| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Venue(s) | first leg: Queen Elizabeth II Park, Christchurch second leg: Muir Park, Hamilton |
| Dates | first leg: 22 October 1988 second leg: 24 October 1988 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Waikato United (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Christchurch United |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Jack Batty Memorial Cup | Steve Tate, Waikato United |
The 1988 Chatham Cup was the 61st annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
Up to the last 16 of the competition, the cup was run in three regions (northern, central, and southern). National League teams received a bye until the final 64 stage. In all, 147 teams took part in the competition, a new record for the time.