Tournament details | |
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Dates | 16 February – 12 October |
Teams | 30 (from 1 confederation) |
Final positions | |
Champions | ![]() |
Runners-up | ![]() |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 98 |
Goals scored | 261 (2.66 per match) |
Attendance | 143,886 (1,468 per match) |
Top scorer(s) | ![]() |
Best player(s) | ![]() |
The 1988 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, which spanned two years (1986–88), had 30 entrants. The Republic of Ireland competed for the first time. France U-21s won the competition.
The 30 national teams were divided into eight groups (six groups of 4 + two groups of 3). The group winners played off against each other on a two-legged home-and-away basis until the winner was decided. There was no finals tournament or third-place playoff.