In 18 FIVB Volleyball World League participations, reigning world champions Poland’s best finish was a first place in 2012, which came after a bronze medal in the previous year. In 2015, they reached the final round of the premier annual men’s tournament, but lost in the semifinals to eventual champions France. In the bronze medal match, they were swept by USA.

Poland boasts a long and vibrant volleyball tradition, with the national team having played an important role in the development of the sport since their appearance at the inaugural FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in 1949. They won their first World Championship gold in 1974. Thirty years later they seized their second gold medal when they hosted the 2014 World Championship.

The Poles dominated the international scene in the mid-1970s. They have participated in the Olympic Games eight times, winning gold in Montreal in 1976. They first appeared in the Olympics in 1968 and finished in fifth place. In the last three cycles, they earned three equal-fifth place finishes. They qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by winning the Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan.