Sada Cruzeiro qualify as hosts and have appeared in each of the previous three competitions for the same reason. At the 2014 edition they finished fourth after losing to Argentinian side UPCN San Juan in the bronze medal match. A year earlier they won the competition by sweeping Russian side Lokomotiv Novosibirsk in the final. In doing so they became the first non-Italian side to be crowned as champions, in what was the ninth edition of the tournament.

They have been dominant domestically, winning three of the last five Brazilian league championships, and claiming runners-up medals in the other two campaigns. They also won the Copa Brasil de Voleibol in 2014. At continental level they won the South American Championship in 2012 and 2014, defeating UPCN San Juan on both occasions. However, in February of this year the Argentinians got revenge by beating the Brazilians in the gold medal match. The club was created in the city of Betim by Sada Group in 2006, and subsequently linked up with Brazilian football team Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in 2009. Due to the football team's fanbase, Sada Cruzeiro grew massively and now get some of the biggest attendances in the country.