From Wikipedia - Reading time: 10 min
Listed below are the dates and results for the tournament qualification. A total of 17 CONCACAF teams entered the competition. Honduras withdrew before the matches were played. The remaining 16 teams were divided into 3 zones, based on geographical considerations, as follows:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 | 1977 CONCACAF Championship | |
| 2= | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4[a] | ||
| 2= | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4[a] |
| 24 September 1976 | Canada | 1–1 | | Vancouver, Canada |
| Bolitho |
Bandov |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 15,453[1] Referee: Dorantes García (Mexico) |
| 3 October 1976 | United States | 0–0 | | Los Angeles, United States |
| Stadium: Memorial Coliseum Attendance: 33,171[2] Referee: Dante Maglio (Canada) |
| 10 October 1976 | Canada | 1–0 | | Vancouver, Canada |
| Parsons |
Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 17,939[3] Referee: Toros Kibritjian (United States) |
| 15 October 1976 | Mexico | 3–0 | | Puebla, Mexico |
| Solís Álvarez Dávila |
Stadium: Cuauhtémoc Referee: Werner Winsemann (Canada) |
| 20 October 1976 | United States | 2–0 | | Seattle, United States |
| Rys Veee |
Stadium: Kingdome Attendance: 17,675[4] Referee: Rubio Vásquez (Mexico) |
| 27 October 1976 | Mexico | 0–0 | | Toluca, Mexico |
| Stadium: Nemesio Díez Referee: Landauer (United States) |
Canada and United States finished level on points and goal difference, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the Final Round.
| 22 December 1976 | Canada | 3–0 | | Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Budd Lenarduzzi Bolitho |
Attendance: 5,000 (estimated)[5] Referee: Velasquez Ramírez (Colombia) |
Mexico and Canada advanced to the tournament.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 8 | 1977 CONCACAF Championship | |
| 2 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 7 | ||
| 3 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 6 | ||
| 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 21 | −14 | 3 |
| 4 April 1976 | Panama | 3–2 | | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |
| Tapia Ponce Sánchez |
Jiménez Barrantes |
Referee: Cedillos (Honduras) |
| 2 May 1976 | Panama | 1–1 | | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |
| Vázquez |
Ramírez |
Referee: Rojas Luis (Costa Rica) |
| 11 July 1976 | Costa Rica | 3–0 | | Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San Juan de Tibás, Costa Rica |
| Alvarado Jiménez |
Referee: Sazo Alvarez (Nicaragua) |
| 1 August 1976 | El Salvador | 4–1 | | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Ramírez Aquino |
Hernández |
Referee: Rubio Vásquez (Mexico) |
| 17 September 1976 | Panama | 2–4 | | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |
| Wellmann Montillo |
Pennant Sánchez Anderson |
Referee: Álvarez Morales (Costa Rica) |
| 26 September 1976 | Guatemala | 7–0 | | Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| Sánchez Pennant McDonald Sandoval |
Referee: Avendano Ruiz (El Salvador) |
| 1 December 1976 | El Salvador | 1–1 | | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Cabrera |
Jiménez |
Referee: Méndez Molina (Guatemala) |
| 5 December 1976 | Costa Rica | 0–0 | | Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica |
| Referee: Archundia (Mexico) |
| 8 December 1976 | Guatemala | 3–1 | | Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| McNish Monterroso Sánchez |
Valencia |
Referee: Luis Paulino Siles Calderón (Costa Rica) |
| 12 December 1976 | Guatemala | 1–1 | | Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| Sandoval |
Salgado |
Referee: Andino Pinel (Honduras) |
| 15 December 1976 | Costa Rica | 1–1 | | Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica |
| Figueroa |
Ramírez |
Referee: Mollinedo (Guatemala) |
| 19 December 1976 | El Salvador | 2–0 | | Estadio Cuscatlán, San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Cabrera Valencia |
Referee: Segura (Mexico) |
Guatemala and El Salvador advanced to the tournament.
| Preliminary Round | First Round | Second Round | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | n | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 3 | n | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 3* | ||||||||||||||||
| Group A | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 3 | 2* | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | n | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | n | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| Group B | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 2* | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | n | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 7 | n | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | n | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | n | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 July 1976 | Guyana | 2–0 | | Georgetown Cricket Club Ground, Georgetown, Guyana |
| Butts Niles |
Referee: Gay (Trinidad and Tobago) |
| 29 August 1976 | Suriname | 3–0 (3–2 agg.) | | André Kamperveen Stadion, Paramaribo, Suriname |
| Playfaire George |
Referee: Wooding (Trinidad and Tobago) |
Suriname advanced to the Second Round.
| 15 August 1976 | Barbados | 2–1 | | Barbados National Stadium, Bridgetown, Barbados |
| Clarke |
David |
Referee: Steeman (Suriname) |
| 31 August 1976 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1–0 (2–2 agg.) | | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Douglas |
Referee: Koetsier (Netherlands Antilles) |
The aggregate score was tied 2–2, and a play-off was played to decide who would advance to the Second Round.
| 14 September 1976 | | 1–3 | Trinidad and Tobago | Barbados National Stadium, Bridgetown, Barbados |
| Clarke |
Llewellyn Carpette Clarke |
Referee: Calderón Castro (Cuba) |
Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the Second Round, via the play-off.
| 14 November 1976 | Suriname | 1–1 | | André Kamperveen Stadion, Paramaribo, Suriname |
| George |
David |
Referee: Chandler (Barbados) |
| 28 November 1976 | Trinidad and Tobago | 2–2 (3–3 agg.) | | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Figaro Llewellyn |
Olmberg Entingh |
Referee: Llobregat Vicedo (Venezuela) |
The aggregate score was tied 3–3, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the tournament.
| 18 December 1976 | Suriname | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | | Stade Georges-Chaumet, Cayenne, French Guiana |
| George Olmberg |
David |
Referee: Llobregat Vicedo (Venezuela) |
Suriname advanced to the tournament, via the play-off.
| 2 April 1976 | Dominican Republic | 0–3 | | Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Auguste Bayonne Baptiste |
Referee: Wuertz (United States) |
| 17 April 1976 | Haiti | 3–0 (6–0 agg.) | | Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Bayonne Domingue |
Referee: Villarejo Ramírez (Puerto Rico) |
Haiti advanced to the First Round.
| 30 July 1976 | Netherlands Antilles | 1–2 | | Guillermo Próspero Trinidad, Aruba, Netherlands Antilles |
| Ruiz |
Sanon |
Referee: Chaplin (Jamaica) |
| 14 August 1976 | Haiti | 7–0 (9–1 agg.) | | Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Domingue Sanon Labissiere Brevil Bayonne |
Referee: Montane Bosch (Puerto Rico) |
Haiti advanced to the Second Round.
| 15 August 1976 | Jamaica | 1–3 | | Independence Park, Kingston, Jamaica |
| Brown |
Rivero Lara Fariñas |
Referee: De la Puente (Dominican Republic) |
| 29 August 1976 | Cuba | 2–0 (5–1 agg.) | | Estadio Pedro Marrero, Havana, Cuba |
| Fariñas Pérez |
Referee: Pastor (Dominican Republic) |
Cuba advanced to the Second Round.
| 28 November 1976 | Cuba | 1–1 | | Estadio Latinoamericano, Havana, Cuba |
| Núñez |
Sanon |
Referee: Stewart (Jamaica) |
| 11 December 1976 | Haiti | 1–1 (2–2 agg.) | | Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
| Sanon |
Roldán |
Referee: Montane Bosch (Puerto Rico) |
The aggregate score was tied 2–2, and a play-off on neutral ground was played to decide who would advance to the Final Round.
| 29 December 1976 | Haiti | 2–0 | | Estadio Rommel Fernández, Panama City, Panama |
| Domingue Désir |
Referee: Dorantes Garcia (Mexico) |
Haiti advanced to the tournament, via the play-off.