Tunisia have yet to finish higher at a World Championship than the 15th place they managed in 2006, and success in 2014 will be measured by whether or not they surpass that result. However, just qualifying consistently for the event – Poland 2014 will be their ninth World Championship and their fourth in succession – is an achievement in itself for the eight-time African champions.

The 2002 World Championship was the first for the nation in 20 years. Tunisia remains a nation quietly on the rise in volleyball, participating in the World League for the first time in 2014, when they finished 27th. In 2013 the Tunisia squad finished second at both the African Championship – their third silver medal in five attempts – and the Mediterranean Games. The nation also qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games where they finished in 11th place.

Their history as a volleyball nation is only pre-dated in Africa by Egypt. Both teams are founding members of African volleyball, and Tunisia competed in the 1958 European Championship as there was no African continental competition at the time.