The 1982 African Cup of Nations was the 13th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the association football championship of African nations run by the CAF. It was hosted by Libya. Just like in 1980, there were eight teams, which were split into two groups of four. Ghana won its fourth championship, beating Libya on penalties 7−6 after a 1–1 draw.
| كأس أمم إفريقيا 1982 | |
|---|---|
.png) ACN 1982 official logo | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Libya |
| Dates | 5–19 March |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Ghana (4th title) |
| Runners-up |  Libya |
| Third place |  Zambia |
| Fourth place |  Algeria |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 32 (2 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | George Alhassan (4 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Fawzi Al-Issawi |
Qualified teams
The 8 qualified teams are:
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament |
|---|---|---|---|
| Libya | Hosts | 0 (debut) | |
| Nigeria | Holders | 22 March 1980 | 4 (1963, 1976, 1978, 1980) |
| Ghana | 2nd round winners | 2 August 1981 | 6 (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1978, 1980) |
| Cameroon | 2nd round winners | 30 August 1981 | 2 (1970, 1972) |
| Zambia | 2nd round winners | 30 August 1981 | 2 (1974, 1978) |
| Algeria | 2nd round winners | 20 September 1981 | 2 (1968, 1980) |
| Ethiopia | 2nd round winners | 4 October 1981 | 8 (1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1976) |
| Tunisia | 2nd round winners | 1981 | 4 (1962, 1963, 1965, 1978) |
- Notes
Squads
Venues
The competition was played in two venues in Tripoli and Benghazi.
| Tripoli | Benghazi | |
|---|---|---|
| June 11 Stadium | March 28 Stadium | |
| Capacity: 88,000 | Capacity: 55,000 | |
First round
Teams highlighted in green progress to the Semi-finals.
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libya | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 |
| Ghana | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| Cameroon | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
Source: [citation needed]
| Libya | 2–0 | Tunisia |
|---|---|---|
| Seddik 42' (o.g.) Al-Bor'osi 89' | Report |
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 5 |
| Zambia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 4 |
| Nigeria | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 2 |
| Ethiopia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 1 |
Source: [citation needed]
Knockout stage
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 16 March – Benghazi | ||||||
| Ghana (a.e.t.) | 3 | |||||
| 19 March – Tripoli | ||||||
| Algeria | 2 | |||||
| Ghana (pen.) | 1 (7) | |||||
| 16 March – Tripoli | ||||||
| Libya | 1 (6) | |||||
| Libya | 2 | |||||
| Zambia | 1 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 18 March – Tripoli | ||||||
| Algeria | 0 | |||||
| Zambia | 2 | |||||
Semifinals
| Libya | 2–1 | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Beshari 38', 84' | Report | 29' Kaumba |
Third place match
Final
Top scorers
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- Salah Assad
- Samuel Opoku Nti
- Stephen Keshi
- Godfrey Munshya
- 1 goal
- Chaabane Merzekane
- Djamel Zidane
- Grégoire Mbida
- John Essien
- Faraj Al-Barasi
- Fawzi Al-Issawi
- Abdel Razak Jaranah
- Ademola Adeshina
- Emmanuel Osigwe
- Aaron Njovu
- Kamel Gabsi
- Own goal
- Peter Fregene (against Zambia)
- Okey Isima (against Algeria)
- Kamel Seddik (against Libya)
CAF Team of the Tournament
| Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chaabane Merzekane | George Alhassan |