Czechia shrugged off an early setback to dismantle Iran, 22-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-21, on Thursday and advance to the semifinals of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Czechs continued their historic run, securing their first-ever semifinal appearance since becoming an independent nation in 1992. Their previous best finish, excluding their Czechoslovakia days, was 10th place in the 2010 edition.
After losing to Brazil in straight sets in their second pool match, Czechia bounced back with three consecutive victories to book a spot in the semifinals, where the 21st-ranked team will face the winner of the USA-Bulgaria clash later in the day.
“I still don’t understand what just happened. It will take some time for sure. I cannot find the words… Against Brazil, it was a tough loss—we lost by a lot—and after that, it’s like a fairytale,” said opposite hitter Patrik Indra, still in disbelief that his team is now in the Top Four.
“Historic moment for us. Our team, for the moment, has no limits. We take the games as they come, we prepare, and we play together—and this is the result,” added head coach Jiri Novak.
Facing a resilient Iranian squad that had survived two straight five-setters to reach the quarterfinals, Czechia made sure not to let this one go the distance.
Indra spearheaded the attack with 22 points on 20-of-29 spikes, while Lukas Vasina backed him up with 21 points from 19-of-31 attacks. Antonin Klimes chipped in eight points, with Jan Galabov and Adam Zajicek adding seven apiece.
Iran, the last remaining Asian team in the tournament, ended its campaign with pride despite missing superstar Amin Esmaeilnezhad. Poriya Hossein Khanzadeh and Ali Hajipour finished with 18 points each, while captain Morteza Sharifi was limited to just 11.
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