Ukraine battles Italy for World Championship playoff berth - Don't miss it
Photo: Ukraine will settle for nothing less than victory (volleyballworld)
On Thursday, September 18, the Ukrainian national volleyball team will play a crucial group-stage match at the 2025 World Championship. What do the Blue-and-Yellows need to continue their fight in the tournament?
Match against world champions
Ukraine will face Italy, the reigning world champion. The game starts at 4:30 PM Kyiv time.
Raul Lozano's team, after losing to Belgium (0:3) in the opening round, managed to recover in the match against Algeria (3:0). Thanks to this, the Blue-and-Yellows still have a chance to advance to the playoffs. But to reach the top two in the group, Ukraine must beat Italy at all costs.
For the current world champions, the match is also crucial: after a shocking defeat to Belgium (2:3), they need a win to avoid elimination at the group stage.
In the final round, Belgium predictably defeated Algeria (3:0) and advanced to the Round of 16 with victories in all their matches.
Group F standings
- Belgium – 8 points (3 matches)
- Italy – 4 (2)
- Ukraine – 3 (2)
- Algeria – 0 (3)
Head-to-head history
Ukraine has never beaten Italy at the official level (three matches and three losses). The closest they came to success was in the 2025 Nations League this summer. Lozano's team recovered from 0:2 in sets but still lost in a tie-break.
That Nations League match was one of Ukraine's best games of the season, even despite the defeat.
