Football was part of the inaugural Asian Games in 1951, and has been on the program ever since. A women's tournament was added in 1990.

Trivia

  • In 1970, the final between Burma and South Korea finished with a 0-0 draw after extra time, and the title was shared between the two teams. The same thing happened in 1978, with a 0-0 draw between North and South Korea.
  • In 1982, Saudi Arabia were awarded the third-place playoff by default after the North Korean team were handed a two-year suspension for assaulting officials at the end of their semi-final.
  • Since the 2002 Asian Games, the age limit for players in the men team is under-23 plus up to three over-aged players for each squad, the same as for the Olympics
  • Although Kazakhstan is a member of the Olympic Council of Asia, the football team has been a member of the UEFA since 2002. Also, Guam and Australia are members of the Asian Football Confederation, but they are members of Oceania National Olympic Committees.