France are in a new era under head coach Laurent Tillie, one of the most decorated players in the national team's history. At last season's World League they finished runners-up in Group 2. They topped Pool D with 10 wins from 12 and, after sweeping Belgium in the Final Four semifinal, they were defeated in the final by hosts Australia in five sets. Their momentum carried on into the 2014 World Championship where they topped a second round pool ahead of hosts Poland and progressed all the way to the third-place match, before losing in straight sets to Germany. In the 2013 World League they finished 10th and they were fifth in the European Championship, but the objective now is to end a 12-year absence from the Olympic Games.
France's volleyball history dates back to the 1948 European Championship, where they took the silver medal. More recently, France finished second behind Brazil in the 2006 World League but they have had their share of disappointment in subsequent seasons. The team failed to qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and in the following year's World League they narrowly missed making the Final Six, falling at the last hurdle to Argentina. They suffered another setback in the 2010 World League when they again missed the finals and finished 12th.