[4][5] The Faroe Islands joined FIFA on 2 July 1988[2] and the male national team played its first official match—a 1–0 defeat against Iceland—on 24 August 1988.

The group winners would not qualify for the final tournament but would play-off against a last placed team from A class for promotion to the higher grade.

[8] The following month, another 2–0 defeat, to Belgium in Brussels, preceded a 7–1 loss in Scotland where Sólvá Joensen scored the team's first ever goal.

Scotland and Wales departed Toftir with 3–0 and 1–0 victories, respectively, as the Faroe Islands finished bottom of the group with three points, having scored three goals and conceded 27.

They did enter competitions at youth level, which were not played on a home and away basis but were mini-tournaments staged in a single location to keep costs down.

Irish coach Noel King named an experimental team which lacked his leading players from Arsenal Ladies.

[13] The game was staged in Klaksvík on 12 October 2004, the day before the nations' senior men's teams met at Lansdowne Road, Dublin.

In the next match, a return friendly with Ireland at the Oscar Traynor Centre in Dublin, Rannvá B. Andreasen put the Faroe Islands ahead after six minutes.

At a preliminary round mini-tournament held in Strumica, Macedonia, Malena Josephsen's injury time goal in the first match was not enough to avert a 2–1 defeat to Wales.