[4] The tournament was originally scheduled for 2001, but was cancelled due to the conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan.

[4] A 4–1 loss to India in the semi-finals, with Pema Chophel scoring the team's first ever goal,[4] saw them face Sri Lanka again in the bronze medal play off match.

Drawn in a group with Sri Lanka, Pakistan national under-23 football team and the Maldives, Bhutan were eliminated after losing all three of their games: 1–0 against the Maldives and 4–0 against both Pakistan and Sri Lanka to return home without scoring a goal.

[5] There was a four-year gap this time between editions of the South Asian Games, but Bhutan sent their under-23 team to Bangladesh in 2010.

[4] However, this was not enough to seal progression to the knockout stages as Bangladesh beat Nepal in their final group game to claim second place and Bhutan were eliminated.