And still — Italy reigns supreme.
The Azzurri secured their second consecutive FIVB Men’s World Championship title with a commanding 25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 25-10 victory over Bulgaria before a roaring crowd of over 16,000 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.
After dismantling World No. 1 Poland in the semifinals, Italy wasted no time asserting dominance over World No. 9 Bulgaria. The team needed just 96 minutes to cap off the 32-team tournament — the largest in history.
This triumph marks Italy’s fifth overall world crown, the most among current nations, trailing only the former Soviet Union’s six titles.
With this victory, the Italians signal the dawn of another era, recalling their historic run in the 1990s when they became the first nation to win three consecutive crowns — a feat later matched by Brazil in the early 2010s.
Best Opposite Spiker Yuri Romano led the charge with 22 points, including a sizzling five-ace streak in the second set.
Mattia Bottolo added 19 points, while Alessandro Michieletto contributed 12.
Simone Giannelli, the team’s floor general, racked up 36 assists and four bonus points via two hits and two blocks. Libero Fabio Balaso finished with nine digs and two key receptions.
The final point came from Simone Anzani, who returned to volleyball following a diagnosis with a heart condition and finished the final with nine markers.
Italy’s excellence was further recognized in the 2025 Dream Team.
Michieletto earned Best Outside Hitter and MVP honors, while Romano was named Best Opposite Spiker. Giannelli took Best Setter, and Balaso was crowned Best Libero.
Bulgaria’s Aleksandar Nikolov and Aleks Grozdanov, along with Poland’s Jacub Kochanowski, rounded out the Dream Team as the best middle blockers.
“We knew we needed another perfect game against Bulgaria after a perfect game against Poland,” Michieletto said.
“It may have been better against Poland than in the finals, but it doesn’t matter. What matters now is the gold medal. It feels special to be a two-time world champion. I’m happy and grateful.”
Team captain Giannelli added, “Since we arrived here, we grew throughout the tournament. Winning one championship is hard, but now we have two. This second time is even sweeter.”
Italy, which stumbled early with a group-stage loss to Belgium, carried the momentum from a 25-21, 25-22, 25-23 sweep of VNL champion Poland into the finals.
Bulgaria, living up to its dark horse status, managed to take the third set. However, Italy roared back in the fourth, crushing the Bulgarians 25-10 and sending the Filipino crowd into a frenzy.
For Bulgaria, Aleksandar Nikolov and Martin Atanasov tallied 23 and 11 points, respectively, ending their Cinderella run in Manila.
