There was a time when Cuba were feared on the world stage and the team claimed a string of elite championships in the 1990s. Although those days have passed, the Cubans are trying to build a bright new future. They won the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix in 1993 and 2000 and claimed silver as recently as 2008. The Central American side finished eighth in Group 2 in 2014 in what was their 20th participation in the tournament, and were fifth in Group 3 last year. They have collected a total of eight medals in the competition.

The Cubans ended 2014 with a disappointing FIVB Volleyball World Championship campaign. After finishing 12th in the 2010 edition, Juan Carlos Gala’s side won just one set and lost every match en route to joint 21st place finish in Italy. It has been quite a fall for Cuba, who won consecutive golds in 1994 and 1998. It is 15 years since the team won their third straight gold medal on the Olympic stage and they failed to qualify for the London 2012 Games. The Cubans, however, can boast of continuing success at the Pan American Games, medals including gold in 2007 and silver in 2011.