The Aruba national football team was established under the Arubaanse Voetbal Bond (Aruba Football Federation), which was founded in 1932 on the Caribbean island of Aruba, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The team's roots stretch back to informal matches played from the 1920s onward, though Aruba's players initially contributed to the broader Netherlands Antilles setup rather than competing under their own flag. Aruban footballers appeared under the Netherlands Antilles banner at events such as the 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games and the 1952 Olympic Games.
Following Aruba's political separation from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986, the federation gained full membership of both CONCACAF and FIFA in 1988, marking the beginning of the modern era. The team's first competitive outing under their own identity was a sobering 11–0 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago in 1989 Caribbean Cup qualifying — still the heaviest loss in the team's history. Aruba registered their first official international victory back in 1938, defeating Suriname 5–0, while the post-separation era's first win came in 1997 against the Netherlands Antilles (2–1).
A notable high point arrived during the 2014 Caribbean Cup preliminary round, when Aruba defeated Turks and Caicos 1–0 and British Virgin Islands 7–0 — the latter remaining their biggest victory. Those results briefly lifted Aruba to 120th in the FIFA World Rankings, their best-ever position. The team has also competed in the CONCACAF Nations League, appearing in both League B and League C. Their sole honour is the 2012 ABCS Tournament title. Aruba have never progressed beyond the first round of FIFA World Cup qualification.