| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Ghana |
| Dates | 5–16 March |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 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(s) | Karim Abdul Razak |
← 1976 1980 → | |
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.
Ivory Coast and Mali 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.