[clarification needed] Before 2013, the Sri Lanka national football team participated in the Summer Olympic qualifications and other international events.

[citation needed] Sri Lanka participated in the AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers competition as an inexperienced football team, and failed to win a single match.

Sri Lanka played all three teams and lost each match, failing to score a goal in the tournament.

[citation needed] The Sri Lanka national U-23 football team participated in the 2014 Lusophony Games.

The Sri Lanka team advanced to the semi-final stage of the tournament by defeating Macau and drew against São Tomé and Príncipe.

[citation needed] Sri Lanka entered in the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship Qualification stage with the national U-23 teams from United Arab Emirates (UAE), Yemen and Tajikistan.