1988 South American U-16 Championship

The 1988 South American Under-16 Football Championship (Campeonato Sudamericano Sub-16 Ecuador 1988, Campeonato Sul-Americano Sub-16 Ecuador 1988) was the 3rd edition of the South American Under-17 Football Championship, a football competition for the under-16 national teams in South America organized by CONMEBOL. It was held in Ecuador from 15 to 30 October 1988.

Brazil were crowned champions, and together with Argentina and Colombia, which were the top three teams of this tournament, qualified for the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship in Scotland.

Teams

 * (title holders)
 * (hosts)
 * (hosts)
 * (hosts)
 * (hosts)
 * (hosts)

Venues
The venues were Estadio Olímpico, Ibarra, Cotacachi and Atuntaqui.

First stage
The top two teams in each group advanced to the final stage.

When teams finished level of points, the final rankings were determined according to:
 * Tiebreakers


 * 1) goal difference
 * 2) goals scored
 * 3) head-to-head result between tied teams (two teams only)
 * 4) drawing of lots

All times local, ECT (UTC−5).

Final stage
When teams finished level of points, the final rankings were determined according to the same criteria as the first stage, taking into account only matches in the final stage.

Qualified teams for FIFA U-16 World Championship
The following three teams from CONMEBOL qualified for the 1989 FIFA U-16 World Championship.