Ukraine – Italy, Volleyball World Cup: where to watch the broadcast
18 September 2025 09:38
Today, on September 18, the Ukrainian national men’s volleyball team will play a key match of the 2025 World Cup – its opponent will be the current world champion Italy. The match starts at 16:30 Kyiv time.
Situation in the group
After the opening defeat by Belgium (0: 3), Raul Lozano ‘s team managed to win a confident victory over Algeria (3: 0) and retained a chance to reach the playoffs. Now, to continue the fight, the Ukrainians must defeat Italy with any score.
The Italians, who lost to the Belgians in the tiebreaker (2-3), are also in danger of elimination and have to fight for victory.
Group standings
- Belgium – 2 wins (5 points), set ratio 6:2;
- Italy – 1 win (4 points), 5:3;
- Ukraine – 1 win (3 points), 3:3;
- Algeria – 0 wins (0 points), 0:6.
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Comments of the players of the national team of Ukraine
Additional player Dmytro Yanchuk emphasizes in a comment to Suspilne Sport:
“Now there is a lot of pressure on [Italy], and it will be a completely different game. We need to prepare for the worst case scenario and resist. I think we are quite ready. We just have to go out and do our job.”
He also predicts a tense match:
“We need to be prepared for them to start pressing right away, to aggressively impose their game – they only want to win. We also need it, so I think it will be a fierce fight.”
Another teammate , Tymofii Poluian, shares a similar opinion:
“Now they’ve lost and will be fighting for survival. Like us, they need [a win] very much. They will not give any balls or mistakes. We can’t count on that – we just have to play to the best of our ability.”
Background of the match
Ukraine has never defeated Italy in official matches (three defeats). The closest the Ukrainians came to a sensation was under Raul Lozano during the 2025 Nations League: down 0-2, they equalized and lost only in the deciding set.
Lozano himself believes that success requires a flawless game in both components:
“To beat Italy, we have to play better defense and be on par with them in attack. But they are four-time world champions. They have a very long history. The Italian championship is one of the best in the world.”
He also promised maximum dedication from his team:
“We have to give our best. If the Italians win, I will compliment the coach. But I want to reassure people in Ukraine: we will give our best.”
What bookmakers say
The Italian national team is the undisputed favorite of this match. The bookmakers give odds of 1.13 for its victory, while Ukraine’s victory is 5.90.
Where to watch the broadcast
The tournament in Ukraine is broadcast by Suspilne Sport: the games can be watched live on its digital platforms, local Suspilne TV channels and on the YouTube channel Suspilne Volleyball.
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