Host country Ghana Champions Ghana (3rd title) Fourth place Tunisia Best player Karim Abdul Razak Teams 8 | Venue(s) 2 (in 2 host cities) Runners-up Uganda Matches played 16 Dates 5 Mar 1978 – 16 Mar 1978 Goals scored 38 | |
 | ||
Champion Ghana national football team Third place Nigeria national football team Similar 1982 African Cup of N, 1976 African Cup of N, 1957 African Cup of N, 1974 African Cup of N, 1984 African Cup of N | ||
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. Ghana won its third championship, beating Uganda in the final 2−0.
Contents
The Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) and Mali were disqualified from this competition in 1978 in the second round of the qualifiers. Upper Volta, who had been beaten by the Ivory Coast in the first qualifying round, were given a place in the finals at their expense.
Qualified teams
The 8 qualified teams are:
Group stage
Third place match
1The 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 banned from CAF competitions for two years.
Scorers
CAF Team of the Tournament
Goalkeeper
Defenders
Midfielders
Forwards