The men's volleyball semi-finals were played on Wednesday 7 August at the South Paris Arena 1. There, the Polish and American teams faced each other in the afternoon, followed by the Italian and French in two very intense matches worthy of an Olympic semi-final.

The first games saw Poland take on the United States, two teams that already know what it means to win the gold medal. Poland have claimed gold once with that coming at the 1979 Olympic Games in Montreal. 

On the other hand, the US team has more medals, having three golds and two bronzes. The match was hard fought by both countries, with the Polish team taking the first set (25-23). However, the US pulled themselves together and set out to come back in order to get into the matchup. In doing so, they were able to make up the lost ground and win two sets in a row (25-27) (14-25).

The Poles received a hard blow in the third set, being unable to fight the set like the previous two. However, they were able to recover and fight for a fourth set that already looked very difficult to achieve. It meant they managed to record a (25-23) score, keeping their gold hopes alive.

Tthe Poles managed to come back and beat the Americans with a (15-13) score, ending a match of more than two hours and 200 points scored. It meant Poland returned to the final of an Olympic Games since 1979, while the Americans will be looking to settle for the bronze on 9 August.

In France vs Italy's clash, it was a game where both countries already knew what it is takes to reach a final. The Italians have booked their place in the final on three occasions, but missed out on gold in all three. France, are no strangers to finals and competed at the last edition of the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, taking home the gold medal.

The match was fiercely contested, but France’s strong performance ensured their continued success. They secured the first set with a score of 20-25 and continued their dominance by winning the second set 21-25. The final set also went to France, who closed out the match in under an hour and a half with a 21-25 victory.

France extends its streak of finals appearances and will now face a formidable Poland in a tightly anticipated match on 10 August. Meanwhile, the USA and Italy will compete for the bronze medal.