It caught on fast with the local population and boomed. As with any sport supported by the masses, the fans were always there despite the lack of a local governing football body.

Finally in 1952, the Kuwait FA was founded and the first official competition they participated in came nearly a decade later in1961 at the Arabian Games in Morocco.

Then in 1962, Kuwait joined both the AFC and FIFA. By 1970, Kuwait was Gulf Cup champions in Bahrain. The national team become a powerful side after the hiring of Austrian coach simply called, Edmund. Two years later, they started winning the Gulf Cup for three consecutive editions from 1972 to 1974 and 1976.

Since that success, they had never lost a match until 1979 when in Baghdad, Iraq inflicted their first defeat in a long time. Once again in 1982, Kuwait won the Gulf Cup in UAE. They went on to win the Gulf Cup for a record of 10 times which proved Kuwaits pedigree in West Asia as one of the top teams.

In 1980, Kuwait claimed Asias most prestigious title, the Asian Cup which they also hosted. In the final, they defeated Korea Republic 3-0. It was a fortunate turnaround as they lost to the Koreans by the same score line in the preliminary rounds.

Kuwait qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, losing to the then Soviet Union 1-2. In 1982, they reached the Asian Games final in India, losing 0-1 to Iraq.

For Kuwait football, the biggest achievement is qualifying for the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Even though the result was not satisfactory, drawing to the then Czechoslovakia, and losing to mighty France and England, the fact that they made the final rounds was a huge boost for Kuwait football.