France made their Olympic debut in 1988 in Seoul, Korea, where they finished eighth overall. They returned in the following edition in Barcelona 1992 but dropped three places in the ranking. They missed the next two cycles and came back in Athens 2004, slightly improving their finish at joint-ninth. The Frenchmen’s recent surge in the world stage ended their 12-year absence from the Olympic Games when they qualified through the World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan. France’s volleyball history dates back to the 1948 European Championship, where they took the silver medal. Much can be said about their past history but France are in a new era under head coach Laurent Tillie, one of the most decorated players in the national team's history.

At the World League, France finished second behind Brazil in the 2006 World League but they have had their share of disappointment in subsequent seasons. At the 2009 World League, they narrowly missed making the Final Six, falling at the last hurdle to Argentina. They suffered another setback in 2010 when they missed the finals and finished 12th. They finished 10th at the 2013 World League, and fifth at the European Championship. They finished as runners-up in Group 2 at the 2014 World League, as they topped Pool D with 10 wins in 12 matches, and after sweeping Belgium in the Final Four semifinal, they were defeated in the final by hosts Australia in five sets. Their momentum carried on into the 2014 World Championship, where they topped the second round pool ahead of hosts Poland and progressed all the way to the third place match, before losing in straight sets to Germany. They catapulted to the top as they captured the 2015 World League title with an impressive sweep of their Group 2 matches and an even striking performance in the Group 1 Final Six in Rio de Janeiro.