The Yemen national football team has only existed in its current form since 1990.  Previously there were both South and North teams in action.  Of the two teams, North Yemen was by far the more successful entity.

North Yemen played its first game at the 1965 Pan-Arab Games.  The team lost three games initially, two by considerable margins.  The team’s last game saw them gain a first victory in a 2-1 win over Oman.

North Yemen attempted to qualify for a world cup once, entering the 1986 competition but losing all four games against opponents Syria and Kuwait.  The team conceded 12 goals in all but did manage to record a first world cup goal in a 3-1 defeat to Kuwait.

The unified nation of Yemen has entered the tournament at every opportunity since 1994 and has a decent, if not brilliant, record in qualifying.  No Yemen team has ever qualified for the world cup.