Italy men's national volleyball team

The Italy men's national volleyball team represents the country in international competitions and friendly matches. The national team is controlled by the Italian Volleyball Federation, the governing body for Volleyball in Italy. It is one of the most successful national teams in the history of volleyball, having won four World Championships (1990, 1994, 1998 and 2022), seven European Championships, one World Cup (1995) and eight World League (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2000). Italy is the reigning World champion, having won 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship.

Golden Team
In 1989, Julio Velasco was hired to coach the Italian National Men's Team. He immediately led them to a gold medal at the European Championships in 1989, which his team won twice more in 1993 and 1995. The team also won a silver medal at the World Cup in 1989. He de-emphasized the specialization trend of the 1980s. He emphasized the concept of the “square”, team unity where the team was better than the sum of its players. He was meticulous, well prepared and very demanding, but he knew how to win. Starting at the 1990 World Championships and the 1990 Goodwill Games, the Italian National team swept the world volleyball events for five years. They won a gold medal in the World Championships in 1990 and 1994, the World League in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995, the 1991 Mediterranean Games, and the 1993 Grand Champions Cup. They won a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games. Julio Velasco left the Italian National Men's Team in 1996. Velasco in 1989-1996 created Golden Team with Players such as Zorzi, Andrea Gardini, Giani, Bernardi, Gravina, Bracci, Tofoli, Lucchetta, Papi, Pasinato and Meoni.

Olympic Games
Champions  Runners up   Third place   Fourth place

World Championship
Champions  Runners up   Third place   Fourth place


 * 🇧🇷 1990 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Anastasi, Bernardi, Bracci, Cantagalli, De Giorgi, Gardini, Giani, Lucchetta, Martinelli, Masciarelli, Tofoli, Zorzi. Head Coach: Velasco
 * 1994 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Bernardi, Bracci, Cantagalli, Gardini, Giani, De Giorgi, Giretto, Gravina, Papi, Pippi, Tofoli, Zorzi. Head Coach: Velasco
 * 🇯🇵 1998 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Bracci, Corsano, Fei, Gardini, Giani, De Giorgi, Gravina, Meoni, Papi, Pasinato, Rosalba, Sartoretti. Head Coach: Bebeto
 * 🇵🇱 / 2022 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Anzani, Balaso, Bottolo, Galassi, Giannelli, Lavia, Michieletto, Mosca, Pinali, Recine, Romanò, Russo, Sbertoli, Scanferla. Head Coach: De Giorgi

World Cup
Champions  Runners up   Third place   Fourth place


 * 🇯🇵 1995 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal

World Grand Champions Cup
Champions  Runners up   Third place   Fourth place


 * 🇯🇵 1993 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Bracci, Galli, Gardini, Giani, Gravina, Zorzi, Cantagalli, Bellini, Pippi, Pasinato, Bernardi. Head Coach: Velasco

World League
Champions  Runners up   Third place   Fourth place


 * 🇯🇵 1990 Osaka — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Gardini, Margutti, De Giorgi, Tofoli, Masciarelli, Anastasi, Bracci, Bernardi, Cantagalli, Zorzi, Lucchetta, Giazzoli, Pasinato, Petrelli, Martinelli, Loro, Gallia. Head coach: Velasco
 * 🇮🇹 1991 Milan — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Gardini, Martinelli, Margutti, De Giorgi, Tofoli, Masciarelli, Anastasi, Bracci, Bernardi, Cantagalli, Zorzi, Lucchetta, Giazzoli, Pasinato, Petrelli, Lombardi, Gallia, Galli, Gravina. Head coach: Velasco
 * 🇮🇹 1992 Genoa — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Gardini, Martinelli, Margutti, De Giorgi, Tofoli, Masciarelli, Galli, Bracci, Bernardi, Cantagalli, Zorzi, Lucchetta, Giani, Giazzoli, Pasinato. Head coach: Velasco
 * 🇮🇹 1994 Milan — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Gardini, Martinelli, Gravina, De Giorgi, Tofoli, Papi, Sartoretti, Bracci, Bernardi, Cantagalli, Margutti, Pippi, Giani, Bellini, Pasinato, Rinaldi, Fangareggi, Giretto. Head coach: Velasco
 * 🇧🇷 1995 Rio de Janeiro — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Fangareggi, Rosalba, Gravina, De Giorgi, Botti, Papi, Sartoretti, Verniaghi, Giazzoli, Bonati, Radicioni, Pippi, Giani, Bellini, Pasinato, Bovolenta, Meoni, Giretto. Head coach: Velasco
 * 🇷🇺 1997 Moscow — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Gardini, Meoni, Gravina, Bendani, Fangareggi, Papi, Giombini, Sartoretti, Casoli, Rosalba, Zlatanov, Pippi, Giani, Bovolenta, Bonati, Patriarca, Bellini. Head coach: de Freitas
 * 🇦🇷 1999 Mar del Plata — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Vermiglio, Meoni, Mastrangelo, Fei, Papi, Sartoretti, Casoli, Rosalba, Zlatanov, Corsano, Bellini, Bovolenta, Giombini, Molteni. Head coach: Anastasi
 * 2000 Rotterdam — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Gardini, Meoni, Gravina, Mastrangelo, Tofoli, Papi, Sartoretti, Bracci, Bernardi, Rosalba, Molteni, Corsano, Giani, Fei, Castellano, Bovolenta, Giombini, Vermiglio. Head coach: Anastasi

Nations League
Champions  Runners up   Third place   Fourth place

European Championship
Champions  Runners up   Third place   Fourth place


 * 🇸🇪 1989 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Anastasi, Bernardi, Bracci, Cantagalli, De Giorgi, Gardini, Lucchetta, Margutti, Masciarelli, Passani, Tofoli, Zorzi. Head Coach: Velasco
 * 🇫🇮 1993 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Bellini, Bracci, Cantagalli, Galli, Gardini, Giani, Gravina, Martinelli, Pasinato, Pippi, Tofoli, Zorzi. Head Coach: Velasco
 * 1995 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Bernardi, Bovolenta, Bracci, Cantagalli, Gardini, Giani, Gravina, Meoni, Papi, Pasinato, Tofoli, Andrea Zorzi. Head Coach: Velasco
 * 🇦🇹 1999 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Bracci, Corsano, Gardini, Giani, Giombini, Gravina, Meoni, Mastrangelo, Papi, Rosalba, Sartoretti, Tofoli. Head Coach: Anastasi
 * 🇩🇪 2003 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Biribanti, Černič, Cozzi, Fei, Giani, Mastrangelo, Meoni, Papi, Pippi, Sartoretti, Savani, Vermiglio. Head Coach: Montali
 * 🇮🇹 2005 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Černič, Cisolla, Corsano, Cozzi, Fei, Łasko, Mastrangelo, Paparoni, Savani, Sintini, Tencati, Vermiglio. Head Coach: Montali
 * 🇵🇱🇨🇿🇪🇪🇫🇮 2021 — Gold medal with cup.svg Gold medal
 * Anzani, Balaso, Bottolo, Cortesia, Galassi, Giannelli, Lavia, Michieletto, Piccinelli, Pinali, Ricci, Recine, Romanò, Sbertoli. Head Coach: De Giorgi

European Games
Champions  Runners up   Third place   Fourth place

Mediterranean Games

 * 1959 &mdash;  gold medal
 * 1963 &mdash;  silver medal
 * 1975 &mdash;  silver medal
 * 1979 &mdash; Fourth place
 * 1983 &mdash;  gold medal
 * 1987 &mdash;  bronze medal
 * 1991 &mdash;  gold medal
 * 1997 &mdash; Fourth place
 * 2001 &mdash;  gold medal
 * 2005 &mdash; Fifth place
 * 2009 &mdash;  gold medal
 * 2013 &mdash;  gold medal
 * 2018 &mdash;  gold medal
 * 2022 &mdash;  bronze medal
 * 2026 &mdash; Future event

Goodwill Games
Champions  Runners up   Third place   Fourth place


 * 🇺🇸 1990 &mdash;  Gold medal

Current roster
The following is the Italian roster in the 2023 FIVB Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments.

Head coach: 🇮🇹 Ferdinando De Giorgi

Coach history

 * Pietro Bernardi (1947)
 * Angelo Costa (1947-1949)
 * Renzo Del Chicca (1949-1953)
 * Ivan Trinajstic (1953-1966)
 * Josef Kozak (1966-1969)
 * Odone Federzoni (1969-1974)
 * Odone Federzoni & Josef Kozak (1970)
 * Franco Anderlini (1974-1976)
 * Adriano Pavlica (1976-1977)
 * Edward Skorek (1978 ad interim)
 * Carmelo Pittera (1978-1982 + 1988)
 * Nino Cuco (1981 ad interim)
 * Silvano Prandi (1983-1986)
 * Aleksander Skiba (1987)
 * Michelangelo Lo Bianco (1988 ad interim)
 * Julio Velasco (1988-1996)
 * Angelo Frigoni (1990-1991 ad interim - World League)
 * Daniele Bagnoli (1992 ad interim - World League)
 * Paulo Roberto de Freitas (1996-1998)
 * Andrea Anastasi (1998-2002)
 * Kim Ho-Chul (2001)
 * Gian Paolo Montali (2002-2007)
 * Andrea Anastasi (2007-2010)
 * Mauro Berruto (2010-2015)
 * Gianlorenzo Blengini (2015-2021)
 * Antonio Valentini (2021 - Volley Nations League)
 * Ferdinando De Giorgi (2021-)

Record attendance

 * Table updated to August 12, 2012.

Kit providers
The table below shows the history of kit providers for the Italy national volleyball team.

Sponsorship
Primary sponsors include: main sponsors like DHL, Kinder (Ferrero SpA), Honda and Mizuno, other sponsors: Santal, Diadora, EthicSport, Reaxing, Crai, Nutrilite, Uliveto and Winform.

Media
Italy's matches and friendlies are currently televised by RAI and Rai Sport.