| 1988 State of Origin series | |
|---|---|
| Won by |  Queensland (5th series title) |
| Series margin | 3-0 |
| Points scored | 126 |
| Attendance | 75,168 (ave. 25,056 per match) |
| Top points scorer(s) | Gary Belcher (28 points) |
| Top try scorer(s) | Allan Langer (4 tries) |
The 1988 State of Origin series was the seventh annual three-game series between the New South Wales and Queensland representative rugby league football teams to be contested entirely under 'state of origin' selection rules. Queensland enjoyed their first ever 3–0 series whitewash, mirroring a feat New South Wales had first achieved two years earlier. The series produced an ugly and enduring Origin image when in Game II the parochial Queensland crowd showered the Lang Park playing arena with beer cans in protest at the sin-binning of their captain Wally Lewis.
New South Wales had a new home for Origin football in 1988. The AU$68 million, 40,000 capacity all-seat Sydney Football Stadium, a rectangular stadium more suited to rugby league than the round Sydney Cricket Ground, had been built in 1987 and opened in time for the 1988 NSWRL season. The SFS was described in its early days as a white elephant and lacking in the character and history of its predecessor, the SCG. Queensland players described playing at the SFS in 1988 as like playing on neutral ground.