| King Cup | |
| Year: | 1988 |
| Country: |  Saudi Arabia |
| Dates: | 30 March – 15 April 1988 |
| Num Teams: | 14 |
| Defending Champions: | Al-Nassr |
| Winners: | Al-Ittihad (6th title) |
| Second: | Al-Ettifaq |
| Continental Cup Title: | Arab Cup Winners' Cup |
| Continental Cup Qualifiers: | Al-Ittihad |
| Matches: | 13 |
| Goals: | 33 |
| Scoring Leader: | Saleh Al-Najrani (4 goals) |
| Prev Season: | 1987 |
| Next Season: | 1989 |
The 1988 King Cup was the 30th season of the knockout competition since its establishment in 1956. Al-Nassr were the defending champions but they were eliminated by eventual champions Al-Ittihad in the semi-finals.[1]
Al-Ittihad won their 6th title after defeating Al-Ettifaq 1–0 in the final.[2] [3] This was the first final to be held in the King Fahd International Stadium.[4] As winners of the tournament, Al-Ittihad qualified for the 1989 Arab Cup Winners' Cup.
Both Al-Ettifaq and Ohod received a bye to the next round. Al-Ettifaq received due to their participation in the 1988 Gulf Club Champions Cup. Ohod received a bye to the lack of teams participating in this round.[5] The matches of the Round of 16 were held on 31 March and 1 April 1988.[6] [7]
| Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ettifaq | Bye | ||
| Ohod | Bye | ||
| Al-Ahli | 3–3 (2–3 pen.) | Al-Riyadh | |
| Al-Ittihad | 1–0 | Al-Qadsiah | |
| Al-Tai | 0–1 | Al-Nahda | |
| Al-Kawkab | 0–2 | Al-Wehda | |
| Al-Tuhami | 2–2 (3–4 pen.) | Al-Shabab | |
| Al-Nassr | 1–0 | Al-Hilal |
The matches of the Quarter-finals were held on 7 and 8 April 1988.[8] [9] [10]
| Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Nassr | 4–0 | Ohod | |
| Al-Riyadh | 1–3 | Al-Shabab | |
| Al-Ettifaq | 1–0 (aet) | Al-Wehda | |
| Al-Nahda | 0–4 | Al-Ittihad |
The four winners of the quarter-finals progressed to the semi-finals. The semi-finals were played on 12 April 1988. All times are local, AST (UTC+3).
The final was played between Al-Ittihad and Al-Ettifaq in the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.[11] Al-Ittihad were appearing in their 11th final while Al-Ettifaq were making their 6th appearance.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saleh Al-Najrani | Al-Riyadh | 4 |
| 2 | Bassem Abu Dawood | Al-Ahli | 2 |
| Majed Abdullah | Al-Nassr | ||
| Salah Al-Muwallad | Al-Ittihad | ||
| Mohamed Al-Suwaiyed | Al-Ittihad |
