Portugal have been a regular feature of the FIVB World League over the last five years. In 2015 and 2016, however, they finished bottom of the table in Group 2. Last year they did take part in the finals of the Group as hosts, defeating the Netherlands 3-1 in the semifinals but losing to Canada 3-0 in the final.
The Portuguese team did not qualify for the 2014 FIVB World Championship – their best ever ranking in the competition remaining a fourth place in the inaugural edition of 1948 among six participants in a roundrobin pool.
The Portuguese first qualified for the World League in 1999. The team’s best performance to date in the competition was the fifth place they achieved in 2005.
In 2007, Portugal hosted the Final Four of the European League and the team came close to claiming a first international trophy before losing 3-2 in a dramatic final against Spain. They broke their duck in 2010 when they took the gold medal at the European League in Spain. They have yet to qualify for an Olympic Games.