The Poland men's national volleyball team at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship. Volleyball World
MANILA — World No. 1 Poland took the bronze medal at the Philippine-hosted 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship.
This, as the Poles defeated Czechia, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21, in the third-place battle, Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
This was the nation's first-ever bronze in the FIVB Worlds—although it was a rank lower than its 2022 result, when it won the silver after losing to now-reigning champ and World No. 2 Italy.
Poland was relegated to the bronze medal match after losing to finalist Italy in straight-set fashion, 21-25, 22-25, 23-25, on Saturday night, ending their chase for a fourth World Championship title.
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The Poles found the breakaway in the opening period after an 11-4 run, capped by a Wilfredo Leon attack for a 17-10 lead. They dictated the tone of the rest of Set 1 en route to a 25-18 win, led by Leon who already had 11 points during that frame.
After a 23-25 Set 2 loss, they came back firing in the third canto. They unleashed a 5-2 blitz from the 20-all count, wrapped up by a Leon hit once more to hold a 2-1 lead.
They slowly pulled away in the final set, banking on an 8-4 run midway through to establish a five-point 15-10 cushion, dominating the rest of the action.
Leon propelled Poland to 24-20 with a kill, but Czechia's Lukas Vasina was there to save one match point. The Poles finally took their place at the podium after Vasina's error—also marking their fourth straight win over the Czechs in head-to-head matches.
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Leon concluded with 26 points on 23 attacks and three blocks, Kewin Sasak listed 11 points, including three markers from the service line, and Marcin Komenda made the plays with 36 excellent sets.
For Czechia, its outcome is still one for the history books, making it to the world championship semifinals for the first time as an independent nation, or since 1993.
The Czechs barged into the Final Four after taking down Tunisia and Iran, but fell to Bulgaria last night, 20-25, 25-23, 21-25, 22-25.