The Scotland under-16s' best tournament performance was as runners up in the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship under manager Craig Brown.

Despite leading Saudi Arabia 2–0 in the final after goals from Ian Downie and Paul Dickov, the match finished 2–2 after extra time.

[2][3] Some media commentators reported suspicions, which were shared by Craig Brown and former Scottish Football Association secretary Ernie Walker, that Saudi Arabia had fielded ineligible over-age players in the competition.

[10] The Scotland under-16s also play in an occasional Nordic Cup competition with the under-16 teams of Scandinavian countries such as Norway, Sweden and Iceland.

[12] In recent years, Scotland have played a two-leg international friendly match against an under-18 side picked by the football association of Jersey.