This page covers the record of the Hong Kong national football team in the FIFA World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup. In the "Results" section, (h), (a) and (n) indicate home, away and neutral.
Major Tournaments
edit| Tournament | Structure | Placing | Results | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 1930 FIFA World Cup |
Did not enter | |||
 1934 FIFA World Cup | ||||
 1938 FIFA World Cup | ||||
 1950 FIFA World Cup | ||||
 1954 FIFA World Cup | ||||
 1956 AFC Asian Cup |
1 group of 4 | 3rd of 4 2/6 points |
 Israel 2–3 (h) South Korea 2–2 (h) South Vietnam 2–2 (h) |
Qualified as host |
 1958 FIFA World Cup |
Did not enter | |||
| 1960 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
1 group of 3 | 2nd of 3 2/4 points |
 Philippines 7–0 (a) Taiwan 4–7 (n) |
Did not qualify |
 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Did not enter | |||
| 1964 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
1 group of 4 | 1st of 4 5/6 points |
 Thailand 3–3 (n) South Vietnam 4–1 (a) Malaysia 4–3 (n) |
Qualified |
| 1964 AFC Asian Cup |
1 group of 4 | 4th of 4 0/6 points |
Israel 0–1 (a) South Korea 0–1 (n) India 1–3 (n) |
|
 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Did not enter | |||
 1968 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Groups (2 groups of 4 and 1 group of 5) | 1st of 5 8/8 points |
South Vietnam 2–0 (h) Malaysia 3–1 (h) Singapore 2–0 (h) Thailand 2–0 (h) |
Qualified |
| 1968 AFC Asian Cup |
1 group of 5 | 5th of 5 1/8 points |
Iran 0–2 (a) Israel 1–6 (n) Taiwan 1–1 (n) Burma 0–2 (n) |
|
 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Did not enter | |||
| 1972 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Groups (1 zone of 6 and 1 zone of 7; 2 groups of 3, then knockout) | Defeat in allocation match 3rd of 3 0/4 points |
 Indonesia 1–2 (n) Khmer Republic 1–2 (n) Malaysia 1–2 (n) |
Did not qualify |
 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Groups (1 zone of 7 and 1 zone of 8; 1 group of 3 and 1 group of 4, then knockout) |
Won in classification match 1st of 3 4/4 points Defeat in zonal semi-Finals |
Malaysia 1–0 (n) Japan 1–0 (n) South Vietnam 1–0 (n) South Korea 1–3 (a) |
Did not qualify for Final Round |
| 1976 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Groups (1 group of 4, 1 group of 5 and 1 group of 6; 2 subgroups of 3, then knockout) |
Won in allocation match 2nd of 3 2/4 points Defeat in semi-Finals and Third place play-off |
Japan 0–0 (4–3 (p)) (h) Brunei 3–0 (h) China 0–1 (h) North Korea 3–3 (10–11 (p)) (h) Japan 0–1 (h) |
Did not qualify |
 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round (4 groups of 3 and 1 group of 5, then play-off) |
1st of 5 6/8 points Won in play-off |
Indonesia 4–1 (n) Singapore 2–2 (a), 1–0 (a) Thailand 2–1 (n) Malaysia 1–1 (n) |
Did not qualify |
| Final Round (1 group of 5) |
5th of 5 0/16 points |
 Iran 0–2 (h), 0–3 (a) South Korea 0–1 (h), 2–5 (a) Kuwait 1–3 (h), 0–4 (a) Australia 2–5 (h), 0–3 (a) | ||
| 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Groups (2 groups of 3, 1 groups of 4 and 1 group of 7; 1 subgroup of 3 and 1 subgroup of 4, then knockout) |
Defeat in allocation match 2nd of 4 4/6 points Defeat in semi-Finals Won in Third place play-off |
North Korea 0–3 (n) Thailand 0–1 (a) Singapore 3–1 (n) Sri Lanka 5–0 (n) Malaysia 0–0 (4–5 (p)) (n) Thailand 2–1 (a) |
Did not qualify |
 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round (1 group of 4, 2 groups of 5 and 1 group of 6; 2 subgroups of 3, then knockout) |
2nd of 3 2/6 points Defeat in zonal semi-Finals |
China 0–1 (h) Singapore 1–1 (h) North Korea 2–2 (h) China 0–0 (4–5 (p)) (h) |
Did not qualify for Final Round |
| 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Groups (3 groups of 5 and 1 group of 6) |
4th of 5 2/8 points |
China 0–2 (a) Qatar 0–1 (n) Jordan 1–1 (n) Afghanistan 0–0 (n) |
Did not qualify |
| 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round (1 zone of 10 and 1 zone of 14; 2 groups of 3 and 2 groups of 4) |
1st of 4 11/12 points |
China 0–0 (h), 2–1 (a) Brunei 8–0 (h), 5–1 (a) Macau 2–0 (h), 2–0 (a) |
Did not qualify for Final Round |
| 2nd Round (knockout) |
Defeat | Japan 1–2 (h), 0–3 (a) | ||
| 1988 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Groups (1 group of 4, 2 groups of 5 and 1 group of 6) |
4th of 5 1/8 points |
North Korea 0–1 (n) Syria 0–2 (n) Iran 0–2 (n) Nepal 0–0 (a) |
Did not qualify |
 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round (5 groups of 4 and 1 group of 5) |
4th of 4 3/12 points |
North Korea 1–2 (h), 1–4 (a) Indonesia 1–1 (h), 2–3 (a) Japan 0–0 (h), 0–0 (a) |
Did not qualify for Final Round |
| 1992 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Groups (4 groups of 3 and 2 groups of 4) |
3rd of 4 3/6 points |
Macau 2–2 (n) North Korea 0–0 (a) Chinese Taipei 0–0 (n) |
Did not qualify |
 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round (1 groups of 4 and 5 groups of 5) |
4th of 5 5/16 points |
 Bahrain 2–1 (n), 0–3 (n) Lebanon 2–2 (a), 1–2 (n) South Korea 0–3 (n), 1–4 (a) India 2–1 (n), 1–3 (a) |
Did not qualify for Final Round |
 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Groups (1 group of 2, 5 groups of 3 and 4 groups of 4) |
2nd of 4 6/9 points |
China 0–2 (h) Macau 4–1 (h) Philippines 8–0 (h) |
Did not qualify |
| 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round (4 groups of 3 and 6 groups of 4) |
3rd of 3 3/12 points |
South Korea 0–2 (h), 0–4 (a) Thailand 3–2 (h), 0–2 (a) |
Did not qualify for Final Round |
| 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Groups (1 group of 3, 6 groups of 4 and 3 groups of 5) |
2nd of 3 7/12 points |
Indonesia 1–1 (h), 1–3 (a) Cambodia 4–1 (h), 1–0 (a) |
Did not qualify |
| 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round (1 group of 3 and groups of 4) |
4th of 4 4/18 points |
Qatar 0–2 (h), 0–3 (a) Palestine 1–1 (h), 0–1 (n) Malaysia 0–2 (h), 2–1 (n) |
Did not qualify for 2nd Round |
| 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Preliminary Round (1 group of 2 and 6 groups of 3) |
1st of 3 4/6 points |
 Laos 5–1 (h) Bangladesh 2–2 (h) |
Did not qualify |
| Qualifying Round (7 groups of 4) |
4th of 4 4/18 points |
 Uzbekistan 1–4 (a), 0–1 (n) Thailand 2–1 (n), 0–4 (a) Tajikistan 0–0 (n), 0–1 (n) | ||
| 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round | Bye | Did not qualify for 3rd Round | |
| 2nd Round (8 groups of 4) |
3rd of 4 6/18 points |
China 0–1 (h), 0–7 (a) Kuwait 0–2 (h), 0–4 (a) Malaysia 2–0 (h), 3–1 (a) | ||
 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Preliminary Round | Bye | Did not qualify | |
| Qualifying Round (1 group of 3 and 5 groups of 4) |
3rd of 4 8/18 points |
Qatar 0–3 (h), 0–2 (a) Uzbekistan 0–0 (h), 2–2 (a) Bangladesh 2–0 (h), 1–0 (a) | ||
 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round (knockout) |
Won |  Timor-Leste 3–2 (h), 8–1 (a) |
Did not qualify for 3rd Round |
| 2nd Round (knockout) |
Defeat |  Turkmenistan 0–0 (h), 0–3 (a) | ||
| 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Preliminary Round | Bye | Did not qualify | |
| Qualifying Round (1 group of 3 and 3 groups of 4) |
4th of 4 1/18 points |
Japan 0–4 (h), 0–6 (a) Bahrain 1–3 (h), 0–4 (a) Yemen 0–0 (h), 0–1 (a) | ||
| 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round | Bye | Did not qualify for 3rd Round | |
| 2nd Round (knockout) |
Defeat |  Saudi Arabia 0–3 (h), 0–5 (a) | ||
| 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Groups (5 groups of 4) |
3rd of 4 4/18 points |
United Arab Emirates 0–4 (h), 0–4 (a) Uzbekistan 0–2 (h), 0–0 (a) Vietnam 1–0 (h), 1–3 (a) |
Did not qualify |
 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round | Bye | Did not qualify for 3rd Round | |
| 2nd Round (1 group of 4 and 7 groups of 5) |
3rd of 5 14/24 points |
China 0–0 (h), 0–0 (a) Qatar 2–3 (h), 0–2 (a) Maldives 2–0 (h), 1–0 (a) Bhutan 7–0 (h), 1–0 (a) | ||
| 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
1st Round | Bye | Did not qualify | |
| 2nd Round (1 group of 4 and 7 groups of 5) |
3rd of 5 14/24 points |
China 0–0 (h), 0–0 (a) Qatar 2–3 (h), 0–2 (a) Maldives 2–0 (h), 1–0 (a) Bhutan 7–0 (h), 1–0 (a) | ||
| Play-off Round | Bye | |||
| 3rd Round (6 groups of 4) |
3rd of 4 5/18 points |
Lebanon 0–1 (h), 0–2 (a) North Korea 1–1 (h), 0–2 (a) Malaysia 2–0 (h), 1–1 (a) | ||
| 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round | Bye | Did not qualify for 3rd Round | |
| 2nd Round (1 group of 4 and 7 groups of 5) |
4th of 5 5/24 points |
Iran 0–2 (h), 1–3 (a) Iraq 0–1 (h), 0–2 (a) Bahrain 0–0 (h), 0–4 (a) Cambodia 2–0 (h), 1–1 (a) | ||
| 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
1st Round | Bye | Qualified | |
| 2nd Round (1 group of 4 and 7 groups of 5) |
4th of 5 5/24 points |
Iran 0–2 (h), 1–3 (a) Iraq 0–1 (h), 0–2 (a) Bahrain 0–0 (h), 0–4 (a) Cambodia 2–0 (h), 1–1 (a) | ||
| Play-off Round | Bye | |||
| 3rd Round (6 groups of 4) |
2nd of 4 6/9 points 5th of best runner-up team |
 Afghanistan 2–1 (n) Cambodia 3–0 (n) India 0–4 (n) | ||
| 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
Group Stage (6 groups of 4) |
4th of 4 0/9 points |
United Arab Emirates 1–3 (n) Iran 0–1 (n) Palestine 0–3 (n) |
Knocked out in Group Stage, 23rd of 24 in overall |
 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
1st Round (knockout) |
Won | Bhutan 4–0 (h), 0–2 (a) |
Did not qualify for 3rd Round |
| 2nd Round (9 groups of 4) |
4th of 4 2/18 points |
Iran 2–4 (h), 0–4 (a) Turkmenistan 2–2 (h), 0–0 (a) Uzbekistan 0–2 (h), 0–3 (a) | ||
| 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
1st Round (knockout) |
Won | Bhutan 4–0 (h), 0–2 (a) |
Did not qualify |
| 2nd Round (9 groups of 4) |
4th of 4 2/18 points |
Iran 2–4 (h), 0–4 (a) Turkmenistan 2–2 (h), 0–0 (a) Uzbekistan 0–2 (h), 0–3 (a) | ||
| Play-off Round | Bye | |||
| 3rd Round (6 groups of 4) |
2nd of 4 8/18 points |
Singapore 1–2 (h), 0–0 (a) India 1–0 (h), 1–2 (a) Bangladesh 1–1 (h), 4–3 (a) | ||
Regional Tournaments
edit| Tournament | Section | Placing | Results | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 East Asian Football Championship Preliminary |
1 group of 5 | 1st of 5 12/12 points |
Chinese Taipei 2–0 (h) 3–0 (h) Mongolia 10–0 (h) Guam 11–0 (h) |
Qualified |
| 2003 East Asian Football Championship |
1 group of 4 | 4th of 4 0/9 points |
South Korea 1–3 (n) Japan 0–1 (a) China 1–3 (n) |
|
| 2005 East Asian Football Championship Preliminary |
1 group of 5 | 2nd of 5 9/12 points |
North Korea 0–2 (n) Chinese Taipei 5–0 (a) Mongolia 6–0 (n) Guam 15–0 (n) |
Did not qualify |
| 2008 East Asian Football Championship Preliminary |
Stage 1 | Bye | Did not qualify | |
| Stage 2 (2 groups of 3, then Final) |
1st of 3 4/6 points Defeat in Final |
Chinese Taipei 1–1 (n) Guam 15–1 (n) North Korea 0–1 (n) | ||
| 2010 East Asian Football Championship Preliminary |
Round 1 | Bye | Qualified | |
| Round 2 (1 group of 4) |
1st of 4 7/9 points |
Chinese Taipei 4–0 (a) North Korea 0–0 (n) Guam 12–0 (n) | ||
| 2010 East Asian Football Championship |
1 group of 4 | 4th of 4 0/9 points |
South Korea 0–5 (n) Japan 0–3 (a) China 0–2 (n) |
|
| 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup Preliminary |
Round 1 | Bye | Did not qualify | |
| Round 2 (1 group of 5) |
3rd of 5 6/12 points |
Guam 2–1 (h) Australia 0–1 (h) Chinese Taipei 2–0 (h) North Korea 0–4 (h) | ||
| 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup Preliminary |
1st Round | Bye | Did not qualify | |
| 2nd Round (1 group of 4) |
2nd of 4 4/9 points |
North Korea 1–2 (n) Chinese Taipei 1–0 (a) Guam 0–0 (n) | ||
| 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Preliminary |
1st Round | Bye | Did not qualify | |
| 2nd Round (1 group of 4) |
2nd of 4 6/9 points |
Guam 3–2 (h) Chinese Taipei 4–2 (h) North Korea 0–1 (h) | ||
| 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Preliminary |
1st Round | Bye | Qualified | |
| 2nd Round (1 group of 4) |
1st of 4 7/9 points |
Chinese Taipei 2–1 (a) North Korea 0–0 (n) Mongolia 5–1 (n) | ||
| 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
1 group of 4 | 4th of 4 0/9 points |
South Korea 0–2 (a) Japan 0–5 (n) China 0–2 (n) |
|
| 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
1 group of 4 | 4th of 4 0/9 points |
Japan 0–6 (a) South Korea 0–3 (n) China 0–1 (n) |
Qualified by FIFA Rankings |
| 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Preliminary |
1 group of 2 and 1 group of 3, then Final | 1st of 3 6/6 points won in Final |
Mongolia 3–0 (h) Chinese Taipei 2–1 (h) Guam 5–0 (h) |
Qualified |
| 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
1 group of 4 | 4th of 4 0/9 points |
South Korea 0–2 (a) Japan 1–6 (n) China 0–1 (n) |
|
 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup Division 2 |
2 group of 3, then Final | Qualified as host | ||