// Workers AI · dad joke modeDid 1988 CFU Championship win a trophy? No, it was a title clash.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Martinique |
| Dates | 5–9 July 1988 |
| Teams | 4 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Trinidad and Tobago |
| Runners-up |  Antigua and Barbuda |
| Third place |  Martinique |
| Fourth place |  Guadeloupe |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Goals scored | 15 (2.5 per match) |
← 1985 | |
The 1988 CFU Championship was the sixth international association football championship for members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU). It was the final edition as the CFU Championship and was replaced by the Caribbean Cup from 1989. Hosted by Martinique, the competition ran from 5–9 July 1988 and was contested by the national teams of Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago won the competition for the second time after defeating two-time defending champions Martinique 3–0 in the final round of matches of the round-robin tournament.
Background
[edit]The Caribbean Football Union (CFU) was founded in January 1978 as a sub-confederation of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).[1] Later the same year, the first CFU Championship was organised in Trinidad and Tobago.[2]
Martinique were the two-time defending champions after winning the two previous editions in Barbados in 1985 and French Guiana in 1983.[3] Martinique were also the most successful team in the history of the competition after winning the trophy on two previous occasions. Three other teams – Haiti, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago – had all won the competition once previously.[2]
Format
[edit]Two qualifying rounds were held to determine three of the four teams that would participate in the final tournament. Hosts and holders Martinique qualified automatically. For both rounds, teams were drawn into two-legged ties. The team scoring more goals on aggregate in each tie would advance to the next stage.[4]
The final tournament was played as a single round-robin where each team would play all of the others once. The winner would be decided by the total number of points obtained across all matches played.[4]
Participants
[edit]Qualification
[edit]The qualification stage ran from November 1987 to May 1988. Some match results are unknown. It is also unclear whether Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Guadeloupe and Guyana received a bye in the first round or if they contested an unknown tie.[4]
| Team 1 | Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | ||||
Barbados  | 1–9 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0–4 | 1–5 |
French Guiana  | 1–2 |  Suriname | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Second round | ||||
Dominica  | 1–2 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0–0 | 1–2 |
Guyana  | 0–5 | Trinidad and Tobago | 0–4 | 0–1 |
| Suriname | unknown[a] | Guadeloupe | — | — |
First round
[edit]In the first round, Trinidad and Tobago defeated Barbados 9–1 on aggregate and Suriname defeated French Guiana 2–1 on aggregate.[4]
Results
[edit]
Trinidad and Tobago won 9–1 on aggregate.
Suriname won 2–1 on aggregate.
Second round
[edit]In the second round, Antigua and Barbuda defeated Dominica 2–1 on aggregate and Trinidad and Tobago defeated Guyana 5–0 on aggregate to qualify for the final tournament. The results of the Suriname v Guadeloupe tie are unknown but Guadeloupe qualified for the final tournament.[4]
Results
[edit]| Antigua and Barbuda | 2–1 | Dominica |
|---|---|---|
| [4] |
|
Antigua and Barbuda won 2–1 on aggregate.
Trinidad and Tobago won 5–0 on aggregate.
| Suriname | Unknown | Guadeloupe |
|---|---|---|
| [4] |
| Guadeloupe | Unknown | Suriname |
|---|---|---|
| [4] |
Results unknown, Guadeloupe advanced.
Final tournament
[edit]The final tournament was held from 5–9 July 1988. After winning their opening match and drawing their second, Trinidad and Tobago were crowned champions when the result in their final match against Martinique was declared as a Trinidad and Tobago win. The match had been abandoned at half time due to floodlight failure.[4]
Table
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trinidad and Tobago |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 5 |
| 2 | Antigua and Barbuda |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Martinique |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
| 4 | Guadeloupe |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 |
Results
[edit]| Martinique | 0–3 (abandoned) | Trinidad and Tobago |
|---|---|---|
| [4] |
References
[edit]- ↑ "About Us". Caribbean Football Union. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- 1 2 McKain, Chris J.; Cruickshank, Mark (19 September 2019). "CFU Championship". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- ↑ Cruickshank, Mark; Courtney, Barrie; Morrison, Neil; Garin, Erik (7 January 2021). "CFU Championship 1985". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Cruickshank, Mark; Courtney, Barrie; Garin, Erik (4 December 2014). "CFU Championship 1988". RSSSF. Retrieved 5 May 2026.