| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 30 April 1988 – 14 January 1989 |
| Teams | 16 (from 1 confederation) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Nigeria (4th title) |
| Runners-up |  Mali |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 30 |
| Goals scored | 82 (2.73 per match) |
The 1989 African Youth Championship was the 7th edition of the biennial African qualification tournament for the FIFA World Youth Championship which was contested on a home and away two-legged basis.
Nigeria reached the final and defended their title for the 3rd consecutive time and the 4th time overall by defeating Mali 4–1 on aggregate, although both teams qualified for the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia.
Teams
The following teams entered this edition of the tournament and played at least a match:
Preliminary round
Central Africa, Mauritania, Mauritius and Kenya withdrew, leaving their respective opponents Gabon, Algeria, Madagascar and Lesotho to advance to the first round.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mali |
6–4 |  Senegal |
4–0 | 2–4 |
Guinea  |
4–2 |  Liberia |
3–1 | 1–1 |
Angola  |
3–4 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Zaire |
2–1 | 1–3 |
First round
Madagascar, Somalia and Togo withdrew, leaving their respective opponents Egypt, Ivory Coast and Lesotho to advance to the second round.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mali |
2–2 (a) |  Morocco |
1–0 | 1–2 |
Algeria  |
2–2 (a) |  Tunisia |
0–0 | 2–2 |
| Guinea |
3–3 (a) |  Ghana |
3–2 | 0–1 |
| Zaire |
2–2 (a) | Nigeria |
2–2 | 0–0 |
Gabon  |
2–1 |  Cameroon |
2–0 | 0–1 |
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mali |
3–3 (a) |  Egypt |
2–0 | 1–3 |
| Ghana |
3–3 (4–5 pen.) |
Algeria |
3–0 | 0–3 |
| Nigeria |
6–1 |  Lesotho |
4–0 | 2–1 |
| Gabon |
2–4 |  Ivory Coast |
1–0 | 1–4 |
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria |
1–1 (a) | Mali |
1–1 | 0–0 |
| Ivory Coast |
2–4 | Nigeria |
2–2 | 0–2 |
Final
The final was played over two legs; on 1 January in Bamako and on the 14th in Ibadan.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mali |
1–4 | Nigeria |
1–2 | 0–2 |
Second leg match details:
| Nigeria | 2–0 | Mali |
|---|---|---|
|
| 1989 African Youth Championship |
|---|
Nigeria 4th title |
Qualification for the World Youth Championship
These two best performing teams qualified for the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship in Saudi Arabia: