Poland men's national volleyball team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Poland

Nickname(s)	Biało–Czerwoni (The White and Reds)
Association	Polish Volleyball Federation
Confederation	CEV
Head coach	Nikola Grbić
FIVB ranking	5 (as of September 2014)
Uniforms
Home 　 Away
Summer Olympics
Appearances	11 (First in 1968)
Best result	(1976)
World Championship
Appearances	18 (First in 1949)
Best result	(1974, 2014, 2018)
FIVB World Cup
Appearances	7 (First in 1965)
Best result	(1965, 2011, 2019)
European Championship
Appearances	25 (First in 1950)
Best result	(2009, 2023)

The Poland men's national volleyball team is a top team that represents Poland in international volleyball games. They are known as Biało–Czerwoni, which means "The White and Reds" in Polish. The team is managed by the Polish Volleyball Federation, which helps them compete around the world.

Poland has achieved amazing things in volleyball. They won a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. They also have three World Championship titles (in 1974, 2014, and 2018). The team has won two European Championship titles (in 2009 and 2023), the FIVB Volleyball World League in 2012, and the FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League in 2023.

As of September 2024, Poland is one of the strongest volleyball teams globally. They are ranked first in the FIVB world ranking.

Team History and Achievements

Poland's volleyball team had some of its best moments in the 1970s. They won gold at the 1974 World Championship and the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. They also earned five silver medals in a row at the European Championship between 1975 and 1983.

Coaching Eras

Raúl Lozano (2005–2008)

Poland playing against Argentina in Bydgoszcz during the 2005 World League.

Raúl Lozano became the coach in January 2005. His first official game was a 3–1 win against Argentina in the 2005 World League. In 2006, the Polish team won a silver medal at the World Championship, losing to Brazil in the final.

Daniel Castellani (2009–2010)

The team celebrating their European Championship win in 2009.

Daniel Castellani took over as head coach in January 2009. In September 2009, Poland played in the European Championship in Turkey. They won all their matches in the early rounds. In the semi-final, they beat Bulgaria 3–0. In the final, they faced France again, who they had beaten in their first match.

On September 13, 2009, Poland won their first-ever European Champion title! Two Polish players received special awards: Paweł Zagumny was the Best setter, and captain Piotr Gruszka was the Most valuable player. After this big win, the team participated in the World Grand Champions Cup in Japan, finishing 4th.

In 2010, the team played in the World League. They won some matches but didn't make it to the final round. Later that year, they played in the World Championship. They won their first three matches but then lost to Brazil and Bulgaria, finishing 13th–18th. Daniel Castellani was later replaced as coach.

Andrea Anastasi (2011–2013)

The Polish team on the podium with their bronze medals at the 2011 World League.

Andrea Anastasi became the head coach in February 2011. The team started the 2011 World League as hosts of the final tournament in Gdańsk. They reached the semi-finals but lost to Russia. On July 10, 2011, Poland won their first-ever medal in the World League, taking bronze. Bartosz Kurek was the Best scorer, and Krzysztof Ignaczak was the Best libero.

Later in 2011, Poland aimed to defend their European Champion title. They reached the semi-finals but lost to Italy. They then played for 3rd place and beat Russia 3–1, earning their second bronze medal of the year. Bartosz Kurek also won the Best server award.

In November, the team had a chance to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics at the FIVB World Cup 2011. They won 9 out of 11 matches, securing a silver medal and a spot in the Olympics. This was the first time in history that the Polish national team won three medals in one year! Marcin Możdżonek was named Best blocker.

In 2012, the team's main goal was the Olympics. Before that, they played in the FIVB World League 2012. They won 10 of 12 matches in the early rounds, including three wins against Brazil. They advanced to the Final Six in Bulgaria, where they won their group matches and then beat the host team, Bulgaria, in the semi-final. On July 8, 2012, Poland won the final match against the United States 3–0, earning their first-ever World League gold medal! Polish players received four individual awards, including Bartosz Kurek as Most valuable player.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Poland won 3 of 5 group matches. They reached the quarter-finals but lost to Russia, who went on to win the gold medal. Krzysztof Ignaczak was recognized as the Best receiver of the Olympics.

In 2013, the team had a tougher season in the World League 2013, losing several matches. Andrea Anastasi was later replaced as coach.

Stéphane Antiga (2014–2016)

Stephane Antiga, the head coach who led Poland to the 2014 World Championship title.

Stéphane Antiga became the new head coach in October 2013. His first big tournament was the 2014 World Championship, which was held in Poland. On August 30, 2014, Poland played a historic opening match against Serbia at the National Stadium in Warsaw. They won 3–0 in front of over 62,000 fans!

Poland won all five matches in their first group. In the second group, they won 3 of 4 matches. They then advanced to the next stage, where they beat Brazil and Russia in exciting matches. On September 21, 2014, Poland won the semi-final against Germany, guaranteeing them a medal. Later that day, Poland won the World Championship title for the first time in 40 years, beating Brazil 3–1! Karol Kłos was the Best blocker, and Mariusz Wlazły was the Best opposite and Most valuable player.

In 2015, the team played in the World League, reaching the semi-finals and finishing 4th. They also won the Hubert Jerzy Wagner Memorial tournament. At the World Cup 2015 in Japan, Poland won 10 out of 11 matches, earning a bronze medal. However, this wasn't enough to qualify directly for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

In 2016, Poland qualified for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics through a special tournament. At the Olympics, they won 4 of 5 group matches but lost in the quarter-finals to the USA, finishing 5th.

Ferdinando De Giorgi (2017)

Ferdinando De Giorgi became the head coach in December 2016. He debuted in a friendly match against Iran. In the 2017 FIVB World League, Poland won 4 and lost 5 matches, finishing 8th.

In August 2017, Poland won the Hubert Jerzy Wagner Memorial for the 7th time. However, at the 2017 European Championships, Poland lost their opening match and were later beaten by Slovenia in the playoffs. Due to these results, De Giorgi was replaced as coach.

Vital Heynen (2018–2021)

Vital Heynen was chosen as the new head coach in February 2018. In 2018, he led the Polish national team to another victory at the FIVB Volleyball World Championship. His other successes include a silver medal at the World Cup and bronze medals at the Nations League and the European Championship in 2019.

Nikola Grbić (2022–present)

On January 12, 2022, Nikola Grbić became the coach of the Poland Volleyball National Team. In 2023, he led the team to an amazing "triple crown" by winning three tournaments in a row: the 2023 Nations League, the 2023 European Championship, and the 2023 Volleyball Olympic Qualification Tournament.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the Polish team won a silver medal. They lost to France in the final. This was their first Olympic medal in 48 years, since they won gold in Montreal 1976.

Team Statistics

Olympic Games Performance

     Champions       Second place       Third place

Summer Olympics record
Year	Round	Position	GP	MW	ML	SW	SL
1964	Did not qualify
1968	Round robin	5th	9	6	3	18	11
1972	9th–12th places	9th	6	2	4	11	12
1976	Final	1st	6	6	0	18	9
1980	Semifinals	4th	6	3	3	12	11
1984	Boycott
1988	Did not qualify
1992
1996	Preliminary round	11th	5	0	5	1	15
2000	Did not qualify
2004	Quarterfinals	5th	6	3	3	10	12
2008	Quarterfinals	5th	6	4	2	14	9
2012	Quarterfinals	5th	6	3	3	11	10
2016	Quarterfinals	5th	6	4	2	14	8
2020	Quarterfinals	5th	6	4	2	16	7
2024	Final	2nd	6	4	2	13	11
Total	1 Title	11/16	73	43	30	152	119

World Championship Performance

     Champions       Second place       Third place

World Championship record
Year	Round	Position	GP	MW	ML	SW	SL
1949	Final group	5th	7	2	5	9	15
1952	7th–11th places	7th	7	5	2	17	6
1956	Final group	4th	10	7	3	23	11
1960	Final group	4th	10	7	3	24	14
1962	Final group	6th	11	5	6	23	19
1966	Final group	6th	10	6	4	22	18
1970	Final group	5th	11	7	4	24	21
1974	Final group	1st	11	11	0	33	10
1978	5th–8th places	8th	9	5	4	18	16
1982	5th–8th places	6th	9	5	4	17	14
1986	9th–12th places	9th	8	4	4	15	12
1990	Did not qualify
1994
1998	Preliminary round	17th	3	1	2	4	6
2002	Second round	9th	6	4	2	15	10
2006	Final	2nd	11	10	1	30	6
2010	Second round	13th	5	3	2	9	9
2014	Final	1st	13	12	1	37	15
2018	Final	1st	12	9	3	32	14
2022	Final	2nd	7	6	1	19	8
2025	Qualified
Total	3 Titles	19/21	160	109	51	371	224

World Cup Performance

     Champions       Second place       Third place

World Cup record
Year	Round	Position	GP	MW	ML	SW	SL
1965	Final group	2nd	7	6	1	20	9
1969	7th–11th places	8th	6	3	3	12	9
1977	Final group	4th	8	6	2	18	13
1981	Round robin	4th	7	4	3	14	13
1985	Did not qualify
1989
1991
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011	Round robin	2nd	11	8	3	30	15
2015	Round robin	3rd	11	10	1	31	11
2019	Round robin	2nd	11	9	2	30	9
Total		7/14	61	46	15	155	79

World Grand Champions Cup Performance

     Champions       Second place       Third place

World Grand Champions Cup record
Year	Round	Position	GP	MW	ML	SW	SL
1993	Did not qualify
1997
2001
2005
2009	Round robin	4th	5	2	3	9	10
2013	Did not qualify
2017
Total		1/7	5	2	3	9	10

World League Performance

     Champions       Second place       Third place

World League record
Year	Round	Position	GP	MW	ML	SW	SL
1990	Did not participate
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998	Intercontinental round	10th	12	3	9	12	33
1999	Intercontinental round	8th	12	5	7	21	25
2000	Intercontinental round	8th	12	5	7	21	24
2001	Final round	7th	15	8	7	29	30
2002	Final round	5th	15	9	6	32	27
2003	Intercontinental round	9th	12	6	6	24	21
2004	Intercontinental round	7th	12	6	6	22	24
2005	Semifinals	4th	15	10	5	39	27
2006	Intercontinental round	7th	12	9	3	31	19
2007	Semifinals	4th	16	14	2	44	19
2008	Final round	5th	14	9	5	34	23
2009	Intercontinental round	9th	12	5	7	18	26
2010	Intercontinental round	10th	12	6	6	24	24
2011	Semifinals	3rd	17	9	8	31	29
2012	Final	1st	16	14	2	45	15
2013	Intercontinental round	11th	10	4	6	21	24
2014	Intercontinental round	8th	12	6	6	21	23
2015	Semifinals	4th	16	9	7	37	33
2016	Final round	5th	11	4	7	15	27
2017	Intercontinental round	8th	9	4	5	17	19
Total	1 Title	20/28	262	145	117	538	492

Nations League Performance

     Champions       Second place       Third place

Nations League record
Year	Round	Position	GP	MW	ML	SW	SL
2018	Final round	5th	17	10	7	33	25
2019	Semifinals	3rd	19	14	5	48	31
2021	Final	2nd	17	13	4	43	14
2022	Semifinals	3rd	15	12	3	39	15
2023	Final	1st	15	13	2	39	21
2024	Semifinals	3rd	15	12	3	39	14
Total	1 Title	6/6	98	74	24	241	120

European Championship Performance

     Champions       Second place       Third place

European Championship record
Year	Round	Position	GP	MW	ML	SW	SL
1948	Did not participate
1950	Round robin	6th	5	0	5	3	15
1951	Did not participate
1955	Final group	6th	9	4	5	17	19
1958	Final group	6th	11	7	4	25	15
1963	Final group	6th	9	5	4	18	16
1967	Final group	3rd	10	7	3	25	13
1971	Final group	6th	8	3	5	14	16
1975	Final group	2nd	7	5	2	17	9
1977	Final	2nd	7	5	2	18	9
1979	Final group	2nd	7	6	1	18	8
1981	Final group	2nd	7	6	1	18	5
1983	Final group	2nd	7	6	1	19	9
1985	Final group	4th	7	4	3	14	11
1987	Did not qualify
1989	5th–8th places	7th	7	4	3	15	11
1991	5th–8th places	7th	7	4	3	14	15
1993	5th–8th places	7th	7	3	4	14	14
1995	5th–8th places	6th	7	3	4	10	12
1997	Did not qualify
1999
2001	5th–8th places	5th	7	5	2	15	13
2003	5th–8th places	5th	7	4	3	17	12
2005	Preliminary round	5th	5	3	2	10	7
2007	Second round	11th	6	1	5	8	16
2009	Final	1st	8	8	0	24	7
2011	Semifinals	3rd	7	4	3	14	12
2013	Playoffs	9th	4	2	2	9	8
2015	Quarterfinals	5th	4	3	1	11	4
2017	Playoffs	10th	4	2	2	6	6
2019	Semifinals	3rd	9	8	1	25	4
2021	Semifinals	3rd	9	8	1	25	7
2023	Final	1st	9	9	0	27	4
Total	2 Titles	27/32	192	121	71	425	290

Other Tournament Results

• European League 2014 – 6th place
• European League 2015 – Bronze medal
• European Games 2015 (Baku) — 4th place
• World University Games 2013 (Kazan) – Silver medal
• World University Games 2019 (Naples) – Silver medal
• World University Games 2021 (Chengdu) – Silver medal

Hubert Jerzy Wagner Memorial

This is a special tournament where Poland has won many medals:

• 2003 Olsztyn – Silver medal
• 2004 Olsztyn – Silver medal
• 2005 Olsztyn/Iława – Silver medal
• 2006 Ostróda/Iława/Olsztyn – Gold medal
• 2007 Olsztyn/Elbląg/Ostróda – Bronze medal
• 2008 Olsztyn – Gold medal
• 2009 Łódź – Gold medal
• 2010 Bydgoszcz – Bronze medal
• 2011 Katowice – 4th place
• 2012 Zielona Góra – Gold medal
• 2013 Płock – Gold medal
• 2014 Kraków – Silver medal
• 2015 Toruń – Gold medal
• 2016 Kraków – Bronze medal
• 2017 Kraków – Gold medal
• 2018 Kraków – Gold medal
• 2019 Kraków – Silver medal
• 2021 Kraków – Gold medal
• 2022 Kraków – Gold medal
• 2023 Kraków – Bronze medal
• 2024 Kraków – Gold medal

Team Information

Current Squad

Here are the players representing Poland at the 2024 Olympic Games (as of July 7, 2024).

Head coach: Nikola Grbić
Captain: Bartosz Kurek

No.	Name	Date of birth	Height	Weight	Spike	Block	2024–25 club
5	Kaczmarek, ŁukaszŁukasz Kaczmarek	(1994-06-29)29 June 1994	2.04 m (6 ft 8 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	Jastrzębski Węgiel
6	Kurek, BartoszBartosz Kurek	(1988-08-29)29 August 1988	2.07 m (6 ft 9 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle
9	León, WilfredoWilfredo León	(1993-07-31)31 July 1993	2.02 m (6 ft 8 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	Bogdanka LUK Lublin
11	Śliwka, AleksanderAleksander Śliwka	(1995-05-24)24 May 1995	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	Suntory Sunbirds
12	Łomacz, GrzegorzGrzegorz Łomacz	(1987-10-01)1 October 1987	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	PGE Skra Bełchatów
15	Kochanowski, JakubJakub Kochanowski	(1997-07-17)17 July 1997	1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	Projekt Warsaw
16	Semeniuk, KamilKamil Semeniuk	(1996-07-16)16 July 1996	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	Sir Safety Perugia
17	Zatorski, PawełPaweł Zatorski	(1990-06-21)21 June 1990	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	Asseco Resovia
19	Janusz, MarcinMarcin Janusz	(1994-07-31)31 July 1994	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle
20	Bieniek, MateuszMateusz Bieniek	(1994-04-05)5 April 1994	2.10 m (6 ft 11 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	Warta Zawiercie
21	Fornal, TomaszTomasz Fornal	(1997-08-31)31 August 1997	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	Jastrzębski Węgiel
30	Bołądź, BartłomiejBartłomiej Bołądź (A)	(1994-09-28)28 September 1994	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	Projekt Warsaw
99	Norbert Huber	(1998-08-14)14 August 1998	2.04 m (6 ft 8 in)	0 kg (0 lb)	0 cm (0 in)	0 cm (0 in)	Jastrzębski Węgiel

Head Coaches

Individual Player Awards

You can find more details about the special awards won by Polish national team players here: Individual awards for players of Polish men's national team

Media and Documentaries

Łukasz Kadziewicz, a former player, started a project called Kadziu Project. He made videos showing the team's preparations and daily life during tournaments. After he retired, Krzysztof Ignaczak continued this idea with Igłą Szyte, making videos and writing a blog.

In 2014, a documentary film called Drużyna (meaning "The Team") was released. It showed the Polish volleyball team's journey in 2013, including their training and life during competitions.

Team Gear and Sponsors

Kit Providers

The table below shows which companies have provided the team's uniforms over the years.

Sponsorship

The team is supported by various sponsors. The main sponsors are PKN Orlen and Plus. Other sponsors include Adidas, Okocim Brewery, Deloitte, Kinder +Sport, Dynamic Parcel Distribution, Jurajska, and SMJ sport.

Images for kids

• 

  Polish national team before a friendly match with France in Rzeszów on May 29, 2010.

• 

  Action by outside hitter Bartosz Kurek (#6) during the 3rd place match at the 2011 World League in Gdańsk.

• 

  Poland celebrating after winning the 3rd place match against Argentina at the 2011 World League.

• 

  Polish team celebrating after a winning match in the 2012 World League in Katowice.

• 

  Marcin Możdżonek, Poland's captain, during an interview in 2012.

• 

  Polish players thanking fans after a winning match against the United States in the 2013 World League.

• 

  Bartosz Kurek playing in a match against the United States during the 2013 World League.

• 

  Andrea Anastasi, head coach from 2011–2013.

• 

  Poland playing during the 2014 FIVB World League.

• 

  Left-wing attack by Michał Winiarski during the 2014 FIVB World League against Iran.

• 

  Poland during the World Olympic Qualification Tournament match against Iran on June 4, 2016.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de voleibol de Polonia para niños

• Individual awards for players of Polish men's national team
• Poland men's national U19 volleyball team
• Poland men's national U21 volleyball team
• Poland men's national U23 volleyball team