The results of the second day of the quarterfinals (September 25th) of the 2025 Men's Volleyball World Championships are as follows.
Quarterfinals
Czech Republic - Iran
3-1 (22-25, 27-25, 25-20, 25-21)
In the first set, Iran took the lead 22-25 with three service aces and a wide range of quick shots, and in the second set, Iran continued to score points mainly through OP Hajapour's decisive attacks and blocks, but the Czech Republic came back to win 27-25 thanks to attack mistakes and a service ace from substitute OP Shotla.
In the third set, the Czech Republic continued to score with high scoring ability from OP Indra and OH Vasina, while Iran continued to score mainly from OH Polya, leading to a close battle until the middle of the set, when the score was 16-16. However, Czech Republic's blocks and Iranian mistakes gradually widened the gap, and the Czech Republic took the set 25-20.
The Czech Republic's momentum continued in the fourth set, with OP Indra scoring with attacks and aces from the beginning to take a 6-3 lead, and then OH Vasina and the Czech Republic continued to score with attacks to maintain their lead. In the end, OH Galabov scored a winning attack to take the set 25-21, giving the Czech Republic a 3-1 victory.
This is the first time the Czech Republic has reached the semi-finals in 55 years, since the 1970 tournament.
Bulgaria - America
3-2 (21-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-13)
In the first set, the USA steadily scored points, led by OH Ewart and OH Champlin, while their solid defense prevented Bulgaria from scoring easily, taking the lead 21-25. In the second set, the USA continued to dominate the match, adding two more aces to take the set 19-25.
In the third set, the USA made a series of mistakes early on, giving Bulgaria a 6-2 lead. Bulgaria continued to score with attacks from OH Nikolov and MB Petkov, maintaining their lead. Two aces from MB Petkov towards the end of the set gave Bulgaria a 25-17 lead. In the fourth set, Bulgaria scored points mainly from OH Nikolov, while the USA scored mainly from OH Champlin, leading to a close game at 22-22 until the end. However, an American mistake and a block from OH Asparuhov led to a 25-22 lead, sending Bulgaria to a full set.
In the fifth set, Bulgaria took the lead early on with attacks and service aces from the elder OH Nikolov, followed by attacks and blocks from the younger S Nikolov to give Bulgaria a 6-3 lead. Bulgaria continued to score with attacks from OH Nikolov and OH Tatarov. From there, a block from MB Kniegie and a Bulgarian mistake allowed the USA to catch up to 14-13, but a quick hit from MB Tatarov finally gave Bulgaria the lead at 15-13 and a 3-2 comeback victory.
This is Bulgaria's first time in the semi-finals in 19 years, since the 2006 tournament in Japan.
Upcoming match schedule
*Times are in Japan time
Semi-finals
Semi-finalsSaturday, September 27th
15:30 Czech Republic - Bulgaria
19:30 Poland - Italy
3rd Place Match
September 28th (Sunday)
15:30 Losers of the 27th
Finals
September 28th (Sunday)
19:30 Winners of the 27th
*For detailed match results and schedules, please visit the official tournament website.
https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/men-world-championship
Related articles
Photo: Volleyball World
English 
Japanese