The Tajikistan national football team formed in 1936, while the country was part of the Soviet Union. No team represented the country during this era, as the Soviet Union national football team represented all constituent countries. The team was not accepted to the Asian Football Confederation or FIFA until 1994,  when Tajikistan was an independent nation.

As with many of the old Soviet nations, Tajikistan is still finding its feet in international football. The team has very little history to speak of, and even fewer successes. The team’s first official game was held in 1994, a 1-0 loss to Kazakhstan.  Before FIFA recognition, Tajikistan played out a debut match against Uzbekistan that ended in a 2-2 draw.

France 1998 became Tajikistan’s first world cup qualifying campaign. The team faced China, Turkmenistan and Vietnam in a tough group stage. Despite their inexperience, the team won four out of six games. Only heavyweights China managed to prevent the team winning. A second place in the group was an excellent result but not enough to progress in qualifying.