Qatar’s debut in the 2016 FIVB Volleyball World League is groundbreaking, as this will be the senior national team’s first-ever appearance in the premier annual men’s tournament. Qatar will take part in Group 3 along with Slovenia, Tunisia, Venezuela, Greece and Puerto Rico. Qatar’s participation in the World League comes following recent positive results at the 2015 Asian Championship where they finished in fourth place. The team is currently ranked 31st in the world.
Qatar first appeared at the continental championship in 1989, when they finished in 19th place, followed by progressively improving finishes of 12th, 10th and 8th from 1993 to 1997. From 1999 to 2013, Qatar could not break through and the highest finish they achieved was seventh in 2005. However, they came back in 2015 with their highest-ever finish of fourth. The Qataris also finished fourth at the Asian Games in 2006 when they hosted the event in Doha.