Brazil, Iran and Italy secured early eighthfinals berths at the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Boys' U17 World Championship after collecting their third wins Sunday, leading the Day 5 action as the preliminary round neared its conclusion. Tunisia and Egypt also picked up their second victories, adding further clarity to the knockout-stage picture.
FIVB Volleyball Boys' U17 World Championship 2026
Brazil, Iran and Italy get ahead of the pack with Round of 16 berths in Doha
Tunisia and Egypt add second wins as the Boys' U17 World Championship eighthfinals picture takes shape
Published 04:40, 23 Aug 2026
Italy finished atop Pool B with nine points, Brazil claimed first place in Pool C with eight, and Iran completed its Pool E campaign at the summit with nine. Tunisia moved into second in Pool A on six points, level with France, while Argentina stands third in Pool C with three and Chinese Taipei third in Pool E with two. Qatar and Cuba are fourth in Pools A and B, respectively.
Brazil completed Pool C unbeaten with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-15, 25-21) victory over Argentina on Sunday, returning to straight-set territory after being pushed through five sets by Poland a day earlier. Brazil dictated much of the match through their attack, putting away 46 kills in 94 attempts, and kept Argentina from extending any of the three sets despite a stronger push from their South American rivals in the third.
Arthur de Paula Aguiar Lima was at the center of Brazil’s offense with 18 points, landing 17 of his 26 attacks, while Lorenzo José Trentin supplied another 12 points and Enzo de Macedo Silva Salgueiro added nine on an efficient nine kills from 14 swings.
Setter and captain Pedro Berlitz de Almeida made his own mark from the service line with four of Brazil’s seven aces and also scored a block, while middle blockers Lucas de Paula Dultra and Lucas Pereira de Abreu each contributed six points as Brazil found production from across the lineup.
Pedro Almeida sends another serve into play as Brazil’s captain and setter helped steer his team past Argentina, adding four aces to his playmaking contribution.
Argentina found their best rhythm late, reaching 21 points in the third set after being held to 15 in the second. Captain Valentin Tomas Bianchi carried the largest share of their attack with 14 points, including 13 kills, while Juan Manuel Alonso added nine and Juan Bautista Alonso seven. Argentina also collected seven blocks, with Juan Bautista accounting for two, but Brazil’s greater attacking output and seven aces provided the separation needed to close the match in straight sets.
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In Pool E, Iran put together a commanding all-around performance against Chinese Taipei, winning 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-17). Their attack supplied much of the difference, producing 52 kills from 85 attempts, while nine blocks and seven aces added pressure in other areas and kept Iran in control for much of the match.
Captain Sina Hazrati led the way with 15 points, putting away 13 of 22 attacks, but Iran had threats around him. Radan Salehi scored 14 points and was especially damaging from the service line with four aces, while Azhvan Namazi delivered 13 points on 10 kills and three blocks. Amirreza Faramarzidarghelou strengthened Iran’s work at the net with three blocks among his eight points, and the collective output saw five Iranian players score at least seven points.
For Chinese Taipei, Huang Po Wei provided the leading contribution with seven points, all in attack, while Hung Yeh En and captain Zheng Wen-Guan finished with five apiece. Wang Cheng-Fong recorded two of the team’s five blocks as Chinese Taipei looked for ways to slow Iran’s attack.
Italy turned a competitive start into a commanding middle stretch before surviving Cuba’s late push to complete an unbeaten Pool B campaign with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-10, 26-24) win. Italy’s ability to create pressure in different areas helped shape the result, with 37 attacking points, 10 blocks and eight aces, while Cuba stayed close at the net with eight blocks.
Federico Guiotto was particularly influential when that resistance was at its strongest, scoring nine of his match-high 19 points in the third set. He finished with 14 kills, four aces and a block, while Italy also created pressure through the middle. Michele Mangini converted nine of his 10 attacks in an 11-point performance, and captain Samuele Storini scored 10, including four blocks. Samuele Filippi added eight points as Italy finished with 10 blocks and eight aces to complement its 37 attacking points.
Cuba’s third set response was built around a broader contribution. Captain Reinaldo Márquez finished with 11 points, Dalian Isnel La O had eight. Cuba also stayed close to Italy in blocking, 8-10, but the difference from the service line was greater, with Italy producing eight aces to Cuba’s one. That combination gave Italy the extra margin it needed in the tighter passages of the match and ultimately preserved its unbeaten finish in the pool.
Meanwhile, Tunisia found its rhythm through the hands of Youssef Mallek, whose 20 attacks from 30 attempts powered a 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-17) victory over host Qatar for a second Pool A win. Mallek’s efficiency reflected a strong night for Tunisia’s attack as a whole, which converted 49 of 85 attempts and produced nearly twice as many attacking points as Qatar.
But Tunisia did not rely on Mallek alone. Soulaimen Gouiaa brought variety to the scoring with nine attacks, a block and two aces for 12 points, while Mohamed Bilel Gobji added seven. Captain Mahdi Jenhani chipped in six, and Tunisia repeatedly challenged Qatar from the service line, finishing with nine aces. Even with only three blocks, the pressure created by the attack and serve was enough to keep the hosts searching for answers.
Qatar had its best attacking returns from Ahmed Hamdy Hussein, who converted 12 of 25 attempts, and Ahmed Zyad Betioui, who scored 13 points with 11 attacks, a block and an ace. Those two carried much of the hosts’ scoring load, but Tunisia had more options and finished with the greater weight of attacking pressure to secure the straight-set victory.
Youssef Mallek rises for the attack as Tunisia powered past host Qatar in straight sets, with the outside hitter delivering a match-high 20 points.
In the final match of the day, Egypt found another way through a five-set battle, edging Spain 3-2 (25-18, 21-25, 27-25, 19-25, 15-10) for their second Pool D victory. This time, their biggest advantage came at the net, where 16 blocks helped offset Spain’s stronger attacking numbers and gave Egypt a decisive source of points in a match separated by only four overall.
Mohamed Abdelaziz carried much of the attacking load with 23 successful attacks from 53 attempts and finished with 26 points, but Egypt’s blocking was a collective force. Mohamed Amer (Gabal Jr.), captain Omar Mostafa (Mando) and Youssef Allam each had four blocks, accounting for 12 of the team’s 16. Gabal Jr. complemented his work at the net with 16 attacks and two aces for 22 points, while Mando added 12 points. Egypt also conceded fewer points through errors, with Spain receiving 31 points from Egyptian errors compared with 28 going the other way. Their full names are confirmed in Egypt’s official roster.
Spain pushed Egypt throughout behind Roger Monzo Luengo, who finished level with Abdelaziz on a match-high 26 points, including 23 attacks and three blocks. Mirons Iljins Koselev and Alex Pozzato Torrico added 16 points apiece, with Pozzato converting 16 of 32 attacks. Spain finished ahead 62-54 in attack, but Egypt’s 16-8 blocking advantage proved a major counterweight in another five-set success.
Five matches remain before the preliminary round gives way to the knockout stage on Monday. France and Venezuela get the final day of pool play underway at 11:00 at Aspire Ladies Hall, with Mexico and Poland meeting there at 14:00 and Pakistan and Algeria at 17:00. Across town at Al Arabi Sports Hall, India take on Romania at 14:00 before Bulgaria and Türkiye bring the preliminary round to a close at 17:00.