France will play for a second straight title, while Poland return to the final for the first time in four years as the two European sides advanced to the final of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship on Saturday at Yunnusobod Hall in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

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France rallied from a set down to beat Iran 3-1 (14-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-19) in a rematch of the 2023 final. Iran started strong, with Amir Naderi Noureyni and Amirmohammad Rafieirad leading a fast-paced attack to dominate the opening frame. France struck back immediately. Daniel Iyegbekedo and William Laplace took control through the middle as the defending champions flipped the momentum and drew level with a 25-14 win in the second.

The third set was closer, with Iran narrowing the gap to 18-17, but France stayed in front behind timely hits from Noa Duflos Rossi, Adelin Nowaczyk and Andrej Jokanovic. The French side sealed the set 25-22 and never looked back, finishing the match with a confident fourth set.

Iyegbekedo led all scorers with 18 points, including six blocks. Jokanovic added 13, Duflos Rossi had 11 and Nowaczyk scored 10. Rafieirad led Iran with 15, followed by Naderi with 14 and Mohammad Amin Rahimi with 12.

Poland joined them in the final with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-20) win over Spain. They controlled the match from start to finish, with Maksymilian Lyson and Jakub Szczurowski combining for a high-powered attack that outmatched Spain’s defensive efforts.

Poland dictated the pace early and held Spain to just 16 points in each of the first two sets. By the third, Lyson and Szczurowski were both in double digits, while Cesar Irache remained Spain’s most productive scorer.

Lyson finished with 25 points from 21 attacks, two blocks and two aces. Szczurowski added 12. Poland led in all categories, with 47 attacks, 8 blocks and 5 aces. Irache had 17 points, leading the Spanish effort on offense.

France are aiming for their second world title and currently hold one bronze. Poland, with two gold medals and two bronzes, will play in their third Boys’ U19 final after previous wins in 2015 and 2021.

In the 5th to 8th classification round, Bulgaria swept Korea 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-21) with Zhasmin Velichkov scoring 18 points on 14 attacks and four aces. Nikolay Nikolaev added 12, and Konstantin Manolev had 11 as Bulgaria’s serving and blocking stifled the Korean offense. Song Eunchan scored 13 for Korea.

Italy booked a fifth-place match against Bulgaria after defeating Finland 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-23). The two teams were nearly even in attacks and service points, but Italy’s 11 blocks made the difference. Andrea Giani scored 11 points and Manuel Zlatanov chipped in 10. Viktor Viljamaa led Finland with 12, followed by Kasper Vesanen with 10.

China pulled off a reverse sweep against Argentina to win 3-2 (21-25, 23-25, 25-20, 35-33, 15-13) in the 9th to 12th classification. After losing the first two sets, China saved multiple set points in a dramatic fourth before closing the tiebreak. Li Xuyang led the Chinese side with 23 points. Federico Javier Debonis scored 26 for Argentina in a losing effort.

Brazil came from behind to beat Belgium 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-16). Andre Luis Berto Aleixo led the Brazilian attack with 18 points. Belgium’s Guilhem Hubert scored a match-high 20 points, but Brazil’s 18 blocks and lower error count turned the tide across the final three sets.

Pakistan defeated the United States 3-1 (25-14, 22-25, 25-18, 25-23) in the 13th to 16th bracket. Pakistan led in all scoring skills with 66 attacks, 10 blocks and five aces. Muhammad Yahya scored 22 points and Muhammad Saud added 15. Elan Taylor finished with 13 for the U.S., while Roman Payne added 10.

Host nation Uzbekistan thrilled the home crowd with a 3-1 (14-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-14) win over Japan. Shokboz Mamayusufov delivered 17 points, and Varzilov Artyom added 12. The pair combined for seven of Uzbekistan’s 12 blocks, limiting Japan’s star opposite Karen Masajedi, who still finished with 20 points.

Cuba secured 17th place after sweeping Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-20). Alessandro Gonzalez Fuentes led the Cuban side with 15 points, while Yosdani Medina Torriente and Ronny Prentis Orozco added 11 each.

Colombia took 19th place with a 3-2 (20-25, 25-22, 20-25, 25-23, 15-12) comeback win over Türkiye. Maicol Isaac Ortiz Castañeda delivered 26 points, supported by David Felipe Gutierrez Mahecha with 17. Ata Unver led Türkiye with 21.

Egypt finished 21st after a 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-21) victory over Tunisia. Omar Eissa and Khaled Elfeki each scored 11 points as Egypt controlled the match throughout.

Canada wrapped up its campaign in 23rd place by beating Algeria 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 30-28). Tyson Dezutter led all scorers with 18 points. Islem Ghomari matched that total for Algeria, but Canada had more support from its secondary attackers to close out the win.

2025 FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship: full schedule

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