Qualifying for the 2017 FIVB World Championships via their international ranking, the Mexicans will be seeking to better their previous two finishes in the event after placing 17th in 2013 and ninth in 2015. Ninth-place finishers at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games where they defeated eventual Copacabana silver medal winners Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai of Italy in pool play, Ontiveros and Virgen topped the podium at the Toronto 2015 PanAm Games. One of the more experienced teams in the world championships, the Mexicans have also won 11 NORCECA gold medals in 22 events since 2012. Ontiveros began playing on the FIVB World Tour in 2005 and Virgen made his debut the following season.