The penultimate round of the World Championships is underway in Manila, Philippines. Ferdinando De Giorgi’s Italy, the defending champion and fresh from Wednesday’s convincing quarterfinal victory over Belgium, is preparing to face Poland in the semifinals, an opponent who defeated Turkey in the previous round.
Tomorrow’s match (at 12:30 p.m., live on Rai 2, DAZN, and VBTV) will determine the team that will advance to the title game. It’s also a match of great technical and symbolic value, given that the two teams met in the VNL final just two months ago, with Poland prevailing in three sets.
Not only that, but Italy and Poland were also key players in the 2022 World Championship Final (which Italy won) and the final of the European Championships the following year, with Poland able to “avenge” the defeat suffered 12 months earlier.
The complete schedule of the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship
The victory against Belgium bodes well for the Italians: De Giorgi will be able to count on the scoring prowess of Alessandro Michieletto (70 points so far) and Mattia Bottolo (who has totaled 64 blocks). Roberto Russo has emerged as the standout blocker with 11 total blocks at this World Championship, while Michieletto is a key factor for Italy from nine meters.
