The UEFA European Under-18 Championship 1988 Final Tournament was held in Czechoslovakia. It also served as the European qualification for the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship.
Teams
The following teams qualified for the tournament:
Czechoslovakia (host, but still qualified)
Denmark
East Germany
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Soviet Union
Spain
Quarterfinals
| East Germany | 2 – 0 | Denmark |
|---|---|---|
Lars Hermel  15'Uwe Jähnig 38' |
Referee: Joaquin Ramos Marcos (Spain)
| Spain | 1 – 0 | Czechoslovakia |
|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union | 4 – 2 | Norway |
|---|---|---|
Referee: Ignace van Swieten (Netherlands)
| Portugal | 3 – 0 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| João Pinto 26' Valido 41'Folha 74' |
Referee: Alexey Spirin (CIS)
Semifinals
Places 5-8
| Norway | 1 – 1 | Denmark |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 5 – 4 | ||
Referee: Zdeněk Havlíček (Czechoslovakia)
| Czechoslovakia | 1 – 0 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
Referee: Klaus Peschel (East Germany)
Places 1-4
| Soviet Union | 3 – 0 | East Germany |
|---|---|---|
Referee: Jose Guedes (Portugal)
Third place match
| East Germany | 2 – 0 | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Henri Fuchs 56', 73' |
Referee: Hubert Forstinger (Austria)
Final
| Soviet Union | 3 – 1 (aet) | Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| Andrei Timochenko 78' Yuri Nikiforov 102'Oleg Salenko 117' |
João Pinto 55' |
Referee: Andrzej Libich (Poland)
Qualification to World Youth Championship
The six best performing teams qualified for the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship.