1988 in association football
The following are the association football events of the year 1988 throughout the world.
Events
- March 27, 1988 – Cameroon wins the Africa Nations Cup 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, 1988 – Thanks to goals from captain Ruud Gullit and top goalscorer Marco van Basten, the Netherlands defeat the Soviet Union in the final of UEFA Euro 1988 in Munich.
- July 12, 1988 – Italian club Juventus receive The UEFA Plaque in Geneva as first club in European football history to win the three main :Category:UEFA club competitions|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, 1988 – The Faroe Islands record their first international victory, defeating Canada 1–0.
- September 14, 1988 – Thijs Libregts makes his debut as the manager of Dutch national team with a 1–0 win over Wales, replacing successful coach Rinus Michels.
- December 11, 1988 – Uruguay's Nacional wins the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, Japan by defeating Dutch PSV Eindhoven on penalties, after the match ended in 2–2.
National club championships winners
Asia
Europe
North and South America
International tournaments
- African Cup of Nations in Morocco
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- Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea
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- UEFA European Football Championship in West Germany
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Games of national teams
| Date | Opponent | Final Score | Result | Competition | Venue |
| March 23 | 2 - 2 | D | Friendly | Wembley Stadium, London | |
| May 24 | 1 - 2 | L | Friendly | De Kuip, Rotterdam | |
| June 1 | 2 - 0 | W | Friendly | Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam | |
| June 12 | 1 - 0 | L | UEFA Euro 1988 | Müngersdorfer Stadion, Cologne | |
| June 15 | 1 - 3 | W | UEFA Euro 1988 | Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf | |
| June 18 | 1 - 0 | W | UEFA Euro 1988 | Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen | |
| June 21 | 1 - 2 | W | Semi Final Euro 1988 | Volksparkstadion, Hamburg | |
| June 25 | 2 - 0 | W | Final Euro 1988 | Olympic Stadium, Munich | |
| September 14 | 1 - 0 | W | World Cup Qualifier | Olympisch Stadion, Amsterdam | |
| October 19 | 0 - 0 | D | World Cup Qualifier | Olympiastadion, Munich | |
| November 16 | 1 - 0 | L | Friendly | Stadio Olimpico, Rome |
Births
- 4 January:
- * Anestis Argyriou, Greek footballer
- * Maximilian Riedmüller, German footballer
- 8 January:
- * Vitaliy Hoshkoderya, Ukrainian footballer
- * Adrián López, Spanish footballer
- * Michael Mancienne, English footballer
- 12 February: Nicolás Otamendi, Argentine international football player
- 24 February: Levi Hanssen, New Zealand/Faroe Islands footballer
- 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
- 21 March:Lee Cattermole, English footballer
- 1 June: Javier Hernández, Mexican international football player
- 13 September: Luis Rentería, Panamanian international footballer
- 14 October
- *Will Atkinson, English footballer
- *Mario Titone, Italian footballer
- 15 October: Mesut Özil, German international football player
Deaths
February
- 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.
- February 26 – Euclydes Barbosa, Brazilian defender, semi-finalist at the 1938 FIFA World Cup.
March
- March 13 – Rodolpho Barteczko, Brazilian striker, semi-finalist at the 1938 FIFA World Cup.