The 1988 Arab Cup was the fifth edition of the Arab Cup hosted by Amman, Jordan. The defending champion Iraq won the title for the 4th consecutive time.
Jordan qualified automatically as hosts and Iraq as holders.
Egypt & Saudi Arabia qualified.
The tournament was held in Algiers, Algeria. Libya and Morocco withdrew.
Syria qualified.
The 8 qualified teams are:
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Algeria and Saudi Arabia did not send their senior national teams to the competition. Instead, Algeria sent a University XI, probably an Under-23 squad, while Saudi Arabia's A team was in Australia during the tournament.