Belgium boast a lengthy and proud history of participation in international volleyball but last year was the Red Dragons' World League debut. They will have been reasonably proud of their efforts as they finished third in Group 2, having topped Pool C before losing to France at the semifinal stage of the Final Four. They won the third-place match by defeating the Netherlands in straight sets. They followed that up by coming joint-17th at the World Championship as they won one of their five pool matches and were eliminated on point ratio behind Italy. They are now ranked No.20 in the world.
They won the European League title for the first time in impressive fashion in 2013 as they swept Czech Republic and Croatia in the semifinal and gold medal match respectively. The triumph underlined Belgium's status as an up-and-coming contender on the European scene under coach Dominique Baeyens. Belgium's international volleyball history dates back to the 1948 European Championship when the team finished fifth. They enjoyed a solitary trip to the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968. Last year was their first World Championship outing since 1978 and they have largely been restricted to competing at European level.