Groups
Group 1
The group matches were played in Kuwait in August, 1988. However, match results were not fully available from online. The final positions are shown below.
| Pos | Team | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Saudi Arabia | Final Tournament |
| 2 |  Iraq | |
| 3 |  South Yemen | |
| 4 |  North Yemen | |
| 5 |  Oman | |
| 6 |  Kuwait | |
Group 2
The group consisted 
Bahrain, 
Iran, 
Qatar, and 
Syria, with matches played in Doha, Qatar.
Group 3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Thailand | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 7 | Final Tournament |
| 2 |  China | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 7 | |
| 3 |  India | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Nepal | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 2 | |
| 5 |  Bangladesh | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 | |
| Bangladesh | 1–1 | India |
|---|---|---|
| Nepal | 1–0 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1–0 | Bangladesh |
|---|---|---|
Group 4
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  North Korea | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | +9 | 6 | Final Tournament |
| 2 |  Indonesia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Malaysia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Singapore | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 | −12 | 0 | |
Group 5
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Japan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 2 | +18 | 5 | Final Tournament |
| 2 |  South Korea | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 2 | +17 | 5 | |
| 3 |  Hong Kong | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | −10 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Brunei | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | −25 | 0 | |