Bulgaria punched their ticket to the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship quarterfinals with a commanding 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-23, 25-13) over Portugal.
Aleksandar Nikolov was unstoppable, delivering 19 points — 17 from spikes, one ace, and one block — while swinging at an impressive 55% success rate, and Martin Atanasov added another p points for Bulgaria.
Portugal showed resilience, particularly from the serve line with six aces, three of them by Lourenco Martins, who also topped his team’s scoring with 10 points. Captain Alexandre Ferreira praised his young squad’s spirit, highlighting their underdog run to the Round of 16.
With the win, Bulgaria now awaits the winner of USA vs. Slovenia to determine their quarterfinal rival.
- FIVB WC M: Bulgaria Shines in Straight-Sets Victory Over Portugal
- Marcelo Mendez Steps Down After Argentina’s Exit
- FIVB WC M: Red Dragons Sweep Finland, Set Up Italy Clash
- Fabio Balaso – “This Was a Team Victory”
- Italy Defeat Argentina 3–0 to Secure World Championship Quarterfinal Spot
