In addition to becoming champions of Asia in 1990 after winning the 1990 AFC U-16 Championship held in the UAE, they also finished runners up five times (1985, 1986, 1992, 1994, and 1998).

The youth players became consistent finalists in the Asian U-16 championships since they first reached the final in 1986 when they lost to South Korea in a dramatic penalty shoot-out on home soil, which was tightly clinched 5–4.

One year later, they managed an Asian record high fourth-place finish in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, even with a relatively slow start as they failed to gain more than a single point in the first two group B matches, however, a Jassim Al Tammimi goal against Australia was enough for a quarterfinal place.

Qatar advanced to the semis on the expense of the United States, whom they defeated 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after the score had settled 1–1 at the end of regulation time.

Shortly after, they themselves went down in a penalty shootout to eventual champions, Ghana, in the semi-finals, before suffering the same fate against Argentina in the third-place match respectively.