Bulgaria Rolls Out the Red Carpet for the World Volleyball Silver Medalists

The Bulgarian men’s national volleyball team returned home to a warm and ceremonial reception at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport, greeted with a red carpet, a guard of honor, and laurel wreaths.

The team arrived on the government Airbus A319, flying back from Istanbul, where they had been welcomed earlier in the morning by Youth and Sports Minister Ivan Peshev. On Sunday, Bulgaria’s national squad, led by coach Gianlorenzo Blenghini, secured silver medals at the men’s World Championship held in the Philippines.

Stepping off the plane first were Bulgarian Volleyball Federation President Lyubomir Ganev, coach Blenghini, and team captain Alex Grozdanov. Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov and the national teams coordinator, Nikolay Ivanov, were among the officials present to greet the returning champions. Each team member received a laurel wreath and a check for 520,000 leva (approximately €266,000) from Minister Peshev.

Minister Peshev had personally traveled to Istanbul to accompany the team back to Bulgaria, noting that the organization of the government flight ensured the athletes did not have to endure a 12-hour wait at the airport for a commercial flight.

A larger celebration is planned for later in the day at St. Alexander Nevski Square, organized jointly by the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation and Sofia Municipality. Beginning at 5:30 PM, the world vice-champions will take part in an open-top bus parade starting from "Nezavisimost" Square, accompanied by a musical program featuring performers such as Ana Stavreva, Elena Popova, Nikola Yanakiev, Natali Stefanova, Bon-Bon, the Argirovi Brothers, and the Slavin Slavchev Foundation.

To accommodate the festivities, Sofia Municipality has issued traffic restrictions: from 3:00 AM to 8:00 PM on September 30, 2025, parking will be prohibited around St. Alexander Nevski Square, except for vehicles servicing the event. Vehicle entry on nearby streets, including 15-ti Noemvri Street and Oborishte Street between 11-ti Avgust and Vasil Levski Boulevard, will be restricted from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM, as directed by the Traffic Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.