The 1979 Amílcar Cabral Cup, the first edition of the tournament, was held in Bissau, Guinea Bissau.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Guinea Bissau |
| Dates | January 7–14 |
| Teams | 7 |
| Venue(s) | (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Senegal (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Mali |
| Third place |  Guinea |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 13 |
| Goals scored | 36 (2.77 per match) |
Group stage edit
Group A edit
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mali
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 |
| Guinea
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
 Gambia
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
 Mauritania
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 11 | –7 |
| Gambia | 3 – 1 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Guinea | 4 – 1 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Mali | 4 – 2 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
Group B edit
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
 Guinea-Bissau
|
2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
 Cape Verde
|
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | –4 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 3 – 0 | Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 1 – 0 | Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2 – 0 | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
Knockout stage edit
Semi-finals edit
| Mali | 1 – 1 (4 – 2 pen.) | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
Third place match edit
| Guinea | 2 – 2 (5 – 4 pen.) | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|