We will have a new champion in the 2025 Volleyball World Championship after Serbia exited earlier than expected. After claiming the second berth in Pool H with two wins and one loss, Serbia drew the 3-0 Netherlands in the Round of 16 and lost 3-2. Fast forward to today, and there are four teams left: Japan, Turkey, Italy, and Brazil.
Japan are here after sweeping Thailand in the Round of 16 and beating the Netherlands in a five-setter in the quarter-finals. They are up against Turkey, who convincingly won against Canada in the Round of 16 (3-0) and the United States (3-1) in the quarter-finals.
On the other side of the bracket, there will be an epic clash between perennial contenders Italy and Brazil. Italy are here after breezing past Germany and Poland in the previous rounds, while Brazil eliminated the Dominican Republic and France in their wake.
Learn more about the latest Volleyball World Championship 2025 updates by continuing to read below.
Japan survive five-set thriller in the quarter-finals
Japan booked the first semi-final spot at the 2025 Volleyball World Championship after surviving a spirited Netherlands team in five sets. This is their first World Championship semi-finals since 2010, where they earned a bronze medal.
The Netherlands and Japan exchanged sets one through four, with the former threatening to come away with the victory. However, Japan pushed the match to a fifth-set resolution. Even in the fifth set, the Netherlands built a three-point lead, but Japan dug deep and fought back, and captain Mayu Ishikawa scored the matchwinner in the 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 22-25, 25-12, 15-12) result.
Japan had more kills than the Netherlands (76 to 62). Opposite Yukiko Wada led the way with a match-high 27 points (23 kills, four aces). Ishikawa added 26 points (23 kills, two blocks, one ace), and outside hitter Yoshino Sato and middle blocker Airi Miyabe provided 13 and 10 points.
Turkey secure first semi-final appearance
Up next for Japan are Turkey, who advanced to the semi-finals for the first time after a 3-1 (25-14, 22-25, 25-14, 25-23) victory over the United States. After splitting the first two sets, the reigning European champions blasted the Americans in the third round and eked out a closer win in the fourth and final set.
Star outside hitter Ebrar Karakurt delivered her best performance at the World Championship so far against the Americans, notching 23 points (20 kills, three blocks) to lead the Turks. Opposite Melissa Vargas contributed 21 points (18 kills, three aces), and team captain and middle blocker Eda Erdem added 13 points (seven blocks, six kills). Turkey largely outscored the United States in kills (58 to 41) and blocks (20 to 11), despite having fewer aces (three to six) and slightly fewer errors (16 to 18).
“It’s a historic day for us, it’s the first time our national team makes it to the Final Four of a World Championship,” Karakurt said after the match. “We came into this match strongly believing we could win it. Each of my teammates did their best, and I’m very proud of them. I tried to help the team and am proud of what I was able to do today. But it’s not over yet. We have two more matches to play, and we want to win gold here.”
Italy, Brazil set for gigantic semi-finals duel
Italy and Brazil are set to lock horns in the semi-finals, and the SBOTOP Volleyball World Championship 2025 odds expect a close fight between these two powerhouses.
Italy secured their fourth consecutive semi-final appearance in the Volleyball World Championship after recording a 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-18) victory, extending their unbeaten run to 34 matches.
Star opposite Paola Egonu was a force at the net for the Italians, spearheading the offence with 20 points (19 kills, one block), and middle blocker Sarah Fahr added 12 points (eight kills, four blocks). The Italians had 11 errors to Poland’s 19, which was one of the key factors in the win. The Olympic champions also had a 48-37 edge in kills.
On the other hand, Brazil downed France 3-0 (27-25, 33-31, 25-19), booking their semi-finals tickets. The first two sets of the match offered plenty of drama. France erased a four-point Brazilian lead to level the score in the opening set, while Brazil did the same in the second.
Julia Bergmann led the Brazilians with 17 points, and captain Gabriela Guimaraes and Rosamaria Montibeller chipped in 13 and 12 points. Middle blockers Diana Alecrim and Julia Kudiess added 10 points apiece.
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