Block Devils complete historic year for European Volleyball with Club World Championship triumph

The FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship 2025 reached its climax on Sunday when Italian giants Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA won the tournament for the third time in as many appearances. The winners of the CEV Champions League Volley earlier this year faced Japanese standouts Osaka Bluteon in the event’s final and completed a flawless campaign at the Mangueirinho Arena in Belém with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 29-27) victory that took them back to the top of the podium. The triumph of the ‘Block Devils’ completes a clean sweep by European teams of all global titles at stake in 2025 – Italy’s national teams had secured a historic double gold at the FIVB Men’s and Women’s World Championships, duos from Sweden and Latvia had triumphed at the Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide, Australia – and earlier this month Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI had emerged victorious at the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship held in Brazil as well. 

The winners of the 2022 and 2023 editions of the FIVB Men’s Club World Championship, PERUGIA reclaimed the world title after not competing in the event in 2024. The Italians are now just the third team to have three or more world titles on the men’s side, joining compatriots TRENTINO Itas and Brazil’s Sada Cruzeiro, which have five each. Perhaps most impressively, PERUGIA won all three titles with undefeated campaigns. They triumphed in the 2022 and 2023 editions with four victories in as many matches and needed one more to lift the trophy on Sunday in Belém, dropping only two sets along the way, to Osaka, during pool play.

Six players have been involved in all three world titles won by PERUGIA – setter Simone Giannelli, outside hitters Kamil Semeniuk and Oleh Plotnytskyi, middle blockers Roberto Russo and Sebastián Solé and libero Massimo Colaci.

In the final, Tunisian opposite Wassim Ben Tara, now a two-time world champion, was the most productive player for the ‘Block Devils’ with 16 points (14 kills, two blocks). Semeniuk also got to double digits in scoring, leaving the court with 13 points (12 kills, one ace).

Team captain and star opposite Yuji Nishida was the standout in Osaka’s offense with 14 points, all obtained in kills. Middle blocker Larry Evbade-Dan and Cuban outside hitter Miguel Ángel López Castro added ten points each.

Making just their second appearance in the Club World Championship, Osaka made history in 2025, taking Japan to the final for the first time. They were fifth in their first appearance, as Panasonic Panthers, in 2013.

Giannelli wins second MVP award

Repeating what he did in 2022, team captain Giannelli earned the tournament’s MVP award, while also being selected as the best setter. The Olympic silver medalist and world champion formed the Club World Championship Dream Team alongside two teammates, three players from Osaka and one from third-placed Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE of Poland. The ‘Jurassic Knights’ made sure that two out of three medals at stake would go to European teams. 

FIVB Men’s Club World Championship Dream Team

MVP: Simone Giannelli (Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA)
Best Setter: Simone Giannelli (Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA)
Best Opposite: Wassim Ben Tara (Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA)
Best Outside Hitters: Miguel Ángel López Castro (Osaka Bluteon) and Aaron Russell (Aluron CMC Warta ZAWIERCIE)
Best Middle Blockers: Agustín Loser (Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA) and Sebastián Solé (Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA)
Best Libero: Tomohiro Yamamoto (Osaka Bluteon)