Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics — 1988 edition of the association football tournament during the Olympic Summer Games
The 1988 Seoul Olympics football tournament brought 16 national teams together, with the Soviet Union claiming gold at the Seoul Olympic Stadium.
Key Facts
- Teams competing
- 16 men's national teams
- Continental confederations
- 6
- Group stage format
- 4 groups of 4, round-robin
- Gold medal match date
- 1 October 1988
- Gold medalist bonus
- 15,000 per Soviet player USD
- Venue
- Seoul Olympic Stadium
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
As part of the 1988 Summer Olympics held in South Korea, FIFA and the IOC organized an association football tournament drawing 16 men's national teams from six continental confederations, divided into four groups for a round-robin group stage followed by a knockout phase.
The tournament progressed through a group stage and quarter-finals before culminating in the gold medal match at the Seoul Olympic Stadium on 1 October 1988. Notably, the Soviet squad relocated from the Olympic Village to a nearby Soviet steamship ahead of the final, going on to win the gold medal.
The Soviet Union claimed the gold medal, with each member of the squad receiving a $15,000 bonus from the Soviet government—an unusual financial reward reflecting state investment in the Olympic football programme at the close of the Cold War era.
Result
at Seoul Olympic Stadium