The 1988 Amílcar Cabral Cup was held in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Guinea-Bissau |
| Dates | April 28–May 8 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Guinea (4th title) |
| Runners-up |  Mali |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 44 (2.75 per match) |
Group stage edit
Group A edit
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guinea
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| Mali
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
 Cape Verde
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | –1 |
 Mauritania
|
2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | –1 |
| Mali | 3 – 1 | Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|
| Guinea | 1 – 1 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | 3 – 2 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Mali | 2 – 2 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Guinea | 1 – 1 | Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|
Group B edit
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Senegal
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 |
 Sierra Leone
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
 Guinea-Bissau
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
 Gambia
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | –8 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 0 – 0 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra Leone | 3 – 1 | Gambia |
|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 1 – 1 | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
| Guinea-Bissau | 3 – 1 | Gambia |
|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2 – 2 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
Knockout stage edit
Semi-finals edit
| Guinea | 3 – 0 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
Third place match edit
| Senegal | 2 – 1 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
Final edit
Note: There are contradictory reports of this match. According to the RSSSF page for the 1988 tournament, the match ended in 0–0 and Guinea won 4–2 on penalties. On a list of international matches of 1988, the match ended in 0–0 and Guinea won 3–2 on penalties. According to a head-to-head search between Guinea and Mali on FIFA website, Guinea won 3–2 in regular time.