Slovakia made their FIVB Volleyball World League debut in 2014 and, after losing three matches and winning three in Pool G, they qualified for Group 3's Final Four. After losing their semifinal in straight sets to Turkey, they lost the third-place match 3-1 to China. Last year, there was less pressure on the team as they hosted the Final Four in Bratislava. However, they lost to eventual Group 3 winners Egypt in the semifinal. They bounced back to finish third in the group with a 3-2 win over China. Now ranked 35th in the FIVB world rankings, they will play the Netherlands, Portugal and Turkey in Group 2’s Pool A.

Since the break-up of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Slovakia have not competed at a World Championship or Olympic Games. They have been regular competitors in continental tournaments, steadily improving. They won the European League in 2008 and 2011, and finished third in 2007 and 2014 when the honour was split with Macedonia. At the 2011 European Championship, Slovakia mentored by coach Emanuele Zanini, finished fifth. In 2013 they narrowly missed out on qualification for the 2014 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.