Since the foundation of the Australian Volleyball Federation in 1963, the sport has continued to rise in popularity and volleyball is now one of the most played sports in the country. At the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the team came eighth, beating Spain in the process and taking a set from Italy, who were reigning world champions at the time.
The ‘Volleyroos’ have become a highly regarded competitor in world volleyball, returning to the Olympic Games at London 2012. After an enthralling battle for Rio 2016 qualification, Australia just missed out after finishing fifth at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan.
In the first edition of the Volleyball Nations League, Australia finished the event with five wins to rank 13th overall.
This will be Australia’s seventh appearance in the World Championship, after finishing 15th last time around in 2014, when they reached the second round in Poland. It was Australia's best placing in the history of the competition.