Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

Polish Volleyball Federation The Polish Volleyball Federation (, PZPS) is an organization founded in 1928 in sport, 1928 to govern the practice of Volleyball in Poland.volleyball in Poland, which represents the country in international competitions and friendly matches. Poland's greatest achievements to date have been winning gold medal at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

, three

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

titles ( 1974,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

and

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

), two European Championship titles (

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

), World League (

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

) and the Nations League (

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

). As of September 2024, Poland is one of the world's strongest teams, ranked first in the FIVB world ranking.

History

Poland achieved some of its best results in the 1970s, with gold medals at 1974 World Championship and the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics. They also won five consecutive silver medals at the European Championship, between 1975 and 1983.

2005–2008 Raúl Lozano

2005

On 17 January 2005 Raúl Lozano was chosen as coach. On 27 May 2005 he debuted as the coach in official match against

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

(3–1) – first meeting at 2005 World League. Polish national team won 9 of 12 matches in intercontinental round in Pool C (with

Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

,

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, Argentina) and achieved promotion to final round in Serbia and Montenegro. They lost just 2 matches with Serbia and Montenegro (2–3, 2–3) and Greece (1–3).

2006

In 2006 polish team won silver medal at

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

. In final they lost against

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

.

2009–2010 Daniel Castellani

2009

On 17 January 2009, Daniel Castellani, who had previously led PGE Skra Bełchatów, was announced as the new head coach. In June 2009 Polish team played in Pool D of intercontinental round of the World League 2009. They won 5 of 12 matches, but lost all 4 matches with

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and 3 meetings with

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Poland took 11th place in general classification. Siatkarze po Mistrzostwach Europy 2009 wer2

On 3 September 2009, Poland played its first match in preliminary round Pool A of the European Championship 2009 held in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Polish players beat

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in opening match 3–1. Then won with

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

(3–1) and hosts – Turkey (3–0). Poland took first place in Pool A and went to play-off round, where in Pool F beat European Champion 2007 –

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

(3–2) and won two another meetings with

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

(3–2) and Greece (3–0). They reached the first place in the group and Poland advanced to the final round. In semi-final played against

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

and won 3–0. In final they met with France once again. This two teams opened and closed European Championship 2009. On 13 September 2009 Poland won a title of the European Champion first time in history. 2 of 8 individual award were achieved by Polish players. Paweł Zagumny was the ''Best setter'' and ''Most valuable player'' was awarded the captain and opposite hitter of Polish national team – Piotr Gruszka. On 14 September 2009 all players were awarded Knight's Cross of Polonia Restituta and coach Daniel Castellani received Officer's Cross of Polonia Restituta. In 18–23 November 2009, Poland participated as the European Champion in World Grand Champions Cup held in Japan. The Polish team won 2 of 5 matches with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Poland took 4th place. Polish men's national volleyball team was elected the best team of 2009 in ''75th Plebiscyt Przeglądu Sportowego 2009'' in Poland and Piotr Gruszka was 3rd in the ''Top 10 of Polish Athletes'' in the same competition.

2010

Polish national team started season with intercontinental round of the World League 2010. At the beginning they lost twice with German team (1–3 and 0–3) in Stuttgart. Then on 11–12 June beat hosts of final round – Argentina (3–1 and 3–2) in San Juan. On 18–19 June played with

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. Poland lost first match 2–3, but next day beat opponent 3–0. The remaining 6 matches Polish national team played in Poland. On 25–26 June, Poland beat Argentina (3–1 and 3–1) in

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

. They moved to Atlas Arena to

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

, where they lost both matches with Cuba (0–3 and 1–3). Matches with Germany on 8–9 July ended Polish participated in the World League. Poland lost 2–3 and won the next day 3–1 at

Spodek Spodek is a multipurpose arena complex in Katowice, Poland, opened on 9 May 1971. Aside from the main dome, the complex includes a gym, an ice rink, a hotel and three large car parks. It was the largest indoor venue of its kind in Poland until ...

in

Katowice Katowice (, ) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Katowice urban area. As of 2021, Katowice has an official population of 286,960, and a resident population estimate of around 315,000. K ...

. On 25 September 2010, players of Polish national team played their first match at the World Championship 2010. They won all 3 matches in Pool F (first round) with

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

(3–0), Germany (3–2) and Serbia (3–1), which were held in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...

, Italy. In second round Poland lost their both matches with Brazil (0–3) and Bulgaria (0–3). Poland ended Championships in place 13–18. On 25 October 2010 after the vote of the board of Polish Volleyball Federation, Castellani was fired.

2011–2013 Andrea Anastasi

2011

After lacklustre previous year the head coach and a number of players were replaced. Andrea Anastasi began work as head coach on 23 February 2011, when Poland was ranked 11th in the FIVB ranking. His assistant was Andrea Gardini. They started season without an important players like Zagumny, Winiarski or Wlazły. The team started with the World League 2011. Poland as host was in final tournament, which was held at Ergo Arena in

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

. During a first match against Bulgaria, an opposite hitter – Zbigniew Bartman injured. Despite this Poland won after tie-break. Then Poland lost with Italy (0–3) and beat Argentina in five sets. They went to the semi-final, but lost the match against

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

(1–3). On 10 July 2011 Poland won first medal of the World League in history. Polish achieved individual awards – Bartosz Kurek was the ''Best scorer'' and

Krzysztof Ignaczak Krzysztof Ignaczak (born 15 May 1978) is a Polish former professional volleyball player. He was a member of the Poland men's national volleyball team, Poland national team from 1998 to 2014, a participant in 3 Olympic Games (2004 Summer Olympics, ...

the ''Best libero''. In the same year the Polish national team wanted to defend a title of European Champion from 2009. The team, without injured Zbigniew Bartman, won in playoff round with

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

and went to quarterfinals. In

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

beat Slovakia (3–0). Then they moved to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

and lost the match against Italy (0–3). Poles again played the 3rd place match. On 18 September 2011 they beat the winners of World League 2011 – Russia (3–1) and achieved their second bronze in 2011. In addition, individual award for ''Best server'' received Bartosz Kurek. In November was the first chance to qualify for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. At FIVB World Cup 2011 won 9 of 11 matches. They lost with Iran (2–3), Brazil (2–3) and Russia (2–3). Polish national team won promotion to the Olympics on 3 December 2011, when they won first two sets against Brazil (this one point gave them place on the podium). In conclusion Poland won the silver medal, and repeated the success of the FIVB World Cup 1965, where Poland achieve silver too. For the first time in the history Polish national team won three medals in one year. One of individual awards received middle-blocker Marcin Możdżonek, who was ''Best blocker''. Polish men's national volleyball team was elected the best team of 2011 in ''77th Plebiscyt Przeglądu Sportowego 2011'' in Poland and Bartosz Kurek was 2nd in the ''Top 10 of Polish Athletes'' in the same competition.

2012

The main purpose for the team were Olympics, but earlier they participated in FIVB World League 2012. They won 10 of 12 matches of intercontinental round, including 3 times won with Brazil, which was successful after many years of defeats. Poland advanced to Final Six, which was held in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, Bulgaria. Polish team was in Pool F with Cuba and Brazil. They won both their group matches and went to the semi-final. They beat the host – Bulgaria and for the first time in history had a chance to play in final of World League. On 8 July 2012 won the final match against

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(3–0). It was a second medal of World League for Polish team and the first gold. Polish players received 4 of 8 individual awards. ''Best spiker'' was Zbigniew Bartman, ''Best blocker'' – Marcin Możdżonek, ''Best libero'' – Krzysztof Ignaczak and ''Most valuable player'' – Bartosz Kurek. On 29 July 2012 the team played their first Pool A match at the 20123 London Summer Olympics against Italy (3–1). Polish national team won 3 of 5 pool matches, but lost with Bulgaria and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. They went to quarterfinal, but lost it after 3–1 match against future Olympic Champions – Russia. Despite the defeat, Krzysztof Ignaczak was the ''Best receiver'' of the 2012 Summer Olympics (four years earlier, the same award received another Polish player – Michał Winiarski). Poland had the success and failure of this season, but despite this they were elected the best team of 2012 in ''78th Plebiscyt Przeglądu Sportowego 2012'' in Poland.

2013

The team started season on 24 May 2013 when they played friendly match with Serbia (3–0) in Milicz. Next day, on 25 May the two national teams played their second match in Twardogóra, which was won by guests (1–3). Poland began its participation in the World League 2013 losing their first four matches. They lost twice with Brazil at

Torwar Hall The Central Sports Centre Torwar (formerly known as Hala Torwar, commonly referred to as the Arena COS Torwar) is an indoor arena in Warsaw, Poland. It opened in 1953 and seats 4,824 people in the stands, with up to an additional 1,480 seats avai ...

on 7 June (1–3) and after tie-brak at Atlas Arena on 9 June. Then Polish players lost next two aligned matches on 21 and 23 June against France, which have been resolved after tie-breaks. On 28 June 2013 Polish team played their first match with Argentine team (3–2) at Łuczniczka,

Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz is a city in northern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Kuyavia. Straddling the confluence of the Vistula River and its bank (geography), left-bank tributary, the Brda (river), Brda, the strategic location of Byd ...

and two days later their second meeting (3–1) at Ergo Arena in Gdańsk. The heroes of winning matches with Argentine players were Jarosz and Kurek. On 5 and 7 July, Polish national team beat United States team (3–2) at Spodek, Katowice and (3–1) at Centennial Hall in Wrocław, after great game of Jakub Jarosz. Poland didn't continue their series of victories. On 12 July 2013 lost (0–3) match against Bulgaria and one day later lost dramatic match after tie-break despite the determination of the whole team. Unstoppable was the main scorer of Bulgaria – Tsvetan Sokolov. At Palace of Culture and Sports, Varna lost their last two matches of intercontinental round and ended their game in World League 2013. In October 2013 Andrea Anastasi was fired as coach of the Polish national team. The reason for this decision were unsuccessful Polish losses in 2013 and getting worse team game. Poland, while working of Andrea Anastasi, took 3rd place in the FIVB World Rankings. It was promotion from 11th place in early 2011. Anastasi has announced that he won't be coach of any national team at the World Championship 2014 held in Poland because of respect for his former players. He decided to stay in Poland and has been working with Polish club Lotos Trefl Gdańsk.

2014–2016 Stéphane Antiga

2014

On 24 October 2013, was announced new head coach Stéphane Antiga. He began his work after the end of the league season 2013/2014, because he played for PGE Skra Bełchatów and he had to complete his career as a player. His first tournament as Poland's head coach was the CEV European Championship 2015 qualification. Poland won 5 out of their 6 matches, beating

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

and

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

twice each and

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

once. The Polish national team qualified for the CEV European Championship 2015. After this, the team took part in the FIVB World League 2014. They won 6 of 12 matches in the intercontinental round, but didn't qualify for the Final Six. They lacked one set against Brazil for a place in the final tournament. The team went on to make preparations at training camps in Belchatów, Capbreton (France) and Spała before the World Championship 2014. On 16–18 August 2014 the 12th Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner was held at Kraków Arena, Kraków. On the first day, after losing a match with Bulgaria (2–3), coach Antiga announced the list of players who would represent the Polish national team at the World Championship 2014. He eliminated one of the major players of previous years: Bartosz Kurek. In the following matches of tournament Mariusz Wlazły was unable to play because of a sprained ankle. Despite this, Poland defeated

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and for the first time since 2011, beat Russia. The Polish team took 2nd place and two of the Polish players received individual awards: Piotr Nowakowski as ''Best server'' and Krzysztof Ignaczak as ''Best libero''. On 30 August 2014, Poland played their historic match at the

National Stadium Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football ...

in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

against Serbia as opening meeting of the 2014 World Championship. It was the opening match of the World Championship 2014 in Poland. Polish team won 3–0 and with attendance over 62,000 audience. In their first group, Pool A, Poland won all 5 matches and lost just one set with

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. In their second group, Pool F, the host team won 3 of their 4 matches. On 10 September 2014, they lost to the United States (1–3), but then beat the national teams of Italy (3–1), Iran (3–2) and France (3–2). Poland took second place in Group F. The breakdown in the next stage of the tournament was decided by drawing lots. Poland went into group H with Brazil and Russia. Some commentators and fans called Pool H the "Group of Death", but it was a happy result for the home team. The Polish national team won two dramatic matches after tie-breaks at Atlas Arena in Łódź. On 16 September 2014 they beat Brazil. Poland's main scorer in the match was Mariusz Wlazły, who gained 31 points for his team. Two days later, Poland needed just two winning sets for promotion to the semi-final. Poland beat Russia and took first place in the group. On 21 September 2014 the Polish team won the semi-final match against Germany, which guaranteed for Poland their third ever medal at the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

. On 21 September 2014 Poland won the title of World Champion 2014, for the first time in 40 years. Poland beat Brazil (3–1). Polish players received 3 of 8 the individual awards in the tournament: Karol Kłos as ''Best blocker'', Mariusz Wlazły as ''Best opposite'' and ''Most valuable player''. After victory Poland have risen two places in FIVB ranking and has been taken 3rd place. It was announced that in 2015, the Polish national team will take part in the World League, European Championship (Bulgaria/Italy),

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

(Japan), and the first edition of the

European Games The European Games is a continental multi-sport event in the Olympic tradition contested by athletes from countries served by national Olympic committees within the European Olympic Committees (EOC), the regional association for such committ ...

, which will be held in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, Azerbaijan. Historic result at World Championship brought the team their next title of the ''Best Team of 2014'' in Plebiscite of Przegląd Sportowy 2014 in Poland. Head coach Stephane Antiga was awarded a title of the ''Coach of the year 2014'' ex-aequo with Łukasz Kruczek. A title of ''Debutant of the year 2014'' was awarded Mateusz Mika. Mariusz Wlazły was 2nd in the ''Top 10 of Polish Athletes'' in the same competition.

2015

Head coach Stephane Antiga appointed players to the Polish national team on 2 April 2015. The new chosen captain of the team was Karol Kłos, who replaced a previous one – Michał Winiarski. During the matches of intercontinental round of World League, the captain of Polish team was Michał Kubiak, because of Kłos' injury. They began season with intercontinental round of World League 2015. First match with Russia, Poland won 3–0. ''Most valuable player'' of match was Mateusz Bieniek, who played his first match in senior national team. After break to national team returned a few players – Bartosz Kurek, Jakub Jarosz,

Grzegorz Łomacz Grzegorz Łomacz (born 1 October 1987) is a Polish professional volleyball player who plays as a setter for Skra Bełchatów and the Poland men's national volleyball team, Poland national team. With Poland, Łomacz won the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Me ...

, Piotr Gacek, Wojciech Grzyb. Next day, Poland beat Russia in five-set match (3–2). ''Most valuable player'' of match was Bartosz Kurek (23 pts). On 5 June 2015 Poland beat Iran (3–1). Bartosz Kurek scored 30 pts and he was ''Most valuable player'' of match. Next day, Poland won another meeting with Iran (3–2) and MVP was chosen Michał Kubiak. On 12 June 2015 Poland lost first match with United States (3–2) after almost 3 hours meeting. It was first lost match of Poland since 10 September 2014, when they lost with U.S. national team at World Championship. Next day, Poland also lost with American players (3–1). After spending one week in United States, Poland moved to Russian ground –

Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...

, where they won two matches against Russia (3–1) and (3–2). Then they flew to

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

. After a spectacular meeting, Poland lost first match on 26 June (3–2). Two days later, Polish national team beat Iran (3–1). Polish team spent three weeks in tour and they came back to Poland on last matches of intercontinental round with United States. On 3 July 2015 Poland beat USA in tie-break and achieved two points, which gave Polish team a qualification to final round of World League 2015 in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. Next day, they lost match (1–3). Poland qualified for the Pool J with Serbia and Italy. On 17 July Poland won match over Italy (3–1) and qualified to semi-final. Main leader in this important meeting was Michał Kubiak, who scored 19 pts. Next day, Serbia won over Poland (2–3), but Polish team gained 1 pt and took first place in Pool J. On 18 July, Poland lost semi-final with France (2–3). On 19 July Poland did not achieve bronze, because of lost with USA (0–3). Polish team had problems with own errors. Poland took 4th place in edition of the World League 2015. Polish players achieved two individual awards – Michał Kubiak was one of the ''Best outside spiker'' and Paweł Zatorski was ''Best libero''. In 2–9 August all players, whose were in final round in Rio de Janeiro went to training camp in Arłamów and two players joined to team ( Włodarczyk, Kłos). Then the team without Wrona was training in Spała. Polish national team is going to take part in 2015 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner in

Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...

. First day, they beat Japan (3–0). In the following days Poland beat Iran (3–1) and France (3–2). Poland won 2015 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner for sixth time and Polish players achieved five individual awards – ''Best spiker'' was Dawid Konarski, ''Best server'' was Mateusz Bieniek, ''Best blocker'' was Piotr Nowakowski, ''Best libero'' was Paweł Zatorski and ''Most valuable player'' was a captain Michał Kubiak. Polish players started their visit in Japan from training camp in

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

and then they went to Hammamatsu, where they are playing their first round matches. Poland started a journey at World Cup 2015 on 8 September, when they beat

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

(3–0). In following day, Polish players beat Russia (3–1) and in both matches Most Valuable Player of match was chosen Bartosz Kurek. During third set of the meeting with Russia, Polish setter Grzegorz Łomacz twisted his ankle. On 10 September 2015 Poland contained their winning with Argentina (3–1) and MVP was Michał Kubiak. On 12 September, Polish team beat Iran (3–2) and best player on the court was chosen Mateusz Mika. On 13 September Poland played their last match in first round in Hamamatsu with

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

(3–1). MVP of match was Dawid Konarski, who scored 22 points. Poland won all five matches in first round of World Cup 2015, but lost one point in overall table. In second round Poland beat Canada (3–1), Egypt (3–0), and Australia (3–0). After eight victories without any defeat, Poland moved to Tokyo. On 21 September 2015, two previously undefeated teams met in first match of third round. Poland beat United States (3–1) and Polish captain Michał Kubiak played his best match in World Cup. Then Poland won match with host team Japan, but they had problems with them in first set (3–1). Poland won 10 of 10 matches and the last day on 23 September met with Italy. They lost 3–1 and they did not achieve one point so Poland took 3rd place in tournament, which did not give Poland a qualification to

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. Poland won 10 of 11 matches, but because of points and ratio of set, achieved only bronze medal without Olympic qualification.

2016

From 5 to 10 January 2016, Polish team took part in 2016 Summer Olympics – European qualification. Poland was in Pool A, where they won two matches, with Serbia (3–1) and

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, lost one with Germany (2–3). In semi-final Poland lost with France (0–3) and lost chance to qualify to Olympics. On 10 January 2016 Poland won 3rd place match with Germany (3–2). Poland was qualified to World Olympic Qualification Tournament and keep chance to gain qualification to

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. On 28 May 2016, Poland started the battle in World Olympic Qualification Tournament. After 5 victories in first 5 matches (with Canada 3–2, France 3–2, Japan 3–0, China 3–2, Venezuela 3–0 and Iran 1–3) Poland achieved qualification to 2016 Rio Summer Olympics on 2 June 2016. Poland beat 4 of 5 opponents in group stage at

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

(lost only to Russia after tie break). They took second place in Group B and were qualified to quarterfinals. Due to the draw, Poland next met the USA. On 17 August 2016 Americans beat Polish players (0–3) and Poland took 5th place. This was their fourth Olympics with the same result in a row.

2017: Ferdinando De Giorgi

The contract of Stephane Antiga lasted to the end of December 2016, and the Federation decided not to renew it. In October 2016, Polish Volleyball Federation decided to choose a new head coach of Poland. There were three main candidates: Radostin Stoychev, Mauro Berruto and Ferdinando De Giorgi. On 16 December 2016, it was announced that Ferdinando De Giorgi took over the Polish team.

2017

De Giorgi made his debut as a head coach of Poland in friendly match with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

without losing any set, on 20 May 2017. The match was a goodbye match for notable libero

Krzysztof Ignaczak Krzysztof Ignaczak (born 15 May 1978) is a Polish former professional volleyball player. He was a member of the Poland men's national volleyball team, Poland national team from 1998 to 2014, a participant in 3 Olympic Games (2004 Summer Olympics, ...

, who officially ended up his career in national team. Then Poland took part in intercontinental round of the 2017 FIVB World League. In first week, Poland beat

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

(3–2) and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

(3–1), but lost match with

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

(1–3). Overall, Poland won 4 and lost 5 meetings. They lost a chance to advance to Final Six after losing match with

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(1–3) on 18 June. In final standing Poland took 8th place. Poland took part in annual friendly tournament 2017 Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner in 11–13 August 2017. On day 1, they lost with

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(2–3) and next day they beat

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

led by their previous head coach Stephane Antiga (3–0). These two matches were played by main players of team without any relevant changes in squad. In last match with

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, coach De Giorgi decided to check extended squad and young players. Poland easily lost first two sets and made a contact in third set. Poland won after tie-break and achieved 7th win of the Memorial of Hubert Jerzy Wagner. The victory was provided mainly by some newbies in senior national team Łukasz Kaczmarek, Jakub Kochanowski, Bartłomiej Lemański and also by few young players, who debuted in previous year like Artur Szalpuk. Head coach De Giorgi had an intention to announce team roster for upcoming 2017 European Championship, but after match with Russia he changed his mind and said he is going to do it few days later. Poland took part in the 2017 European Championships. The national team opened Championships with loss at

National Stadium, Warsaw The Stadion Narodowy (, ), known for sponsorship reasons as the PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna, PGE Narodowy since 2015 (with patron being added in 2021), is a retractable-roof football (soccer), football stadium located in Warsaw, Poland. It is ...

in front of more than 60.000 fans (with Serbia). Then they won twice (3–0) with Finland and Estonia. On 30 August 2017 Polish national team was beaten by Slovenia in playoffs. The atmosphere in the team was not the best and the head coach failed to draw conclusions from the defeat, so PZPS fired Ferdinando De Giorgi on 20 September.

2018–2021: Vital Heynen

PZPS chose a new head coach out of three candidates: Piotr Gruszka, Andrzej Kowal and Vital Heynen. On 7 February 2018 Heynen was chosen in explicit voting. Heynen has also agreed to the condition that the PZPS can dismiss him at the end of any season without paying any compensation. In 2018, he led the Polish national team to victory at the FIVB Volleyball World Championship. His other successes with the team include silver medal at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

and bronze medals at the Nations League and the European Volleyball Championship in 2019.

2022–present: Nikola Grbić

On 12 January 2022, Nikola Grbić was selected as the coach of the Poland Volleyball National Team. In 2023, he led the Polish team to a triple victory at three consecutive tournaments: 2023 Nations League, 2023 European Championship, and 2023 Volleyball Olympic Qualification Tournament. At the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

, the Poland national volleyball team won silver medal losing in the final to France. This marked the first time in 48 years since the team's last Olympic medal in Montreal 1976 when Poland won gold.

Statistics