Brazil turn on the power in impressive Doha display

Brazil powered past Mexico in an impressive all-around display Thursday as France, India, Pakistan and Bulgaria also won in straight sets on Day 2 of the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship in Doha, Qatar, extending the run of sweeps to 10 matches.

Brazil backed up that headline performance with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-19) victory over Mexico in Pool C at Aspire Ladies Hall.

Lucas Pereira de Abreu delivered the most complete performance with a match-high 17 points, scoring eight times in attack while dominating at the net with seven blocks and adding two aces. Lorenzo José Trentin and Lucca Perazzo Amaral Ferreira contributed 12 points apiece, giving Brazil three players in double figures as the team finished with 42 attacks, 11 blocks and nine aces.

Mexico showed greater resistance as the match progressed and produced eight blocks, with Diego Ibarra leading that effort with three. Francisco Sebastian Merino Romero was Mexico’s top scorer with seven points, while Yanis Alexander Medrano Jiménez added six, as Mexico pushed Brazil to their closest margin of the match in the third set.

France opened its campaign with plenty of firepower, beating Tunisia 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-19) at Aspire Ladies Hall to join Venezuela with a win in Pool A.

The difference came from France’s ability to create points in attack and from the service line. France finished with 43 attack points to Tunisia’s 33 and served six aces to Tunisia’s one, overcoming 21 errors of its own. Jaden Ebagne Yon drove the offense with a match-high 19 points, including 16 attacks and two aces, while Noé Sognon added 12 points.

Tunisia committed only 11 errors but could not generate enough scoring pressure of ther own. Youssef Mallek led the team with 10 points and Jomni Jasser added nine, as France joined Venezuela, which swept host Qatar on opening day, among the early winners in Pool A.

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The action shifted to Pool B at Al Arabi Sports Hall, where India held off a determined Cuba to claim a 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-22) victory, completing the sweep after being pushed harder in the final two sets of their first match in Doha.

Dutta Ankit led India with 14 points, putting away 12 attacks from 23 attempts and adding two blocks. Apratim Bhadauriya supplied another 12 points and Rafik Ahmad added eight, while India stayed composed against a Cuban side that held a 42-39 advantage in attack and an 8-7 edge in blocks.

Cuba captain Reinaldo Márquez was the match’s leading scorer with 16 points, including 15 attacks, while Victor Erasmo Contreras contributed 13. Cuba’s ability to score kept the pressure on India, particularly in the final two sets, but India found the points they needed at the finish to complete the sweep.

Meanwhile, in Pool D, Bulgaria defeated Egypt 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-18), coming through two competitive opening sets before creating more separation in the third.

Captain Milko Bagdasarov spearheaded Bulgaria’s attack with a match-high 16 points, putting away 15 of his 24 attacking attempts and adding a block. Danil Riciu contributed 10 points, including four blocks, while Krastin Ilov and Veli Sezgin Sali scored nine each. Bulgaria finished with 37 attack points and nine aces, with their scoring spread across several options.

Egypt stayed close through the opening two sets and held a 9-7 advantage in blocks. Mohamed Amer (Gabal Jr.) led their scoring with 14 points, including 12 attacks, while Yassin Abdelhady and Mohamed Abdelaziz added nine points apiece.

In Pool E, Pakistan used their strength at the net to overcome Chinese Taipei 3-0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-23) at Aspire Ladies Hall, with the teams producing their closest contest in the third set.

Pakistan collected 11 blocks and six aces to complement 39 points in attack. Captain Muhammad Irfan made his presence felt across the board, scoring 12 points with four blocks and three aces, while Wahab Abdullah added three blocks. Fahad Ali led Pakistan with 16 points, putting away 15 attacks from 32 attempts and adding a block, while Faizan Ullah contributed 11 points.

Chinese Taipei responded with seven blocks of their own and pushed Pakistan to 25-23 in the final set. Ma Tzu-Chi led their scoring with seven points, while Liao Yi-En. and captain Zheng Wen-Guan added six each.

Friday’s pool play continues with five matches across the two venues. At Aspire Ladies Hall, Argentina face Mexico in Pool C at 10:00 local time, Iran take on Pakistan in Pool E at 14:00, and hosts Qatar meet France in Pool A at 17:00. At Al Arabi Sports Hall, two undefeated teams meet in Pool B as defending champions Italy face India at 14:00, followed by Spain against Bulgaria in Pool D at 17:00.

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