Italy are world volleyball champions once again. In front of 15,682 spectators in Pasay City, the team overpowered Bulgaria 3-1 in Sunday’s FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship final.
It was Italy’s second consecutive title and their fifth overall, adding to victories in 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2022. Bulgaria claimed silver, their first since 1970. Earlier, Poland beat Czechia 3-1 to secure bronze.
Italy started strong. Outside hitter Mattia Bottolo served five points in a row in the first set before sealing it 25-21. Opposite Yuri Romano then stunned Bulgaria with five consecutive aces in the second set, which Italy closed 25-17.
Bulgaria rallied in the third, winning 25-17 with Aleksandar Nikolov and Martin Atanasov leading the attack. But Italy responded emphatically. Bottolo delivered two decisive serving runs in the fourth set before Simone Anzani hammered the championship point for a dominant 25-10 finish.
The statistics told the story. Italy outplayed Bulgaria in attack (46-43 spike kills), defence (10-4 blocks), and especially serving (13-4 aces). Bottolo scored 19 points, including seven aces, while Romano led with 22 points and a 70% attack success rate. Alessandro Michieletto also reached double digits with 11 points.
For Bulgaria, 21-year-old Nikolov shone despite defeat. He scored 23 points in the final and ended the tournament as top scorer with 173 points overall. Atanasov added 11 points, including two aces.
However, Italy retain their crown as World Volleyball Champions 2025.
