1978 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)

Format

There would be five rounds of play:

• Preliminary Round, First Round, Second Round and Third Round: In each of these rounds, the teams were paired up to play knockout matches on a home-and-away basis. The winners would advance to the next round, until there would be 3 teams left.
• Final Round: The 3 teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner would qualify.

Preliminary round

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Sounomu Tray Kanfideni Sierra Leone won 6–3 on agg. and advanced to the first round.

Ouattara Upper Volta won 3–1 on agg. and advanced to the first round.

First round

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Algeria won 1–0 on agg. and advanced to the second round.

The aggregate score was tied 2–2, but Tunisia won 4–2 on penalties in the second leg to advance to the second round. This was the first penalty shootout in a World Cup match.

Togo won 2–1 on agg. and advanced to the second round.

Afriyie Keita The aggregate score was tied 3–3, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the second round.

S. Sylla Guinea advanced to the second round, via the play-off.

Atuegbu Usiyan Emeteole Awesu Sama Nigeria won 6–2 on agg. and advanced to the second round.

Wamba Onguene Awarded (1–2 82') N'Domba Congo-Brazzaville won 4–2 on agg. and advanced to the second round.

Kouman Côte d'Ivoire won 3–1 on agg. and advanced to the second round.

Egypt won 5–1 on agg. and advanced to the second round.

Phiri Chamangwana Zambia won 5–0 on agg. and advanced to the second round.

Central African Republic withdrew, so Zaire advanced to the second round automatically.

Sudan withdrew, so Kenya advanced to the second round automatically.

Tanzania withdrew, so Uganda advanced to the second round automatically.

Second round

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Kaabi Tunisia won 3–1 on agg. and advanced to the third round.

Souleymane Tollo Guinea won 4–1 on agg. and advanced to the third round.

Mamahou Kouman N'Domba Miézan G'Bize Ivory Coast won 6–3 on agg. and advanced to the third round.

Egypt won 1–0 on agg. and advanced to the third round.

Chanda Chitalu Obua Zambia won 4–3 on agg. and advanced to the third round.

Zaire withdrew, so Nigeria advanced to the third round automatically.

Third round

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Lahzami Khouini Tunisia won 3–2 on agg. and advanced to the Final Round.

Iwelumo Ojebode Amiesimaka Nigeria won 6–2 on agg. and advanced to the Final Round.

Hammam Egypt won 2–0 on agg. and advanced to the Final Round.

Final round

Odegbami N'Wadioha

Mokhtar

Abdou El Khatib Akid

Lahzami Ben Aziza Labidi

Tunisia qualified.

Qualified teams

:1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Goalscorers

;6 goals

• EGY Mahmoud El Khatib

;4 goals

• NGA Segun Odegbami

;3 goals

• CIV Kobenan Kouman
• CIV Jérôme Lèbre Mamahou
• EGY Mostafa Abdou
• GUI Papa Camara
• NGA Thompson Usiyan
• TUN Mohamed Akid

;2 goals

• CMR Roger Milla
• People's Republic of the Congo Jean-Jacques N'Doumba
• CIV Leon Goua G'Bize
• EGY Farouk Gaafar
• NGA Alloysius Atuegbu
• NGA Godwin Iwelumo
• SLE Kama Dumbuya
• SLE Wasieu Sounomu
• TUN Abderraouf Ben Aziza
• TUN Khemais Labidi
• TUN Témime Lahzami
• Upper Volta Joseph Kaboré
• ZAM Bernard Chanda
• ZAM Godfrey Chitalu
• ZAM Willie Phiri

;1 goal

• ALG Omar Betrouni
• ALG Mahmoud Guendouz
• CMR Jean Manga Onguéné
• People's Republic of the Congo Jonas Bahamboula
• People's Republic of the Congo Daniel Ebomoa
• People's Republic of the Congo Pierre Lingongo
• People's Republic of the Congo Joseph Mounoudzi
• People's Republic of the Congo Joseph Wamba
• CIV Gaston Bawa
• CIV Lucien Kouassi Kouame
• CIV Pascal Miézan
• EGY Ahmed Abdel Baki
• EGY Maher Hammam
• EGY Ossama Khalil
• EGY Mokhtar Mokhtar
• ETH Tekalinge Kassahun
• GHA Opoku Afriyle
• GHA Ofei Ansah
• GHA Ibrahim Kassum
• GUI Ousmane Badara Bangoura
• GUI Youssuf Camara
• GUI Mamadou Aliou Keita
• GUI Chérif Souleymane
• GUI Ali Sylla
• GUI Ismael Sylla
• GUI Seydouba Sylla
• GUI Ousmane Thiam Tollo
• MTN Gagny Coulibaly
• MAR Abdelghani Lakhal
• MAR Mustapha Tahir
• NIG Boukari Adamou
• NIG Moussa Kanfideni
• NIG Sanda Seydou
• NGA Adokie Amiesimaka
• NGA Kunle Awesu
• NGA Christian Chukwu
• NGA Kelechi Emeteole
• NGA Johnny N'Wadioha
• NGA Samuel Ojebode
• SEN Abdoulaye Ba
• SLE Ismail Dyfan
• SLE Mohammed Sama
• SLE William Sango
• SLE Samuel Tray
• TOG Anani Afanou
• TOG Tabania Ametepé
• TOG Alirou Rachidou
• TUN Tarak Dhiab
• TUN Amor Jebali
• TUN Néjib Liman
• TUN Ali Kaabi
• TUN Moncef Khouini
• UGA Abdulla Nasur
• UGA Denis Obua
• UGA Polly Ouma
• Upper Volta Joseph Ouattara
• Upper Volta Kouligo Zoma
• ZAM Alex Chola
• ZAM Obby Kapita

;1 own goal

• MWI Jack Chamangwana (playing against Zambia)
• NGA Godwin Odiye (playing against Tunisia)

Notes

References

1. [[Central African Republic national football team. Central African Republic]], [[Sudan national football team. Sudan]], [[Tanzania national football team. Tanzania]], and [[DR Congo national football team. Zaire]] withdrew without playing a single match.
2. The second leg was abandoned in the 82nd minute due to riots, and subsequently [[FIFA]] awarded a 2–0 victory to [[Congo national football team. Congo]].