[5] Timor-Leste's international debut was in the preliminary round of the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification in March 2003, when they lost 3–2 to Sri Lanka and 3–0 to Chinese Taipei.

Although not yet a member of the AFC, the FFTL was invited to sit in on the meeting, where they were represented by FA president Francia Kalbuadi.

After Portugal ended its colonial rule, Indonesia invaded and occupied the island, which resulted in a long running battle against Jakarta-led forces.

The following year in the 2008 AFF Championship qualification, Timor-Leste surprisingly drew against Cambodia; this feat was reported in international news.

In the 2012 AFF Championship qualification, the country's football federation (FFTL) reportedly selected their foreign based players, who played in Brazil, Portugal, Australia and elsewhere, to fortify the team as they also did at the 2011 SEA Games.

[8] On 5 October 2012, Timor-Leste won their first international match in a 5–1 victory against Cambodia with goals coming from Murilo de Almeida who scored a brace, Adelino Trindade and Alan Leandro.

Later Adelino Trindade extended the Timorese advantage with a header early in the second half and then Alan Leandro added the third goal on the 83rd minute.

On 11 June 2015, Ramon Saro scored in the 90+3' minute stoppage time which cause a huge upsets to Malaysia in a 1–1 draw at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium which Timor-Leste got their first ever point in the campaign.

Timor-Leste then participated in the 2016 AFC Solidarity Cup held in Kuching where they snatched a goalless draw against Nepal.

During the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification – play-off round first leg match on 5 September 2024, João Pedro became the first player in Timorese history to score a hat-trick in a 4–1 win over Mongolia while playing on neutral ground at the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium held in Gianyar, Bali.

In October 2024, Timor Leste then played against Brunei who is also on a five-game winning streak for the 2024 ASEAN Championship qualification.

Timor Leste ended up victorious winning 1–0 on aggregate where Gali Freitas scored the goal to ensure the team qualified for the 2024 ASEAN Championship, where they will play their matches at Hàng Đẫy Stadium in Hanoi.

As of 28 December 2024, Timor-Leste's performance at the 2024 ASEAN Championship has been poor, ending in a string of defeats that resulted in their early elimination.

[15] The country's recent history of naturalising foreign players such as Murilo de Almeida, Fellipe Bertoldo, Diogo Rangel, Rodrigo Silva, Jairo Neto, Ramon Saro, Alan Leandro, Thiago Cunha, Juninho and Heberty has been criticized by many, including native East Timorese players and fans.

[22] The next match, Timor-Leste did even worse, suffering a record 0–10 home defeat to a strong Saudi Arabia side, who eventually qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

[23] In December 2016, the FFTL was charged with using forged and falsified documents, fielding ineligible players and bringing the game into disrepute.