Bomb at 2025 World Championship! Iran and USA eliminated, Czech Republic and Bulgaria to semifinals!

Article in collaboration Ivan and Danijel, both in The Philippines ©️Volleytimes.com

Semifinals of 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in the Philippines are finally set: after an early final, in which defending champions Italy will face european champions Poland, Czech Republic fairytale continues after a historic win over Iran to secure semifinal spot too.
Their amazing run today reached new heights after a 3-1 (22:25, 27:25, 25:20, 25:21) success, following a spirited comeback that saw them recover from losing the opening set to storm back with three straight wins, obtained with composure and fewer costly errors.
Libero Milan Monik played an excellent game from the second line, while opposite Patrik Indra led the charge with a match-high 22 points through 69% success rate, closely followed by outside hitter Lukas Vasina who added 21.
On the other side of the net, Poriya Hossein Khanzadeh and Ali Hajipour each tallied 18 points. However, despite their efforts and a very strong start, their team struggled with unforced errors that ultimately broke the balance in the rivals’ favor.
With the win, Czech Republic advances to Saturday’s semifinal in Pasay City, where they will face Bulgaria, who pulled off a breathtaking turnaround against USA, for a chance to reach their first-ever World Championship final.

After losing the opening two sets, Bulgaria stormed back with resilience and flair, sealing the victory in a thrilling tie-break ended with the score of 2-3 (25:21, 25:19, 17:25, 22:25, 13:15).
Once again rising star Aleksandar Nikolov, who delivered a match-high 29 points, including two aces and a block, led the charge, while his younger brother Simeon, at the age of 18, also played a decisive role in the key moments of each sets, orchestrating Bulgaria’s offense with calmness and an unexpected experience. Supported by Asparuh Asparuhov, who added 12 points and two blocks, and Iliya Petkov, author of 10 points through an impressive 73% in attack, the winners showed an resilience and team spirit to seal a well-deserved victory.
For the United States, Ethan Champlin with 17 points and Jordan Ewert with 15 were the most prolific players, while middle blocker Merrick McHenry also impressed with 12 points through 83% success rate. However, Gabriel Garcia struggled with efficiency, converting only 6 of his 30 attack attempts and, despite making fewer errors than their rivals, they could not stop the momentum and struggled to found their rhythm.
With the win, Bulgaria joined an all-European semifinal lineup alongside Czech Republic, Poland, and Italy.

On Saturday, September 27, Bulgaria will battle Czech Republic for a place in the final, while Poland meets Italy in the other semifinal.
The tournament runs through September 28 in Manila.

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🌏| 2025 FIVB World Championship | Quarterfinals

Wednesday September 24, 2025 📍 Pasay City

• 15.30 (Local Time) | Italy – Belgium 3-0 (25:13, 25:18, 25:18)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Poland – Türkiye 3-0 (25:15, 25:22, 25:19)

👉🏼Thursday September 25, 2025 📍 Pasay City

• 15.30 (Local Time) | Czech Republic – Iran 3-1 (22:25, 27:25, 25:20, 25:21)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | USA – Bulgaria 2-3 (25:21, 25:19, 17:25, 22:25, 13:15)

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🏐| NEXT GAMES – Semifinals

Saturday September 27, 2025 📍 Pasay City

• 14.30 (Local Time) | Czech Republic – Bulgaria
• 18.30 (Local Time) | Poland – Italy

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