Qualification stage
Zone I (North Africa)
Morocco withdrew.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Libya  | 1–2 |  Tunisia | 0–0 | 1–2 |
Libya qualified by taking place Tunisia after it withdrew later. In addition, Algeria qualified as hosts.
Zone II (West Africa 1)
The tournament was held in Bamako, Mali. Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal withdrew.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
Mali  | 2–1 |  Mauritania |
| Mali | 2–1 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
Mali qualified.
Zone III (West Africa 2)
The tournament was held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Liberia and Sierra Leone withdrew.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ivory Coast  | 3–3 (2–3 p) |  Ghana | 2–1 | 1–2 |
Ghana qualified.
Zone IV (West Africa 3)
The tournament was held in Lagos, Nigeria. Central African Republic, Niger, Togo and Upper Volta withdrew.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Nigeria  | 9–0 |  Benin | 7–0 | 2–0 |
Nigeria qualified.
Zone V (Central Africa)
The tournament was held in Cameroon.
- Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cameroon | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 3 |
 Chad | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 3 |
 Rwanda | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | –7 | 0 |
- Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gabon | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 6 |
 Congo | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 4 |
 Burundi | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 12 | –8 | 2 |
 Equatorial Guinea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | –8 | 0 |
- Semifinals
First game between Cameroon and Congo played on 30/12/1977 but abandoned at 1–2 in 84' due to power cut. It was planned to be replayed on 31/12/1977 but Congo withdrew.
- Final
Cameroon qualified.
Zone VI (East Africa)
The tournament was held in Cairo, Egypt. Ethiopia and Kenya withdrew.
- Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Egypt | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 4 |
 Sudan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 2 |
 Somalia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | –6 | 0 |
- Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Uganda | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 Tanzania | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Uganda won the group on lots.
- Final
Egypt qualified.
Zone VII (Southern Africa)
The tournament was held in Curepipe, Mauritius. Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Swaziland and Zambia withdrew.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Malawi | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 2 |
 Mauritius | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | –1 | 0 |
Malawi qualified.
