The following are the association football events of the year 1988 throughout the world.

Events

• March 27 – Cameroon wins the 1988 African Cup of Nations by defeating Nigeria: 1–0. The only goal in Casablanca's Stade Mohammed V is scored by Emmanuel Kundé from a penalty kick.
• June 25 – Thanks to goals from captain Ruud Gullit and top goalscorer Marco van Basten, the Netherlands defeat the Soviet Union (2–0) in the final of UEFA Euro 1988 in Munich.
• July 12 – Italian club Juventus receive The UEFA Plaque in Geneva (Switzerland) as first club in European football history to win the three main UEFA club competitions.
• 1988 Copa Libertadores – won by Nacional after defeating Newell's Old Boys on an aggregate score of 3–1.
• England – FA Cup – Wimbledon won 1–0 over Liverpool.
• The Football League celebrates its Centenary.
• With great surprise worldwide FIFA gives the 1994 FIFA World Cup to United States.
• August 24 – The Faroe Islands record their first international victory, defeating Canada 1–0.
• September 14 – Thijs Libregts makes his debut as the manager of Dutch national team with a 1–0 win over Wales, replacing successful coach Rinus Michels.
• October 1 – Soviet Union wins the Olympic gold medal in football by defeating Brazil: 2–1 after extra time in Seoul's Olympic Stadium.
• December 11 – Uruguay's Nacional wins the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, Japan by defeating Dutch PSV Eindhoven on penalties (7–6), after the match ended in 2–2.

National club championships winners

Asia

Country	League	Team
Qatar	Qatar Stars League	Al-Sadd SC

Europe

Country	League	Team
Albania	Albanian National Championship	17 Nëntori
Austria	Austrian Football Bundesliga	SK Rapid Wien
Belgium	Belgian League	Club Brugge K.V.
Bulgaria	Bulgarian A Group	PFC Levski Sofia
Cyprus	Cypriot First Division	Pezoporikos Larnaca FC
Czechoslovakia	Czechoslovak First League	AC Sparta Praha
Denmark	Danish 1st Division	Brøndby IF
England	The Football League	Liverpool
Faroe Islands	Faroe Islands Premier League	Havnar Bóltfelag
Finland	Mestaruussarja	HJK Helsinki
France	Division 1	AS Monaco
East Germany	DDR-Oberliga	Berliner FC Dynamo
West Germany	Bundesliga	SV Werder Bremen
Greece	Alpha Ethniki	AE Larisa
Hungary	Nemzeti Bajnokság I	Budapest Honvéd
Israel	Liga Leumit	Hapoel Tel Aviv FC
Italy	Serie A	A.C. Milan
Luxembourg	Luxembourg National Division	Jeunesse Esch
Malta	Maltese Premier League	Hamrun Spartans F.C.
Netherlands	Eredivisie	PSV Eindhoven
Northern Ireland	Irish League	Glentoran
Norway	Norwegian First Division	Rosenborg
Poland	Ekstraklasa	Górnik Zabrze
Portugal	Primeira Liga	F.C. Porto
Republic of Ireland	League of Ireland	Dundalk
Romania	Liga 1	FC Steaua București
San Marino	Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio	S.P. Tre Fiori
Scotland	Scottish Premier League	Celtic
Soviet Union	Soviet Top League	FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Spain	La Liga	Real Madrid
Sweden	Allsvenskan	Malmö FF
Switzerland	Nationalliga A	Neuchâtel Xamax
Turkey	1.Lig	Galatasaray S.K.
Yugoslavia	Yugoslav First League	Red Star Belgrade

North and South America

Country	League	Team
Argentina	Argentine Primera División	Newell's Old Boys
Bolivia	Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano	Bolívar
Brasil	Campeonato Brasileiro Série A	Esporte Clube Bahia
Canada	Canadian Soccer League	Vancouver 86ers
Chile	Liga Chilena de Fútbol: Primera División	Cobreloa
Colombia	Mustang Cup	Millonarios
Ecuador	Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol	Emelec
Mexico	Mexican Primera División	America
Paraguay	Liga Paraguaya: Primera División	Olimpia
Peru	Peruvian Primera División	Sporting Cristal
United States	American Soccer League	Washington Diplomats
United States	Western Soccer Alliance	F.C. Seattle Storm
Uruguay	Primera División Uruguaya	Danubio
Venezuela	Primera División Venezolana	CS Marítimo

International tournaments

• African Cup of Nations in Morocco (March 13 – 27 1988)
  1.  Cameroon
  2.  Nigeria
  3.  Algeria
• Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea (September 17 – October 1, 1988)
  1.  Soviet Union
  2.  Brazil
  3.  West Germany
• UEFA European Football Championship in West Germany (June 10 – 25 1988)
  1.  Netherlands
  2.  Soviet Union
  3.  West Germany and  Italy

Games of national teams

 Netherlands

Date	Opponent	Final Score	Result	Competition	Venue
March 23	England	2 – 2	D	Friendly	Wembley Stadium, London
May 24	Bulgaria	1 – 2	L	Friendly	De Kuip, Rotterdam
June 1	Romania	2 – 0	W	Friendly	Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam
June 12	Soviet Union	1 – 0	L	UEFA Euro 1988	Müngersdorfer Stadion, Cologne
June 15	England	1 – 3	W	UEFA Euro 1988	Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf
June 18	Republic of Ireland	1 – 0	W	UEFA Euro 1988	Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen
June 21	West Germany	1 – 2	W	Semi Final Euro 1988	Volksparkstadion, Hamburg
June 25	Soviet Union	2 – 0	W	Final Euro 1988	Olympic Stadium, Munich
September 14	Wales	1 – 0	W	World Cup Qualifier	Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam
October 19	West Germany	0 – 0	D	World Cup Qualifier	Olympiastadion, Munich
November 16	Italy	1 – 0	L	Friendly	Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Births

January

• 3 January: Crispin Olando, Kenyan international footballer^[1]
• 4 January:
  • Anestis Argyriou, Greek footballer
  • Maximilian Riedmüller, German footballer
• 8 January:
  • Vitaliy Hoshkoderya, Ukrainian footballer
  • Adrián López, Spanish footballer
  • Michael Mancienne, English footballer
• 9 January: Marc Crosas, Spanish footballer
• 20 January:
  • Uwa Elderson Echiéjilé, Nigerian international^[2]
  • Jougle (Jougle Manoel Rodrigues), Brazilian footballer^[3]
  • Jeffrén Suárez, Spanish footballer
• 23 January: Marko Šimić, Croatian junior international
• 28 January: Alaa Ali, Egyptian footballer (d. 2019)

February

• 3 February: Pouria Gheidar, Iranian footballer^[4]
• 4 February: Sergei Yuvenko, Russian professional football player^[5]
• 12 February:
  • Linda Bengtsson, Swedish footballer^[6]
  • Nicolás Otamendi, Argentine international football player
• 23 February: Nicolás Gaitán, Argentine international football player
• 24 February: Levi Hanssen, New Zealand/Faroe Islands footballer
• 26 February: İsmail Baydil, Turkish footballer^[7]
• 28 February: Jorge Gastélum, Mexican footballer
• 29 February:
  • Mikel Balenziaga, Spanish footballer
  • Fabiano Ribeiro de Freitas, Brazilian footballer
  • Scott Golbourne, English footballer
  • Benedikt Höwedes, German footballer
  • Viktor Prodell, Swedish footballer
  • Evgeni Cheremisin, Russian footballer
  • Hamza Ziad, Algerian footballer

March

• 18 March: Matthieu Onoseke, Democratic Republic of the Congo footballer^[8]
• 21 March: Lee Cattermole, English footballer^[9]

April

• 2 April: Edinaldo (Edinaldo Malcher de França Filho), Brazilian footballer^[10]
• 3 April: Tim Krul, Dutch international^[11]
• 11 April: Oleg Sibalov, Russian professional football player^[12]

May

• 4 May: Michael Ludäscher, Swiss footballer^[13]
• 12 May: Araújo (Rodrigo Araújo Gomes Costa), Brazilian footballer^[14]
• 17 May: Jennison Myrie-Williams, English youth international
• 23 May: Angelo Ogbonna, Italian footballer
• 25 May: Adrián González Morales, Spanish junior international
• 29 May: Alex Porfirio, Brazilian footballer

June

• 1 June: Javier Hernández, Mexican international football player
• 15 June: Cristopher Toselli, Chilean footballer
• 23 June: Adrian Chomiuk, Polish footballer^[15]
• 24 June: Micah Richards, England international footballer

July

• 2 July: Abderahmane Hachoud, Algerian international footballer
• 6 July: Gustavo Mencia, Paraguayan footballer
• 8 July:
  • Enoch Oteng, Belgian footballer^[16]
  • Cédric De Troetsel, Belgian retired footballer^[17]
• 11 July: Bongane Twala, South African footballer^[18]
• 18 July: Elvin Mammadov, Azerbaijani international
• 19 July: Azrul Azmi, Malaysian footballer

August

• 1 August: Yousef Al-Reshedi, Saudi Arabian footballer
• 5 August: Eddie Nolan, Irish international footballer
• 6 August: José Márquez, Guatemalan footballer^[19]
• 27 August: Sergio Villarreal, Colombian former professional footballer^[20]
• 28 August: Ray Jones, English footballer (d. 2007)

September

• 2 September: Javi Martínez, Spanish international footballer
• 5 September:
  • Nuri Şahin, Turkish footballer
  • Felipe Caicedo, Ecuadorian association footballer
• 13 September: Luis Rentería, Panamanian international footballer (died 2014)
• 18 September:
  • Mateusz Jeleń, Polish footballer
  • Ferdinand Sinaga, Indonesian international
• 23 September: Anthony Straker, English footballer
• 25 September: Chinta Chandrashekar Rao, Indian footballer^[21]
• 28 September: Alex Marello, Canadian professional soccer player^[22]
• 30 September: Manfred Ekwe-Ebele, French footballer^[23]

October

• 7 October – Diego Costa, Spanish international^[24]
• 14 October
  • Will Atkinson, English footballer
  • Mario Titone, Italian footballer
• 15 October: Mesut Özil, German international football player

November

• 7 November: Andri Abubakar, Indonesian footballer^[25]
• 15 November: Sascha Imholz, Swiss footballer
• 23 November: Juha-Pekka Inkeröinen, Finnish club footballer

December

• 10 December:
  • Wilfried Bony, Ivorian international footballer
  • Mitchell Donald, Dutch footballer
  • Neven Subotić, Serbian international footballer

Deaths

• January 27 – Kemal Faruki, Turkish football player (77)
• February 8 – Pietro Arcari, Italian forward, winner of the 1934 FIFA World Cup and one of four Italian players who won the FIFA World Cup while never being capped. (78)
• February 26 – Euclydes Barbosa, Brazilian defender, semi-finalist at the 1938 FIFA World Cup. (82)
• March 13 – Rodolpho Barteczko, Brazilian striker, semi-finalist at the 1938 FIFA World Cup. (77)
• March 16 – Erich Probst, Austrian football player (60)^[26]
• October 19 – Marcos Carneiro de Mendonça, Brazilian goalkeeper, the inaugural goalkeeper for Brazil National Football Team and winner of the 1919 South American Championship and 1922 South American Championship. (93)