Listed below are the dates and results for the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the South American Zone (CONMEBOL). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 20 February 1977 – 14 July 1977 |
| Teams | 9 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 21 |
| Goals scored | 55 (2.62 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Zico (5 goals) |
A total of 10 CONMEBOL teams entered the competition. The South American zone was allocated 3.5 places (out of 16) in the final tournament. Argentina, the hosts, qualified automatically, leaving 2.5 spots open for competition between 9 teams.
Format edit
There would be two rounds of play:
- First Round: The 9 teams were divided into 3 groups of 3 teams each. The teams would play against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would advance to the Final Round.
- Final Round: The 3 teams would play against each other once in a neutral venue. The group winner and runner-up would qualify. The third-placed team would advance to the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.
First round edit
Group 1 edit
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil
|
6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 |
| 2 |  Paraguay
|
4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 |  Colombia
|
2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 |
| Brazil | 6 – 0 | Colombia |
|---|---|---|
Roberto  15', 31'Zico 25'Marinho 41', 55'Rivellino 85' |
Report |
Brazil advanced to the Final Round.
Group 2 edit
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bolivia
|
7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 |
| 2 |  Uruguay
|
4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| 3 |  Venezuela
|
1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 |
| Bolivia | 1 – 0 | Uruguay |
|---|---|---|
| Jiménez 48' |
| Venezuela | 1 – 3 | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|
| Iriarte 86' |
Mezza 5' Jiménez 76'Aguilar 80' |
Bolivia advanced to the Final Round.
Group 3 edit
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Peru
|
6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 |
| 2 |  Chile
|
5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| 3 |  Ecuador
|
1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 |
| Ecuador | 1 – 1 | Peru |
|---|---|---|
| Paz y Miño 81' |
Oblitas 43' |
| Peru | 4 – 0 | Ecuador |
|---|---|---|
| José Velásquez 19' Oblitas 48', 50'Luces 63' |
Peru advanced to the Final Round.
Final round edit
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | +9 |
| 2 | Peru
|
2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| 3 | Bolivia
|
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | −13 |
| Brazil | 8 – 0 | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|
| Zico 5', 10', 27' (pen.), 60' Roberto 22'Gil 54'Cerezo 70'Marcelo 89' |
Relatorio |
| Peru | 5 – 0 | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|
| Cubillas 31', 44' José Velásquez 65', 89'Rojas 74' |
Relatorio |
Brazil and Peru qualified. Bolivia advanced to the UEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.
Inter-confederation play-offs edit
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hungary 
|
9–2 | Bolivia
|
6–0 | 3–2 |
Qualified teams edit
The following three teams from CONMEBOL qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
Hosts | 6 July 1966 | 6 (1930, 1934, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1974) |
 Brazil |
Final Round winners | 14 July 1977 | 10 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974) |
| Peru |
Final Round winners | 17 July 1977 | 2 (1930, 1970) |
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
Goalscorers edit
- 5 goals
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
- 1 own goal
Windsor del Llano (playing against Hungary)
José Domingo Insfrán (playing against Brazil)