Following their stunning performance in 2014 when the Dominican Republic narrowly missed out on the medals round, the country returns to the FIVB World Championship this year for their eighth appearance in the competition. The Caribbean side made their World Championship debut in 1974 and this year marks their sixth consecutive appearance.
The Dominican Republic's greatest success on the global stage was taking bronze at the 2009 FIVB Grand Champions Cup in Japan. They have also participated in the Olympic Games at Athens 2004 and at London 2012 Olympic Games, where they came just short of a medal position, finishing fifth.
The Dominican Republic were Pan-American Games gold medallists in 2003 and more recently bronze medallists in the latest edition in 2015, after beating Puerto Rico 3-1 in the third-place playoff. They were also North and Central America & Caribbean (NORCECA) champions in 2009. This year they struck gold at the Barranquilla 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games, for the seventh time in the history of the competition, after beating hosts Colombia 3-0 in the final.
An ever-present in the FIVB World Grand Prix since 2004, the Dominican Republic’s best ranking was eighth place, which they achieved in both 2006 and 2010. The team competed in the inaugural FIVB Volleyball Nations League this year, ranking 14th overall.