The 1988 Individual Speedway World Championship was the 43rd edition of the official World Championship to determine the world champion rider. The final was held at the

Vojens Speedway Center The Vojens Speedway Center is a Motorcycle speedway track located in Vojens, Denmark. The track has been part-owned since its opening by Denmark's first three time Speedway World Champion Ole Olsen. Track The Speedway Center is a long track whi ...

, owned by former World Champion Ole Olsen. Despite the country having won seven World Individual Championships between three riders since

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

(Olsen,

Erik Gundersen Erik Gundersen (born 8 October 1959 in Esbjerg, Denmark) is a former motorcycle speedway rider in the late 1970s and 1980s. Gundersen is one of the most successful speedway riders of all time. He was the ...

and Hans Nielsen), it was the first time

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

hosted the World Final. Gundersen renewed his fierce rivalry with Nielsen as both finished on 13 points to tie for the lead of the Championship. However it was Gundersen that won the toss to choose his starting gate for the run-off. He chose the outside and on a wet track he won his third title by defeating Nielsen in the run-off. Fellow Dane

Jan O. Pedersen Jan Osvald Pedersen (born 9 November 1962 in Middelfart, Denmark) is a former Speedway rider who became Speedway World Champion in 1991 after finishing runner-up in 1986 and in third place in 1988 behind fellow Danes Erik ...

completed a clean sweep for Denmark by taking the bronze medal.

New Zealand Qualification

New Zealand Final

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

* Marked in green to Commonwealth Final

Australian Qualification

''* Due to the rules,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

's Rob Woffinden did not progress to the

Australian Championship The National Second Division (NSD) – also referred to under the working title The Championship – is a proposed Australian national second-tier men's, soccer league, to be run by Football Australia and the Association of Australian Football ...

Australian Final

* January 23, 1988 * Murray Bridge * Marked in green to Commonwealth Final

British Qualification

British Final

* May 22, 1988 *

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

Brandon Stadium Brandon Stadium, also known as Coventry Stadium, is located 6 miles east of Coventry in Brandon, Warwickshire, England. It was the home of the Coventry Bees motorcycle speedway team. It also hosted BriSCA F1 Stock Car Racing on the 1st Satur ...

* First 8 to Commonwealth Final

Swedish Qualification

Swedish Final

* May 17, 18 & 19, 1988 * - 3 Rounds (

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

Norrköping Norrköping (; ) is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm, 40 km east of county seat Linköp ...

Hallstavik Hallstavik is a locality situated in Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 4,476 inhabitants in 2010. The town is famous for its papermill and the Speedway team Rospiggarna. The modern Hallstavik An established project organ ...

) * First 3 to Nordic Final plus 1 reserve *

Per Jonsson Per Jonsson (born 21 March 1966 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a former speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1990, and finished runner-up in 1992. Career In 1985, his second season with the Reading Racers, the team won six major ...

and

Jimmy Nilsen Jimmy Nilsen (born 16 November 1966) is a former international motorcycle speedway rider from Sweden. Career Jimmy Nilsen was Swedish Champion in 1996 after finishing 3rd in 1994. Nilsen also rode in five World Finals as well as representing ...

seeded to Nordic Final

Intercontinental Round

Finnish Final

* April 28, 1988 *

Karhula Karhula is a former market town ('' kauppala'') and a former municipality of Finland in the former Kymi Province, now in the Kymenlaakso region. It was consolidated with the town of Kotka in 1977. Its seat was in Helilä, however the municip ...

* First to Nordic Final

Danish Final

*May 8 *

Outrup Outrup (or Ovtrup) is a town in Varde Municipality in the Region of Southern Denmark. The town has a population of 1,040 (1 January 2022).

Outrup Speedway Outrup (or Ovtrup) is a town in Varde Municipality in the Region of Southern Denmark. The town has a population of 1,040 (1 January 2022).

*First 7 to Nordic final plus 1 reserve

American Final

*June 11 *

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, Veterans Memorial Stadium *First 5 to Overseas final plus 1 reserve

Commonwealth Final

*June 12 *

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is located north of London, north-east of Peterborough, no ...

, Norfolk Arena *First 11 to Overseas Final plus 1 reserve

Overseas Final

*July 12 *

*First 9 to Intercontinental Final plus 1 reserve

Nordic Final

*July 25 *

Sandnes Sandnes () is a city and municipality in Rogaland, Norway. It lies immediately south of Stavanger, the 4th largest city in Norway and together, the Stavanger/Sandnes area is the third-largest urban area in Norway. The urban city of Sandnes lies ...

, Sandnes Stadion *First 7 to Intercontinental final plus 1 reserve

Intercontinental Final

*August 6 *

Vetlanda Vetlanda () is a locality and the seat of Vetlanda Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 13,050 inhabitants in 2010. History Vetlanda was still nothing more than a village for several centuries. With the 1840s population boom in Småland ...

, Vetlanda Speedway *First 11 to the World Final plus 1 reserve

Continental Qualifications 1989

Austrian Final

* 18 June - St. Johann im Pongau, 31 July -

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...

, 3 September - Natschbach-Loipersbach * Marked in green to Continental Qualification 1989

German Final

* October 2, 1988 *

Brokstedt Brokstedt is a municipality in the district of Steinburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after R ...