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 Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is t ...

, Ghana. The format of the competition changed from

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 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 Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

won its third championship, beating

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

in the final 2−0. Ivory Coast and

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...

were both disqualified in the second round of qualification: Ivory Coast for using an ineligible player, 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: * * (host) * (holders) * * * * ¹ * ¹ 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

Group stage

* Teams highlighted in green progress to the quarterfinals * 2 points awarded for a win and 1 point for a draw at group stage

Group A

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Group B

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Knockout stage

Semi-finals

----

Third place match

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

Scorers

* The two scorers in the third place match not added. ;3 goals *

Opoku Afriyie Opoku Afriyie (February 2, 1955 - March 29, 2020) was a Ghanaian footballer. He was popularly called Bayie. He played as a striker and won many caps with Asante Kotoko and the Ghana national football team. He worked for Asante Kotoko as Team-Man ...

Segun Odegbami Patrick Olusegun Odegbami (born 27 August 1952), often shortened as Segun Odegbami, is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward Early life Odegbami was born on 27 August 1952 in Lagos, Nigeria to Jacob Adebola Odegbam ...

* Phillip Omondi ;2 goals *

Karim Abdul Razak Karim Abdul Razak Tanko (born 18 April 1956) is a Ghanaian football coach and former midfielder. He played for several clubs in the 1970s and 1980s, notably the local club Asante Kotoko and the New York Cosmos in the defunct North American Socc ...

George Alhassan George Alhassan, nicknamed Jair referring to Jairzinho is a retired Ghanaian footballer. He is best known for his exploits in the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations which saw him lift the trophy for the second time in his career. During his career he ...

* Hassan "Acila" Amcharrat * Abderraouf Ben Aziza * Godfrey Kisitu ; 1 goal * Jacques Mamounoubala *

Willie Klutse Willie Klutse is a former Ghanaian international football player. He was in the Ghana squad that won the 1978 African Cup of Nations held in Ghana, and scored in the match against Nigeria. He was also selected for the Ghana squad that faced Guinea ...

* Akid * Mohammed "Polo" Ahmed *

Adokiye Amiesimaka Adokiye Amiesimaka (born 24 November 1956) is a Nigerian footballer, who as a law student at the University of Lagos played for the Enugu Rangers Football Club (of Enugu), Sharks Football Club (of Port Harcourt), African Continental Bank ...

Christian Chukwu Christian Chukwu Okoro (born 4 January 1951) is a Nigerian football former player and former national team coach. A defender in his playing days, he captained the Nigeria national team to its first win in the African Nations Cup. Playing ca ...

* Martins Eyo * Ali Kaabi * Mohsen Labidi * Samuel Musenze * Abdulla Nasur * Moses Nsereko * Edward Semwanga *

Hubert Hien Hubert Hien is an Upper Volta football midfielder who played for Upper Volta in the 1978 African Cup of Nations, where he scored the team's first ever goal in the competition. He also played for Rail Club du Kadiogo Rail Club du Kadiogo is ...

* Mamadaou Koïta * Obby Kapita *

Bizwell Phiri Bizwell Phiri (died 1994) was a Zambian football player and manager. Career Phiri played as a defender for Zambia in the 1978 African Cup of Nations The 1978 African Cup of Nations was the eleventh edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the ...

Patrick Phiri Patrick Phiri (born 3 May 1956) is a Zambian football coach and former footballer. He featured for Zambian clubs Rokana United and Red Arrows as a striker and represented Zambia at the 1978 and 1982 African Cup of Nations tournaments. As a coa ...

* Baba Otu Mohammed

CAF Team of the Tournament

Goalkeeper * Mohammed Al-Hazaz Defenders * Mokhtar Dhouieb * James Kuuku Dadzie * Khaled Gasmi * Larbi Ihardane Midfielders * Moses Nsereko *

* Adolf Armah * Phillip Omondi Forwards *

* Mohammed Polo

References

External links

Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF)

{{DEFAULTSORT:1978 African Cup of Nations International association football competitions hosted by Ghana Africa Cup of Nations tournaments African Cup of Nations, 1978 Sport in Accra Nations, 1978 African Cup of Nations