Venezuela are seeking for a follow-up Olympic appearance since their debut in Beijing in 2008, when they completed their stint at equal-ninth. The strengths of Brazil and Argentina have prevented Venezuela from winning the South American Championships, but they have nine silver and 12 bronze medals in an event in which they have never finished outside the top four. As a mark of their consistency, Venezuela have now qualified on 11 occasions for the World Championship. They finished eighth at the 2011 Pan American Games. Their finest hour came in 2003 when they defeated Brazil en route to becoming Pan American Games champions, but they did not compete in Canada in 2015.
Last year, they qualified for the World League because of Germany’s withdrawal. In their first appearance in the competition after a five-year absence, they finished bottom of their Group 3 pool with only one win, against Kazakhstan. Their World Cup record is brief. The only time they competed was in 2003 when they finished eighth with four wins. Coached by Italian Vincenzo Nacci, Venezuela were one point short of a place in the second round of the 2014 World Championship in Poland. Their only win came against Cameroon, while they also scored by taking two sets against Australia.