Pasay City, Philippines.Italy are men's volleyball world champions for 2025! In front of 15,682 spectators at the "Mall Of Asia Arena" in Pasay City, Ferdinando De Giorgi's team defeated the young Bulgarian squad 3-1 (25:21, 25:17, 17:25, 25:10) in the final of the World Championship in the Philippines. This is Italy's second consecutive and fifth overall gold medal, following titles in 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2022.
Bulgaria earned silver medals – their second medal from a World Championship after the historic second place in 1970. Earlier in the day, Poland defeated Czechia 3-1 to win the bronze.
How the final unfolded
Bulgaria started without apprehension and even led by two points in the middle of the first set, despite the unusually high number of service errors. However, a five-point streak by outside hitter Mattia Bottolo turned the tide, and Italy closed the set 25:21.
The second set began with a five-point lead for the 'Squadra Azzurra', which the Bulgarians managed to cut, but then came the star moment of opposite hitter Yuri Romano – five consecutive aces, with which Italy broke the resistance and took a 2-0 lead after 25:17.
Bulgaria responded in the best possible way – the risk on serve started to pay off, and Martin Atanasov with an ace and Asparuh Asparuhov with an intelligent attack secured the set 25:17.
The final set was an entirely Italian spectacle. Two powerful streaks by Bottolo definitively broke the opponent, and Simone Anzani scored the championship point – 25:10 and the title for Italy.
Statistics from the final
| Category | Italy | Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Attack points | 46 | 43 |
| Block points | 10 | 4 |
| Aces | 13 | 4 |
| Unforced errors | 22 | 23 |
Comment:Italy prevailed in all key elements – with higher attack efficiency and a huge superiority in blocking (10 against 4). However, the most significant difference came from serving – 13 aces versus only 4 for Bulgaria, which showed how decisive a weapon the serve was for the champions.
Heroes of the final
Mattia Bottolo was exceptional – 7 aces, 2 blocks, and 10 attack points for a total of 19 points. Yuri Romano was also at the top with 22 points, 5 aces, and 70% attack efficiency. Alessandro Michieletto contributed 11 points.
For Bulgaria, 21-year-old Aleksandar Nikolov was the top scorer both in the final (23 points, 58% efficiency) and in the entire tournament – a total of 173 points. Martin Atanasov finished with 11 points, including 2 aces and a block, and an impressive 62% attack efficiency.
A historic achievement and a look ahead
For Italy, this was their fifth world title and a confirmation of their dominance in world volleyball. For Bulgaria – a historic return to the podium after more than half a century and proof that the young squad has the potential to become a consistent factor among the best.
The final in the Philippines was not just a match, but a clash of generations and styles, where experience triumphed over youth – but Bulgarian volleyball certainly earned the respect of the world.
