Poland were eliminated at the first stage of last year's World League as they finished bottom of Group 1 Pool A. Set ratio was their downfall, as they won six matches and lost six, the same as their pool rivals Italy, Iran and Brazil. They hosted and won the 2014 World Championship for the second time as passionate fans roared them onto victory in a spectacular tournament across Poland that opened in front of a crowd of 61,500 in Warsaw and ended in a 3-1 triumph over Brazil. They will be aiming to replicate that success under head coach Stephane Antiga, after a few years of relative mediocrity by their own high standards. The team pushed the top sides before finishing fifth at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but in 2013 they failed to qualify out of their first round pool at the World League and European Championship.

 

Poland boasts a long and vibrant volleyball tradition, with the national team having played an important role in the sport's development since their first appearance at the inaugural World Championship in 1949. The Poles dominated the international scene for several years in the mid-1970s. More recently, they won the bronze medal in the 2011 World League and followed that by claiming silver at the same year's World Cup.