World - Volleyball World Championship
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by Devesh Jaganath | in Volleyball World Championship Predictions
And then there were two! The 2025 FIVB Volleyball World Championship final brings us an intriguing battle, with Bulgaria set to take on Italy for the gold medal on Sunday. The Lions have lost each of their last nine matches against Gli Azzurri over the past decade. Check out our match prediction below!
It is sure to be a spine-tingling occasion for Bulgaria on Sunday, as they step out to try and overcome the defending champions to win their first World Championship title. The Lions have won bronze on four occasions, most recently in 2006 in Japan, while their only silver came when they hosted the tournament 55 years ago, back in 1970.
For Italy, this is a chance to match Poland’s record in 2014 and 2018 by winning back-to-back titles at the World Championship. They are massive favourites in this clash, but can they deliver for their backers in this contest? Let’s get into the key stats!
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The Best Betting Odds for Bulgaria v Italy Match
| Bookmaker | 1 | 2 | Bonus up to |
|---|---|---|---|
|
4.75 | 1.15 |
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|
4 | 1.2 |
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4.2 | 1.06 |
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|
4.1 | 1.21 |
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|
4.66 | 1.15 |
|
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Bulgaria vs Italy Form
Bulgaria and Italy Last Matches
6/6 (100%)
0/6 (0%)
27 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
25 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
22 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
17 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
15 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
13 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
3/6 (50%)
3/6 (50%)
22 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
17 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
20 Jul 2025 - Nations League
19 Jul 2025 - Nations League
16 Jul 2025 - Nations League
29 Jun 2025 - Nations League
5/6 (83%)
1/6 (17%)
27 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
25 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
15 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
13 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
18 Jul 2025 - Nations League
4 Jun 2024 - Nations League
5/6 (83%)
1/6 (17%)
27 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
24 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
21 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
18 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
16 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
14 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
5/6 (83%)
1/6 (17%)
24 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
18 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
16 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
14 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
2 Aug 2025 - Nations League
30 Jul 2025 - Nations League
5/6 (83%)
1/6 (17%)
27 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
21 Sep 2025 - Volleyball World Championship
3 Aug 2025 - Nations League
20 Jul 2025 - Nations League
19 Jul 2025 - Nations League
17 Jul 2025 - Nations League
Bulgaria vs Italy Stats: Head to Head (H2H)
0 %
100 %
11 Jun 2025 - Nations League
20 Jun 2024 - Nations League
5 Jul 2022 - Nations League
3 Jun 2021 - Nations League
17 Sep 2019 - Euro Volley
Bulgaria - Italy: Form Analysis
Bulgaria entered this competition seeded 19th overall and were drawn into Pool E, where they were only the third-favourite to clinch a top two spot and earn progression to the knockout stages.
However, they defied the odds by winning all three games, including against higher-ranked Slovenia and Germany, before ousting Portugal and the United States in the last 16 and quarter-finals, respectively.
The Lions then produced an excellent showing in the semis, holding off the Czech Republic 3-1 despite their opponents fighting back to level proceedings at one set apiece and remaining in the contest throughout.
The last time Bulgaria beat Italy was in 2015 at the European Games!
Meanwhile, Italy came into the tournament as the number five seed and drifted in the betting market after suffering an unexpected 3-2 defeat to Belgium in their second match during the group stage.
However, from then on, Gli Azzurri have been flawless, beating Ukraine in their final group match, Argentina (round of 16), and the Red Dragons (quarter-final) without dropping a single set.
The Italians then delivered the performance of a lifetime in the semi-final, thumping world number one Poland to keep themselves in the running to be crowned world champs for a fifth time.
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Bulgaria & Italy Squad Analysis
Bulgaria’s 21-year-old outside hitter Aleksandar Nikolov has been sensational in this competition and delivered his best performance so far in the semis, racking up 31 points against the Czech Republic.
Nikolov recorded 27 kills, three points off service and one block for his 31-point tally, and he is now the top scorer in the competition with 150 points, 46 points clear of any other player.
Captain Aleks Grozdanov has been immense at the net for the Lions and managed four blocks against Czechia. He now has 17 kill blocks in total, the most in the competition this year.
Italy have three players ranked inside the top 15 point scorers in the competition!
Alessandro Michieletto leads that list with an exceptional 82 points, including 63 kills, eight blocks and 11 serve points. He also posted a 20.51% efficiency rate against Poland in the last match.
However, the standout performer of the semi-final was Yuri Romano, who finished with 15 points, taking his tournament tally to 66. Barring a collapse here, the 28-year-old should end the competition inside the top 10.
Bulgaria - Italy Key Points
- Four of Bulgaria’s five matches in this competition have ended with over 150.5 points.
- Aleksandar Nikolov has scored 150 points for Bulgaria in this competition.
- Bulgaria are unbeaten in this year’s World Championships.
- Italy have lost a match in this year’s World Championships.
- 12 of the last 14 matches between these sides have ended with over 150.5 points.
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Our Bulgaria vs Italy Prediction
After a shock defeat to Belgium in the group stage, Italy clicked into gear and have not looked back since, racking up wins in each of their last three matches in this competition without dropping a single set.
However, while we fancy Gli Azzurri to claim the gold medal, we do not think it will be a clean sweep given how Bulgaria have performed this year. Additionally, only two of the last 14 matches between these sides were decided in straight sets. Therefore, our Bulgaria vs Italy prediction is over 150.5.
Bulgaria vs Italy - Other Interesting Predictions
Italy wins 3-1
Use the Bulgaria vs. Italy game in an acca to gain up to a 100% bonus!
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All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
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