[8] Gibraltar's first unofficial national match took place against Jersey in the 1993 Island Games in the Isle of Wight, although the team had previously played friendlies versus professional and amateur clubs.

Despite losing their opening game against Greenland, Gibraltar bounced back to record their first competitive win, against the Isle of Man.

In the 1997 Island Games, two wins and two losses in the group stage, followed by a defeat to Shetland in a playoff, saw Gibraltar finish 6th out of 9 teams.

Island Games results improved slightly in 2001, as they came 5th, and in 2003 Gibraltar recorded their biggest win ever, defeating Sark 19–0.

In Gibraltar's opening match, they drew 1–1 with the hosts, the 'Republic of St. Pauli', before beating Tibet 5–0 in their second group game to qualify for the semi-finals.

The issue was voted on again in 2007 but only three member nations (England, Scotland and Wales)[10] supported Gibraltar's bid after Spain threatened to withdraw Spanish teams from all UEFA competitions.

UEFA then established rules, which were introduced following pressure from Spain, restricting membership to sovereign states recognised as such by the United Nations.

To be eligible, a player must be a British passport holder who was born in Gibraltar, or has Gibraltarian parents or grandparents, or has attended school for five years locally.

[18] Former Manchester United, Derby County, Southampton and Stoke City defender Danny Higginbotham, whose uncle Allen Bula was the team manager, was eligible to be called up because of this criteria adjustment.

[25] On 23 February 2014, Gibraltar was drawn in Group D for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying alongside Germany, Poland, Georgia, Republic of Ireland and Scotland.

[36] Having been granted UEFA membership, the GFA aimed to become a full FIFA member in time to participate in qualifiers for the upcoming 2018 World Cup.

[38] The Gibraltar Football Association announced that it planned to once again appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the same process by which they had successfully gained UEFA membership in 2013.

As Gibraltar were granted FIFA membership after the qualification draw had already taken place, they were belatedly added to Group H alongside Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Estonia and Cyprus.

[47] On 25 March 2018, Gibraltar achieved their first victory as a FIFA member in a friendly match against Latvia at Victoria Stadium, winning 1–0 thanks to a goal from Liam Walker.

[48] Gibraltar's first victory in an official competitive fixture came in the inaugural 2018–19 Nations League, a 1–0 win away to Armenia on 13 October 2018 with Joseph Chipolina converting a penalty in the 50th minute for the game's only goal.

They also put up a good fight against Ireland, Round of 16 finishers in the previous edition, losing by narrow margins on both occasions (0–1 home, 0–2 away).

[51] In the following 2022-23 edition, Gibraltar managed an impressive draw with Bulgaria, a 1–1 result at home with captain Liam Walker equalising from the penalty spot in the 61st minute.

This was Gibraltar's first point on their first appearance in League C. However, the team finished bottom of their group - losing each of their other five matches - and qualified for the two-legged relegation play-out where they faced Lithuania.

On 6 June 2024, during a friendly match, a vastly re-vamped Gibraltar held Wales to a 0–0 draw at the Estádio Algarve in a result that was described as "embarrassing" for the away side,[52] and subsequently proved to be the last game for Welsh manager Rob Page before he was sacked.

[53][54][55] Due to the lack of suitable facilities in Gibraltar, the team played its competitive home matches at Estádio Algarve about four hours away in Portugal, from 2013 until 2018.

[57] In December 2014, the GFA applied for an exemption from UEFA to allow for competitive matches to be held at the Victoria Stadium although it did not meet minimum requirements.

At that time, UEFA said that all scheduled matches, such as those during Euro 2016 qualification, would take place in the already-determined locations but a determination would be made for future competitions.

[59] In September 2015, after plans for Europa Point were abandoned, the GFA explored other sites including Lathbury Barracks, as UEFA were unwilling at the time to fund improvements to Victoria Stadium while it was government owned.