Iran Defeats Serbia to Advance to Volleyball World Championship Quarterfinals

Iran delivered a spectacular comeback to edge past Serbia 3-2 (23-25, 25-19, 24-26, 25-22, 15-9) in a dramatic round of 16 clash at the 2025 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship.

Serbia, coming off a commanding group-stage win over Brazil, looked poised to advance after taking the first and third sets. But Iran showed grit and determination, rallying twice to level the match before dominating the decisive fifth set, holding Serbia to just nine points.

Ali Hajipour and Morteza Sharifi were instrumental in Iran’s victory, each contributing 23 points. Despite the loss, Serbia’s Dražen Luburić emerged as the match’s top scorer with 27 points, with Miran Kujundžić adding 17.

With this hard-fought win, Iran moves on to the quarterfinals, where they will meet Czechia. The Czech side continued their remarkable run in the tournament with a convincing 3-0 sweep of Tunisia (25-19, 25-18, 25-23).