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:
- North American Zone had 3 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner and runner-up would advance to the Final Round.
- Central American Zone had 4 teams. The teams played against each other on a home-and-away basis. The group winner and runner-up would advance to the Final Round.
- Caribbean Zone had 9 teams, which would be divided into 2 groups of 4 or 5 teams. The teams played in a knockout tournament, with matches on a home-and-away basis. The group winners would advance to the Final Round.
CONCACAF North American Zone
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mexico | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 4 | 1977 CONCACAF Championship | 
| 2= | .svg.png.webp) Canada (O) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | |
| 2= |  United States | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4[lower-alpha 1] | 
(O) Play-off winners
Notes:
| 24 September 1976 | Canada .svg.png.webp)  | 1–1 |  United States | Vancouver, Canada | 
| Bolitho  77' | Bandov  8' | Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 15,453[1] Referee: Dorantes García (Mexico) | 
| 3 October 1976 | United States   | 0–0 |  Mexico | Los Angeles, United States | 
| Stadium: Memorial Coliseum Attendance: 33,171[2] Referee: Dante Maglio (Canada) | 
| 10 October 1976 | Canada .svg.png.webp)  | 1–0 |  Mexico | Vancouver, Canada | 
| Parsons  32' | Stadium: Empire Stadium Attendance: 17,939[3] Referee: Toros Kibritjian (United States) | 
| 15 October 1976 | Mexico   | 3–0 |  United States | Puebla, Mexico | 
| Solís  28' Álvarez  40' Dávila  83' (pen.) | Stadium: Cuauhtémoc Referee: Werner Winsemann (Canada) | 
| 20 October 1976 | United States   | 2–0 | .svg.png.webp) Canada | Seattle, United States | 
| Rys  55' Veee  81' | Stadium: Kingdome Attendance: 17,675[4] Referee: Rubio Vásquez (Mexico) | 
| 27 October 1976 | Mexico   | 0–0 | .svg.png.webp) Canada | 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 .svg.png.webp)  | 3–0 |  United States | Stade Sylvio Cator, Port-au-Prince, Haiti | 
| Budd  21' Lenarduzzi  80' Bolitho  87' | Attendance: 5,000 (estimated)[5] Referee: Velasquez Ramírez (Colombia) | 
Mexico and Canada advanced to the tournament.
CONCACAF Central American Zone
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Guatemala | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 8 | 1977 CONCACAF Championship | 
| 2 |  El Salvador | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 | 7 | |
| 3 |  Costa Rica | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 6 | |
| 4 |  Panama | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 21 | −14 | 3 | 
| 4 April 1976 | Panama   | 3–2 |  Costa Rica | Panama City, Panama | 
| Tapia  48' Ponce  50' Sánchez  75' | Jiménez  34' Barrantes  85' | Referee: Cedillos (Honduras) | 
| 2 May 1976 | Panama   | 1–1 |  El Salvador | Panama City, Panama | 
| Vázquez  50' (pen.) | Ramírez  16' | Referee: Rojas Luis (Costa Rica) | 
| 11 July 1976 | Costa Rica   | 3–0 |  Panama | San José, Costa Rica | 
| Alvarado  11', 22' Jiménez  44' | Referee: Sazo Alvarez (Nicaragua) | 
| 1 August 1976 | El Salvador   | 4–1 |  Panama | San Salvador, El Salvador | 
| Ramírez  7', 14', 78' Aquino  69' | Hernández  88' | Referee: Rubio Vásquez (Mexico) | 
| 17 September 1976 | Panama   | 2–4 |  Guatemala | Panama City, Panama | 
| Wellmann  9' (o.g.) Montillo  25' | Pennant  51' Sánchez  56', 63' Anderson  88' | Referee: Álvarez Morales (Costa Rica) | 
| 26 September 1976 | Guatemala   | 7–0 |  Panama | Guatemala City, Guatemala | 
| Sánchez  14', 68' Pennant  17', 40' McDonald  53', 62' Sandoval  70' | Referee: Avendano Ruiz (El Salvador) | 
| 1 December 1976 | El Salvador   | 1–1 |  Costa Rica | San Salvador, El Salvador | 
| Cabrera  27' | Jiménez  78' | Referee: Méndez Molina (Guatemala) | 
| 5 December 1976 | Costa Rica   | 0–0 |  Guatemala | San José, Costa Rica | 
| Referee: Archundia (Mexico) | 
| 8 December 1976 | Guatemala   | 3–1 |  El Salvador | Guatemala City, Guatemala | 
| McNish  19' Monterroso  30' Sánchez  80' | Valencia  14' (pen.) | Referee: Luis Paulino Siles Calderón (Costa Rica) | 
| 12 December 1976 | Guatemala   | 1–1 |  Costa Rica | Guatemala City, Guatemala | 
| Sandoval  77' | Salgado  89' | Referee: Andino Pinel (Honduras) | 
| 15 December 1976 | Costa Rica   | 1–1 |  El Salvador | San José, Costa Rica | 
| Figueroa  40' | Ramírez  75' | Referee: Mollinedo (Guatemala) | 
| 19 December 1976 | El Salvador   | 2–0 |  Guatemala | San Salvador, El Salvador | 
| Cabrera  Valencia  | Referee: Segura (Mexico) | 
Guatemala and El Salvador advanced to the tournament.
CONCACAF Caribbean Zone
Brackets
| Preliminary Round | First Round | Second Round | |||||||||||||||||
|  Guyana | 2 | 0 | n | 2 | |||||||||||||||
|  Suriname | 0 | 3 | n | 3 | |||||||||||||||
|  Suriname (a.e.t.) | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3* | |||||||||||||||
| Group A | |||||||||||||||||||
|  Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
|  Barbados | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
|  Trinidad and Tobago | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2* | |||||||||||||||
|  Jamaica | 1 | 0 | n | 1 | |||||||||||||||
|  Cuba | 3 | 2 | n | 5 | |||||||||||||||
|  Cuba | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| Group B | |||||||||||||||||||
|  Haiti | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2* | |||||||||||||||
| .svg.png.webp) Netherlands Antilles | 1 | 0 | n | 1 | |||||||||||||||
|  Haiti | 2 | 7 | n | 9 | |||||||||||||||
|  Dominican Republic | 0 | 0 | n | 0 | |||||||||||||||
|  Haiti | 3 | 3 | n | 6 | |||||||||||||||
Group A
First round
| 4 July 1976 | Guyana   | 2–0 |  Suriname | Georgetown, Guyana | 
| Butts  9' Niles  72' | Referee: Gay (Trinidad and Tobago) | 
| 29 August 1976 | Suriname   | 3–0 (3–2 agg.) |  Guyana | Paramaribo, Suriname | 
| Playfaire  4' George  35', 53' | Referee: Wooding (Trinidad and Tobago) | 
Suriname advanced to the Second Round.
| 15 August 1976 | Barbados   | 2–1 |  Trinidad and Tobago | Bridgetown, Barbados | 
| Clarke  47', 54' (pen.) | David  83' | Referee: Steeman (Suriname) | 
| 31 August 1976 | Trinidad and Tobago   | 1–0 (2–2 agg.) |  Barbados | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 
| Douglas  36' | 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 |  Barbados | 1–3 | Trinidad and Tobago   | Bridgetown, Barbados | 
| Clarke  26' | Llewellyn  3' Carpette  74' Clarke  85' (o.g.) | Referee: Calderón Castro (Cuba) | 
Trinidad and Tobago advanced to the Second Round, via the play-off.
Second round
| 14 November 1976 | Suriname   | 1–1 |  Trinidad and Tobago | Paramaribo, Suriname | 
| George  2' | David  9' | Referee: Chandler (Barbados) | 
| 28 November 1976 | Trinidad and Tobago   | 2–2 (3–3 agg.) |  Suriname | Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago | 
| Figaro  29' (pen.) Llewellyn  64' | Olmberg  44' Entingh  83' | 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.) |  Trinidad and Tobago | Cayenne, French Guiana | 
| George  60', 80' Olmberg  107' (pen.) | David  19', 70' | Referee: Llobregat Vicedo (Venezuela) | 
Suriname advanced to the tournament, via the play-off.
Group B
Preliminary round
| 2 April 1976 | Dominican Republic   | 0–3 | .svg.png.webp) Haiti | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | 
| Auguste  12' Bayonne  29' Baptiste  32' | Referee: Wuertz (United States) | 
| 17 April 1976 | Haiti .svg.png.webp)  | 3–0 (6–0 agg.) |  Dominican Republic | Port-au-Prince, Haiti | 
| Bayonne  32', 63' Domingue  44' | Referee: Villarejo Ramírez (Puerto Rico) | 
Haiti advanced to the First Round.
First round
| 30 July 1976 | Netherlands Antilles .svg.png.webp)  | 1–2 | .svg.png.webp) Haiti | Aruba, Netherlands Antilles | 
| Ruiz  84' | Sanon  27', 39' | Referee: Chaplin (Jamaica) | 
| 14 August 1976 | Haiti .svg.png.webp)  | 7–0 (9–1 agg.) | .svg.png.webp) Netherlands Antilles | Port-au-Prince, Haiti | 
| Domingue  5', 41' Sanon  27', 79' Labissiere  30' Brevil  50' Bayonne  56' | Referee: Montane Bosch (Puerto Rico) | 
Haiti advanced to the Second Round.
| 15 August 1976 | Jamaica   | 1–3 |  Cuba | Kingston, Jamaica | 
| Brown  65' | Rivero  29' Lara  50' Fariñas  75' | Referee: De la Puente (Dominican Republic) | 
| 29 August 1976 | Cuba   | 2–0 (5–1 agg.) |  Jamaica | Havana, Cuba | 
| Fariñas  42' Pérez  77' | Referee: Pastor (Dominican Republic) | 
Cuba advanced to the Second Round.
Second round
| 11 December 1976 | Haiti .svg.png.webp)  | 1–1 (2–2 agg.) |  Cuba | Port-au-Prince, Haiti | 
| Sanon  81' | Roldán  79' | 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 .svg.png.webp)  | 2–0 |  Cuba | Panama City, Panama | 
| Domingue  63' Désir  83' (pen.) | Referee: Dorantes Garcia (Mexico) | 
Haiti advanced to the tournament, via the play-off.
Goalscorers
- 6 goals
- 5 goals
 Óscar Enrique Sánchez Óscar Enrique Sánchez
 Luis Ramírez Zapata Luis Ramírez Zapata
 Roy George Roy George
- 4 goals
.svg.png.webp) Pierre Bayonne Pierre Bayonne
.svg.png.webp) Leintz Domingue Leintz Domingue
 Steve David Steve David
- 3 goals
 Victor Clarke Victor Clarke
 Javier Jiménez Javier Jiménez
 Selvin Pennant Selvin Pennant
- 2 goals
.svg.png.webp) Bob Bolitho Bob Bolitho
 Johnny Alvarado Cascante Johnny Alvarado Cascante
 Francisco Fariñas Francisco Fariñas
 David Arnoldo Cabrera David Arnoldo Cabrera
 Victor Manuel Mejia Valencia Victor Manuel Mejia Valencia
 Peter Sandoval Peter Sandoval
 Remie Olmberg Remie Olmberg
 Sammy Llewellyn Sammy Llewellyn
- 1 goal
.svg.png.webp) Brian Budd Brian Budd
.svg.png.webp) Bob Lenarduzzi Bob Lenarduzzi
.svg.png.webp) Buzz Parsons Buzz Parsons
 Mario Barrantes Mario Barrantes
 Javier Masís Javier Masís
 William Fisher Salgado William Fisher Salgado
 Dagoberto Lara Dagoberto Lara
 Ramón Núñez Ramón Núñez
 Agustín Pérez Castillo Agustín Pérez Castillo
 Miguel Rivero Miguel Rivero
 Andrés Roldán Andrés Roldán
 Silvio Aquino Silvio Aquino
 Julio César Anderson Julio César Anderson
 Leonardo McNish Leonardo McNish
 Felix McDonald Felix McDonald
 Benjamin Monterroso Benjamin Monterroso
 Vibert Butts Vibert Butts
 Keith Niles Keith Niles
.svg.png.webp) Arsène Auguste Arsène Auguste
.svg.png.webp) Jean Marie Jean Baptiste Jean Marie Jean Baptiste
.svg.png.webp) Carlo Brevil Carlo Brevil
.svg.png.webp) Jean-Claude Désir Jean-Claude Désir
.svg.png.webp) Louidor Labissiere Louidor Labissiere
 Carl Brown Carl Brown
 Pedro Damián Álvarez Pedro Damián Álvarez
 Hugo Dávila Hugo Dávila
 Francisco Solís Francisco Solís
.svg.png.webp) Monico Eluterio Ruiz Monico Eluterio Ruiz
 Hector Nestor Hernández Hector Nestor Hernández
 Daniel Montillo Ruíz Daniel Montillo Ruíz
 Federico Ponce Federico Ponce
 Agustín Sánchez Agustín Sánchez
 Luis Ernesto Tapia Luis Ernesto Tapia
 Virgílio Vázquez Virgílio Vázquez
 Rinaldo Entingh Rinaldo Entingh
 Henry Playfair Henry Playfair
 Leon Carpette Leon Carpette
 Anthony Douglas Anthony Douglas
 Selris Figaro Selris Figaro
 Boris Bandov Boris Bandov
 Miro Rys Miro Rys
 Juli Veee Juli Veee
- 1 own goal
 Victor Clarke (playing against Trinidad and Tobago) Victor Clarke (playing against Trinidad and Tobago)
 Allan Wellmann (playing against Panama) Allan Wellmann (playing against Panama)
References
- ↑ Stinson, Dan (25 September 1976). "Canadians forced to settle for tie". Vancouver Sun. p. 25. Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Jones, Grahame L. (4 October 1976). "Goalie Saves the Day for U.S." Los Angeles Times. sec. 3, p. 1. Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Cross, Jeff (12 October 1976). "Crowd gets quite a Buzz". The Province. p. 17. Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Petterson, Joel (9 June 2013). "It's been a long, successful road back to Seattle for U.S. Soccer". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ↑ Stinson, Dan (23 December 1976). "Budd blooms on time for Canada". Vancouver Sun. p. 35. Retrieved 21 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.