Poland, Iran, Venezuela and Türkiye add to a fast start in Doha
Published 04:49, 19 Aug 2026
Defending champions Italy began their quest for back-to-back titles with a sweep of Romania as the 2026 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U17 World Championship got underway Wednesday in Doha, Qatar, with Poland, Iran, Venezuela and Türkiye also opening their campaigns with straight-set victories.
Italy were made to work early by Romania at Al Arabi Sports Hall, edging a tight opening set before taking greater control to complete a 3-0 (26-24, 25-22, 25-21) victory in Pool B.
The defending champions found an important advantage at the net, outblocking Romania 12-4, while also scoring six points from the service line. Federico Guiotto led Italy with 18 points, built on 12 attacks, five blocks and an ace, while Samuele Filippi added nine points.
Romania kept the pressure on through captain Mattia Alexi Apostu and Alexandru-Gabriel Mihaila, who finished with 13 and 12 points, respectively, but Italy held firm to close all three sets and secure their first win of the tournament.
Host Qatar pushed Venezuela hardest in the third set, but the South Americans had already built a firm grip on the match and completed a 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-23) victory in Pool A at Aspire Ladies Hall. After taking the first two sets by identical margins, Venezuela held off Qatar's late challenge to close the match in three.
Captain Angel Miguel Echarre spikes against the Qatari blockers.
Venezuela did most of their damage in attack, converting 46 points compared with Qatar's 25. Rondon and Garcia shared the scoring lead with 14 points apiece, with Diego Alejandro Rondon putting away 13 attacks and Benjamin Josue Garcia producing 13 points from attack and serve combined. Captain Angel Miguel Echarre added eight points as Venezuela spread the offense.
Ahmed Zyad Betioui provided Qatar's biggest threat with 15 points, including 14 in attack, as the hosts raised their level in the third set before Venezuela finished the job at 25-23.
In Pool C, Poland opened their campaign with a 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-19) victory over Argentina at Aspire Ladies Hall. Poland took the opening set before holding off a stronger challenge from Argentina in the second, edging it 26-24 and carrying that momentum into the third.
Kevin Posłuszny led Poland with 13 points, including nine attacks and three blocks, while Jan Woźniak added 12 and Bartosz Nowak finished with 11. Poland also held a 6-2 advantage in blocks.
Argentina captain Valentin Tomas Bianchi led his side with 15 points, but Poland maintained control to close out the match in three sets.
Over in Pool D, Türkiye opened with a 3-0 (26-24, 26-24, 25-17) victory over Spain at Al Arabi Sports Hall. Little separated the teams through the first two sets, but Türkiye found the points that mattered at the finish of both, winning each 26-24 before breaking clear in the third.
The difference came at the net. The teams finished level with 36 attack points apiece, but Türkiye piled up 12 blocks to Spain's five. Aras Altn accounted for five of those blocks on his way to 10 points, while Alper Göksu added four blocks among his eight. Kuzey Kaan Koç carried the biggest scoring load with 16 points, including 13 in attack.
Spain stayed within reach behind Roger Monzo's 12 points and David Majan's 11, but after two sets decided by the minimum margin, Türkiye gave them no such opening in the third and pulled away 25-17 to finish the match.
Another decisive result followed in Pool E, where Iran overpowered Algeria 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-14) at Aspire Ladies Hall. After racing through the opening set, Iran faced a closer contest in the second before pulling away again in the third to seal their first victory.
Iran's attack supplied 47 points, more than double Algeria's 21, while their serving added another dimension with eight aces. Captain Sina Hazrati spearheaded the offense with 16 points, and Amirreza Faramarzidarghelou made his biggest impact from the service line, landing five aces among his 11 points. Azhvan Namazi completed Iran's trio in double figures with 10.
Algeria struggled to find the same rhythm offensively, with Djaber Abdelhak Sekkak their leading scorer on nine points. Iran also conceded only 13 points through errors compared with Algeria's 22, helping them maintain control throughout the match.
Thursday’s matches will feature the 10 teams yet to take the court, with five matches across the two venues. At Aspire Ladies Hall, Tunisia face France in Pool A at 11:00, followed by Brazil against Mexico in Pool C at 14:00 and Chinese Taipei against Pakistan in Pool E at 17:00. At Al Arabi Sports Hall, Cuba meet India in Pool B at 14:00 before Egypt take on Bulgaria in Pool D at 17:00.
