| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Dates | 30 March – 15 April 1988 | 
| Teams | 14 | 
| Defending champions | Al-Nassr | 
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Al-Ittihad (6th title) | 
| Runner-up | Al-Ettifaq | 
| Arab Cup Winners' Cup | Al-Ittihad | 
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 13 | 
| Goals scored | 33 (2.54 per match) | 
| Top goal scorer(s) | Saleh Al-Najrani (4 goals) | 
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.
Round of 16
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 | 
Quarter-finals
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 | 
Semi-finals
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).
| Al-Shabab | 0–2 | Al-Ettifaq | 
|---|---|---|
| Report | Omar  Hamood  | 
Final
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.
| Al-Ittihad | 1–0 | Al-Ettifaq | 
|---|---|---|
| Jamil  | 
Report | 
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Riyadh | 4 | |
| 2 | Al-Ahli | 2 | |
| Al-Nassr | |||
| Al-Ittihad | |||
| Al-Ittihad | 
References
- ↑ "الاتحاد يزداد قوة".
 - ↑ "Saudi Arabia 1987/88". RSSSF.
 - ↑ "نادي الاتحاد يحصل على كاس خادم الحرمين الشريفين".
 - ↑ "!قمة التتويج الرياضي من الاتفاق ام الاتحاد؟".
 - ↑ "كشف حسابات الفرق استعدادا لكاس الملك".
 - ↑ "Jazirah newspaper 01-04-1988".
 - ↑ "Jazirah newspaper 02-04-1988".
 - ↑ "Jazirah newspaper 08-04-1988".
 - ↑ "Jazirah newspaper 09-04-1988".
 - ↑ "Jazirah newspaper 08-04-1988 (2)".
 - ↑ "كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين - 1988".