The 1978 African Cup of Nations was the eleventh edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa (CAF). It was hosted by Accra and Kumasi, Ghana. The format of the competition changed from 1976: the field of eight teams was still split into two groups of four, but the final group stage was eliminated in favor of the knockout semifinals used in tournaments prior to 1976 (except 1959). Ghana won its third championship, beating Uganda in the final 2−0.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Ghana |
| Dates | 5–16 March |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Ghana (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Uganda |
| Third place | Nigeria |
| Fourth place | Tunisia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 38 (2.38 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Opoku Afriyie Segun Odegbami Phillip Omondi (3 goals each) |
| Best player | Karim Abdul Razak |
← 1976 1980 → | |
Ivory Coast and Mali were both disqualified in the second round of qualification: Ivory Coast for using an ineligible player in the second leg, and Mali after stadium security and police assaulted match officials during the first leg.
Since Mali had received a first round walkover after Niger failed to appear, Upper Volta, who had been beaten by the Ivory Coast in the first round, were given their place in the final tournament.
Qualified teams
The 8 qualified teams are:
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghana | Hosts | 4 (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970) | |
| Morocco | Holders | 14 March 1976 | 2 (1972, 1976) |
| Nigeria | 2nd round winners | 26 June 1977 | 2 (1963, 1976) |
| Uganda | 2nd round winners | 26 June 1977 | 4 (1962, 1968, 1974, 1976) |
| Zambia | 2nd round winners | 26 June 1977 | 1 (1974) |
| Upper Volta | 2nd round winners | 17 July 1977 | 0 (debut) |
| Congo | 2nd round winners | 31 July 1977 | 3 (1968 1972, 1974) |
| Tunisia | 2nd round winners | 16 October 1977 | 3 (1962, 1963, 1965) |
- Notes
- Bold indicates champion for that year, Italic indicates host.
- Ivory Coast originally qualified by beating Mali 2–1 on aggregate, but both teams were disqualified: Ivory Coast for fielding an ineligible player in the second leg, and Mali due to police and stadium security assaulting the match officials during the first leg. Upper Volta, who had lost to Ivory Coast in the previous round, were given their place in the finals.
Squads
Venues
The competition was played in two venues in Accra and Kumasi.
| Accra | Accra Kumasi |
|---|---|
| Accra Sports Stadium | |
| Capacity: 40,000 | |
| Kumasi | |
| Kumasi Sports Stadium | |
| Capacity: 40,500 | |
Group stage
Tiebreakers
If two or more teams finished level on points after completion of the group matches, the following tie-breakers were used to determine the final ranking:
- Goal difference in all group matches
- Greater number of goals scored in all group matches
- Drawing of lots
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghana (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 5 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Nigeria | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | |
| 3 | Zambia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Upper Volta | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 0 |
| Ghana | 2–1 | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| Afriyie 21' Abdul Razak 55' | Report | Kapita 8' |
| Nigeria | 4–2 | Upper Volta |
|---|---|---|
| Chukwu 17' Amiesimaka 31' Odegbami 44', 82' | Report | Hien 50' Koïta 52' |
| Zambia | 2–0 | Upper Volta |
|---|---|---|
| P. Phiri 20' B. Phiri 88' | Report |
| Nigeria | 1–1 | Ghana |
|---|---|---|
| Odegbami 33' | Report | Klutse 76' |
| Zambia | 0–0 | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Ghana | 3–0 | Upper Volta |
|---|---|---|
| Alhassan 3', 59' Polo 52' | Report |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uganda | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 4 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Tunisia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | |
| 3 | Morocco | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Congo | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
- Tied on overall points. Overall goal difference: Uganda +3, Tunisia +2.
| Morocco | 1–1 | Tunisia |
|---|---|---|
| Acila 29' | Report | Kaabi 63' |
| Uganda | 3–1 | Congo |
|---|---|---|
| Omondi 1' Semwanga 31' Kisitu 81' | Report | Mamounoubala 80' |
| Tunisia | 3–1 | Uganda |
|---|---|---|
| Labidi 36' Ben Aziza 38', 83' | Report | Musenze 71' |
| Morocco | 1–0 | Congo |
|---|---|---|
| Acila 28' | Report |
| Congo | 0–0 | Tunisia |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Uganda | 3–0 | Morocco |
|---|---|---|
| Kisitu 13' Nsereko 32' Omondi 36' | Report |
Knockout stage
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 14 March – Accra | ||||||
| Ghana | 1 | |||||
| 16 March – Accra | ||||||
| Tunisia | 0 | |||||
| Ghana | 2 | |||||
| 14 March – Kumasi | ||||||
| Uganda | 0 | |||||
| Uganda | 2 | |||||
| Nigeria | 1 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 16 March – Accra | ||||||
| Tunisia | 1 | |||||
| Nigeria | 11 | |||||
Semi-finals
| Ghana | 1–0 | Tunisia |
|---|---|---|
| Abdul Razak 57' | Report |
| Uganda | 2–1 | Nigeria |
|---|---|---|
| Nasur 11' Omondi 58' | Report | Eyo 54' |
Third place match
| Nigeria | 2–0 (Awarded) | Tunisia |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammed 42' | Report | Akid 19' |
1 The match was abandoned after Tunisia walked off in the 42nd minute with the score tied at 1–1 to protest the officiating. Nigeria were awarded a 2–0 win, and Tunisia were suspended for two years (also banning them from the next tournament).
Final
| Ghana | 2–0 | Uganda |
|---|---|---|
| Afriyie 38', 64' | Report |
Goalscorers
There were 38 goals scored in 16 matches, for an average of 2.38 goals per match.
3 goals
- Opoku Afriyie
- Segun Odegbami
- Phillip Omondi
2 goals
- Karim Abdul Razak
- George Alhassan
- Hassan "Acila" Amcharrat
- Abderraouf Ben Aziza
- Godfrey Kisitu
1 goal
CAF Team of the Tournament
Goalkeeper
- Mohammed Al-Hazaz
Defenders
- Mokhtar Dhouieb
- James Kuuku Dadzie
- Khaled Gasmi
- Larbi Ihardane
Midfielders
- Moses Nsereko
- Karim Abdul Razak
- Adolf Armah
- Phillip Omondi
Forwards
- Segun Odegbami
- Mohammed Polo
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