Bulgaria begins its participation today at the U17 Men's Volleyball World Championship in Doha. Our national team, led by Ivan Stanev, faces Egypt at 5:00 PM Bulgarian time in its first match of Group D, and the minimum program set for the young "lions" is to qualify for the Top 8.
The Bulgarians enter the competition on the second day, after the first five matches of the World Championship offered an interesting trend – Italy, Venezuela, Poland, Turkey, and Iran started with 3:0 victories.

Turkey gave the first important signal in Bulgaria's group

For the Bulgarian team, the most interesting result from the opening day came in Group D, where Turkey defeated Spain 3:0 (26:24, 26:24, 25:17).
The final score looks convincing, but the first two sets were extremely even. Both ended 26:24, with Turkey managing to take the decisive points. In the third set, the Turks already imposed their will and closed the match 25:17.
Both teams recorded 36 points from attack, but the huge difference came in blocking – 12:5 for Turkey.
Kuzey Kaan Koc was the top scorer with 16 points, 13 of which were from attack. Aras Altın added 10 points, including 5 blocks, and Alper Göksu finished with 8, including 4 blocks.
The result is an important benchmark for Bulgaria even before the first match. Turkey already has a victory without losing a set, but Spain showed in the first two parts that the difference between the teams in Group D can be minimal.

Italy began its defense of the world title with a victory

The defending champion team of Italy, which became world champion in Sofia in 2024, started with a 3:0 (26:24, 25:22, 25:21) victory over Romania in Group B.
The Romanians put up serious resistance and put the champions under pressure already in the first set, but Italy snatched the set 26:24 and gradually took control of the match.
The big advantage for the Italians came in blocking – 12 points against only 4 for Romania. The world champions also added 6 aces.
Federico Guiotto was the top scorer for the winners with 18 points – 12 from attack, 5 blocks, and 1 ace. Samuele Filippi added 9.
Captain Mattia Alexi Apostu finished with 13 points for Romania, and Alexandru-Gabriel Mihaila scored 12.

Venezuela passed cleanly through host Qatar

In Group A, Venezuela did not allow a surprise against the championship host Qatar and won 3:0 (25:16, 25:16, 25:23).
The South Americans dominated in attack, from which they scored 46 points against 25 for their opponent. Diego Alejandro Rondon and Benjamin Josue Garcia led the winners with 14 points each.
Qatar only managed to seriously challenge Venezuela in the third set, but even then the visitors maintained their lead and finished the match 25:23.
Ahmed Ziad Bettioui was the top scorer for the hosts with 15 points, 14 of which were in attack.

Poland broke Argentina

Poland also started with a clean success, after defeating Argentina 3:0 (25:20, 26:24, 25:19) in Group C.
The second set proved crucial. Argentina had the opportunity to equalize the score, but the Poles showed greater resilience at the end and won it 26:24. After that, Poland already controlled the third part.
Kevin Posluszny finished with 13 points, Jan Wozniak added 12, and Bartosz Nowak – 11. Poland also had an advantage in blocks – 6:2.
Argentina's captain Valentin Tomas Bianchi was the top scorer in the match with 15 points.

Iran with the most convincing victory

Iran made an impressive start in Group E, after crushing Algeria 3:0 (25:15, 25:19, 25:14).
The Iranians scored a total of 47 points from attack against only 21 for Algeria and added 8 aces.
Captain Sina Hazrati led his team with 16 points. Amirreza Faram Arzidargelou added 11, including 5 aces, and Ajwan Namazi finished with 10.
Algeria also made 22 errors, which gave direct points to the opponent, while Iran gave away 13.

Results from the first day of the U17 World Championship

The first day ended without a single match reaching a fourth set, but that doesn't mean a lack of intrigue. Four separate sets concluded at 26:24, and the situation in Group D is particularly interesting for Bulgaria – Turkey showed character in crucial moments against Spain and already has its first victory.
Today it's Bulgaria's turn. Ivan Stanev's boys begin their world campaign against Egypt, with the team's ambition clearly outlined – the minimum program is to qualify among the top eight teams in the championship.
This places a serious burden on the very first match. In a tournament of this rank, a good start can be extremely important for both qualification and the confidence of a young team.
Turkey has already made its move with a 3:0 win against Spain. Now Bulgaria has the opportunity to respond against Egypt.
The match Egypt – Bulgaria is today, August 20, at 5:00 PM Bulgarian time.
Ivan Stanev has 14 volleyball players for the battles in Doha, and the team captain is Milko Bagdasarov.

Bulgaria has two setters - Emilian Dinchev and Preslav Popov, as well as four middle blockers. The captain's responsibility is entrusted to Milko Bagdasarov.

This is the group with which Ivan Stanev will pursue the set task of a place among the top eight teams in the world. The initial step towards the Top 8 for Bulgaria is in Group D along with Egypt, Turkey, and Spain. After the first day, Turkey already has a win, and today we will get the first real answer about the condition of the Bulgarian team on the world stage. The minimum program is Top 8. Before calculations for the quarterfinals, however, there is an immediate task - a successful start against Egypt.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov