Nine countries entered the competition, including the reigning champions Egypt, meaning for the first time a qualification tournament was required.

Egypt, as holders, and Ethiopia as hosts, qualified automatically meaning each needed to play only one game to reach the final.

This page details the process of qualifying for the 1962 African Cup of Nations.

Nine nations initially entered the competition, with Ethiopia and Egypt both automatically qualified as hosts and title holders respectively.

Sudan withdrew before the draw, and Morocco withdrew before play began, thus leaving five teams vying for the remaining two spots in the finals.