Qualification for the Asian Football Confederation's 1988 AFC Asian Cup finals held in Qatar between 2 and 18 December. Saudi Arabia defeated Republic of Korea in the final match in Doha.
1988 AFC Asian Cup qualification|
| Dates | 4 February 1988 – 22 June 1988 |
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| Teams | 20 (from 1 confederation) |
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Groups
Qualification
Group 1
Group 2
- All matches played in Malaysia.
- Iraq were originally drawn in this group, but they withdrew on 6 April 1988 in protest at the AFC changing the fixtures schedule at late notice.[1]
Group 3
- All matches played in Nepal.
Group 4
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearance |
Qatar | Hosts | N/A | 2 (1980, 1984) |
Saudi Arabia | 1984 AFC Asian Cup champions | 16 December 1984 | 1 (1984) |
United Arab Emirates | Group 1 winners | 17 February 1988 | 1 (1980, 1984) |
China | Group 1 runners-up | 16 February 1988 | 3 (1976, 1980, 1984) |
Kuwait | Group 2 winners | 18 April 1988 | 4 (1972, 1976, 1980, 1984) |
Japan | Group 2 runners-up | 18 April 1988 | 0 (debut) |
Syria | Group 3 winners | 3 June 1988 | 2 (1980, 1984) |
Iran | Group 3 runners-up | 4 June 1988 | 5 (1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984) |
Bahrain | Group 4 winners | 22 June 1988 | 0 (debut) |
South Korea | Group 4 runners-up | 22 June 1988 | 6 (1956, 1960, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984) |
References
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| Champions | |
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| Runners-up | |
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| Third place | |
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| Fourth place | |
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| Group stage | |
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