Italians defend world champion title in volleyball

(Patria) - The Italian volleyball team reached the title of the best on the planet for the fifth time in history today, and also defended the title won two years ago.

In the final of the World Championship held in the Philippines, the Italians justified their favorite role and defeated the biggest surprise of the tournament - the Bulgarian team with a score of 3:1 (25:21, 25:17, 17:25, 25:10).

🏆🇮🇹 AZZURRI RULE THE WORLD AGAIN! 🔥

In front of nearly 17,000 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City 🇵🇭, Italy lifted the #MWCH trophy with a 3-1 win over 🇧🇬 Bulgaria! ✨

Yuri Romanò powered the victory with 22 points, backed by Mattia Bottolo’s 19 and Alessandro… pic.twitter.com/UVSDoAn3pZ

— Volleyball World (@volleyballworld) September 28, 2025

The Bulgarians did not fare badly in the first set. Although they were constantly trailing towards the end of that period, they got close at 20:21. However, the Italians then scored three consecutive points and gained an insurmountable lead, winning 25:21.

The second set was dominated by the favorites. From a score of 11:11, they scored four points in a row and increased their lead until the end for a huge 2:0 lead in sets.

The Bulgarians shone in the third set. Fueled by the brilliant Nikolov, from a score of 9:9, they went on an 8:2 run and gained an insurmountable lead. They won this part of the game 25:17, introducing uncertainty.

However, there was no more drama. Italy started the fourth set brilliantly - from 3:3 they went to 9:3 and from that moment on, they only increased their lead for the final victory.