| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Argentina |
| Dates | 2–22 May |
| Teams | 11 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Brazil (4th title) |
| Runners-up |  Colombia |
| Third place |  Argentina |
| Fourth place |  Paraguay |
The South American Youth Championship 1988 was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It also served as qualification for the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship.
The following teams entered the tournament:
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 10 |
| Paraguay | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 6 |
 Israel | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 |
 Peru | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | –2 | 5 |
 Chile | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | –5 | 3 |
 Venezuela | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 12 | –8 | 0 |
| 2 May | Chile | 1–1 | Peru |
| Argentina | 1–0 | Venezuela | |
| Israel | 1–0 | Paraguay | |
| 4 May | Chile | 2–1 | Venezuela |
| Paraguay | 2–0 | Peru | |
| Argentina | 2–0 | Israel | |
| 6 May | Paraguay | 6–2 | Venezuela |
| Argentina | 3–1 | Chile | |
| Peru | 2–1 | Israel | |
| 10 May | Israel | 1–0 | Venezuela |
| Paraguay | 2–1 | Chile | |
| Argentina | 2–0 | Peru | |
| 12 May | Peru | 2–1 | Venezuela |
| Argentina | 2–0 | Paraguay | |
| Israel | 3–0 | Chile |
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 |
| Brazil | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 6 |
 Ecuador | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 11 | –8 | 3 |
 Uruguay | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | –2 | 2 |
 Bolivia | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | –5 | 2 |
| 3 May | Uruguay | 1–1 | Ecuador |
| Brazil | 3–0 | Bolivia | |
| 5 May | Ecuador | 2–1 | Bolivia |
| Colombia | 1–0 | Brazil | |
| 9 May | Bolivia | 2–1 | Uruguay |
| Colombia | 2–0 | Ecuador | |
| 11 May | Brazil | 7–0 | Ecuador |
| Uruguay | 0–0 | Colombia | |
| 13 May | Colombia | 3–1 | Bolivia |
| Brazil | 1–0 | Uruguay |
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 5 |
| Colombia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 |
| Argentina | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | –1 | 2 |
| Paraguay | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | –2 | 2 |
| 16 May | Colombia | 2–0 | Paraguay |
| Brazil | 2–1 | Argentina | |
| 19 May | Brazil | 0–0 | Colombia |
| Paraguay | 1–0 | Argentina | |
| 22 May | Argentina | 2–1 | Colombia |
| Brazil | 1–0 | Paraguay |
| 1988 South American Youth Championship |
|---|
 Brazil Fourth title |
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