World No. 1 Poland collides with defending champion Italy in a long-awaited grudge match, while surging No. 9 Bulgaria looks to extend its fairytale run against No. 17 Czechia in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship semifinals on Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The showdown between Poland and Italy will be a rematch of the 2022 World Championship final in Katowice, where Italy stunned the host nation in straight sets to reclaim the crown and deny the Poles a third consecutive title. This clash serves as the second semifinal at 6:30 p.m.
This time, however, Poland has Wilfredo Leon back in the fold. The Cuban-born star, who missed the last edition due to a knee injury, adds another layer of firepower to a squad hungry for redemption.
“[They’re] one of the biggest opponents we always face. Every team wants to play against Italy. This is something that gives you more emotions. It’s always a pleasure for the Polish team to play Italy because both teams are very high level, and in the rankings, we are first and second,” said Leon.
Leon will be backed by a loaded supporting cast composed of team captain Bartosz Kurek, reigning VNL MVP Jakub Kochanowski, and Kamil Semeniuk, who was named Best Outside Hitter in the last edition.
Italy, for its part, remains just as formidable with reigning World Championship MVP and Best Setter Simone Giannelli orchestrating the offense, while rising star Alessandro Michieletto leads the wing attack alongside Mattia Bottolo and Yuri Romano.
Earlier at 2:30 p.m., Bulgaria and Czechia will open the semifinal doubleheader in a battle of surprise contenders both chasing history.
The Bulgarians, anchored by brothers Aleks and Moni Nikolov, are eyeing their first World Championship final since 1970, while the Czechs hope to break through to the title match for the first time since 1966.
Aleks admitted they entered the 32-nation tournament without lofty expectations, but now find themselves just a step away from the gold medal match — and vowed that Bulgaria will do whatever it takes to keep their dream run alive.
“We came here with not much expectation. But now we have a shot at playing the final, which is our dream. So we’re going to fight for our dream until the last point,” said the elder Nikolov.
On the other side, Czechia’s Jan Galabov is determined to continue their remarkable run, hoping it can bring greater recognition to volleyball in a country where ice hockey has long reigned supreme, and for the small but passionate community of fans back home.
“Honestly, volleyball isn’t really a popular sport in the Czech Republic. There’s not a huge fan base. But I really hope that with the historic successes we’re bringing home, more people will start following volleyball. I really wish for that to happen,” Galabov said.
.png){kind=icon}