The club have qualified for European competitions on nine occasions, their best performance coming in the 1966–67 Fairs Cup when they progressed to the semi-finals, eventually being eliminated by Leeds United.

[12] With no recorded minutes of the meeting having taken place in January 1869, it is assumed that the members continued to play amongst themselves and with their own set of rugby-inspired rules.

[13] Kilmarnock had long previously turned Queen's Park's requests down in the past, however, a favourable letter was returned to the team, informing the club that Kilmarnock were unable to send a representative to the meeting in Glasgow on 13 March 1873 due to having a committee meeting on the scheduled date, but advised that they were willing to join the Scottish Football Association, pledging to pay the 5 shillings membership fee and donate £1 towards the purchase of a cup for the knock-out competition.

[26] Instead, the Scottish Football Association sent the team to North America to play in the International Soccer League, serving as Scotland's representative.

[26] Kilmarnock remained unbeaten during their group matches in both New York and Jersey City, with wins over Bayern Munich and English league champions, Burnley.

[26] Kilmarnock returned to North America to play in the International Soccer League final, losing 2–0 to Brazilian club Bangu Atlético Clube.

[27] After years of being sidelined by the Scottish Football Association, Kilmarnock were put forward for the 1964–65 European Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, losing their first match.

Hearts drew with Dundee United meaning the last game of the season with the two title challengers playing each other at Tynecastle would be a league decider.

Alan Gordon had an excellent chance to clinch the title for Hearts in second half injury time but was denied by a Bobby Ferguson diving save pushing the ball past the post.

[34] With inconsistent league results, and a home defeat to Raith Rovers in December 1996, Bobby Williamson became the new manager of Kilmarnock and began introducing new players to the team.

[35] Players such as David Bagan and Alex Burke were credited with improving the team's performance, along with Williamson's managerial style and approach.

[36] In the 2001–02 UEFA Cup, Kilmarnock travelled to Lurgan in Northern Ireland to play Glenavon,[37] winning 1–0 following a goal by Chris Innes.

[37] In their next match, Kilmarnock faced Norwegian club Viking FK, securing a 1–1 draw at Rugby Park before suffering a 0–2 loss away from home and exiting the UEFA Cup.

After selling Steven Naismith to Rangers for a club-record fee in August 2007, Killie struggled in the 2007–08 Scottish Premier League, finishing in 11th place with 40 points.

Continued poor form, however, meant a final day showdown at Rugby Park with Falkirk for SPL survival.

Kilmarnock began the game with a two-point advantage over their rivals and a goalless draw on the day was good enough to secure top-flight football for another year.

Kilmarnock progressed to the 2012 Scottish League Cup final with wins against Queen of the South, East Fife and Ayr United in an Ayrshire derby at Hampden.

[41] In June 2013, after three years at Kilmarnock, manager Kenny Shiels was sacked by chairman Michael Johnston after a "mutual agreement" between the two.

[44] Clark left his role in the summer of 2014 with the club looking to go in a new direction, and ex-Killie player and former Hearts manager Gary Locke was appointed as his assistant.

[46] Despite a small uplift in form, the team finished in 11th place and faced a relegation play-off against Championship side Falkirk in order to stay in the top flight.

[47] Former Rangers player Lee McCulloch, assistant to both Locke and Clark, was placed in temporary charge until the end of the season, achieving an eighth-place finish.

[48] The 2018–19 season saw Kilmarnock celebrate their 150th anniversary, and the team continued their strong form in the league, both home and away, culminating in a final day fixture against Rangers at Rugby Park.

Kilmarnock won the match 2–1 and the result secured a third-place finish in the league, which guaranteed European football for the first time since 2001.

Following the departure of Steve Clarke, Kilmarnock had three managers whose spell in charge was brief, beginning with former Juventus and Chelsea assistant coach Angelo Alessio.

Results improved, and by the end of the 2021–22 season, Kilmarnock were promoted back to the top flight of Scottish football at the first attempt, defeating closest challengers Arbroath 2–1 on the penultimate matchday with a dramatic last-minute winner from Blair Alston.

Their first game, against Belgian team Cercle Brugge at Rugby Park on 25 July 2024, ended in a 1–1 draw with David Watson scoring for Kilmarnock in the 70th minute.

Their first match of the Conference League took place at Rugby Park on 8 August 2024 against Norwegian team Tromsø, which ended 2–2, with Kyle Vassell and Bobby Wales scoring for Kilmarnock in the 6th and 90th minute respectively.

Later that same month, the club appointed its second female board member in Cathy Jamieson, former MP for the Kilmarnock and Loudoun district and a life-long Killie fan.

Yellow is generally regarded as the club's main third colour; but white, red and purple away kits have also appeared in recent years.

The song "Paper Roses", originally a hit by American singer and activist Anita Bryant, was adopted by Kilmarnock fans as their own club anthem.