The Netherlands have qualified for every World Championship since 1990, and their best finish in the event came in 1998 when they were seventh. At the previous World Championship in 2010, the Netherlands finished 11th. They advanced out of their pool with three victories from five games, but were less victorious in the second group stage. They lost their first classification match against Poland, but defeated Cuba in their final game to salvage 11th place. This represents a slight slip down the rankings, as four years previously they were ranked eighth.

It has been 18 years since the team appeared at the Olympic Games, finishing in fifth in Atlanta 1996 and one place lower four years earlier in Barcelona 1992. The Netherlands only win on the world stage came in the 2007 World Grand Prix, where five wins from five in the Final Round secured them the gold medal. They have appeared in 25 editions of the European Championship, and were champions in 1995. Most recently they won a silver medal in 2009, adding to a silver they won in 1991.

The team will head to Italy full of optimism after a promising 2014 World Grand Prix campaign where they qualified for the Final Round of Group 2. After defeating Puerto Rico in the semifinal, they fell just short of success by losing to Belgium in the final.