (Italy)
- Opposite: Yuri Romanò (Italy)
- Outside hitters: Alessandro Michieletto (Italy) and Aleksandar Nikolov (Bulgaria)
- Middle blockers: Aleks Grozdanov (Bulgaria) and Jakub Kochanowski (Poland)
- Libero: Fabio Balaso (Italy)
