Two of them qualified automatically, the host country Tunisia and the defending champion Ghana.

Ghana retained its title, beating Tunisia in the final 3–2 after extra time.

Egypt qualified from Zone 1 after Morocco and Nigeria withdrew before the start of the qualifiers, but later withdrew due to the deterioration of its diplomatic relations with Tunisia after a speech given by Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba in Jericho in which he called on Arab countries to recognize Israel.

[1] Sudan, called upon to take Egypt's place, declined the invitation: a single playoff match was then scheduled in Accra on 31 October between Congo-Léopoldville and Guinea.

If two or more teams finished level on points after completion of the group matches, the following tie-breakers were used to determine the final ranking: