The 1988 IAAF World Cross Country Championships was held in Auckland, New Zealand, at the Ellerslie Racecourse on March 26, 1988.

A report on the event was given in the Glasgow Herald.

[1] Complete results for men,[2] junior men,[3] women,[4] medallists, [5] and the results of British athletes[6] were published.

†:Cosmas Ndeti of  Kenya finished 2nd in 23:31 min, but was disqualified.

An unofficial count yields the participation of 4401 athletes from 41 countries, two athletes (senior men) less than the official number published.