| Tourney Name: | African Cup of Nations |
| Year: | 1980 |
| Country: | Nigeria |
| Dates: | 8−22 March |
| Num Teams: | 8 |
| Venues: | 2 |
| Cities: | 2 |
| Champion: | Nigeria |
| Count: | 1 |
| Second: | Algeria |
| Third: | Morocco |
| Fourth: | Egypt |
| Fourth-Flagvar: | 1972 |
| Matches: | 16 |
| Goals: | 33 |
| Top Scorer: |  Khalid Labied  Segun Odegbami (3 goals each) |
| Player: | Christian Chukwu |
| Prevseason: | 1978 |
| Nextseason: | 1982 |
The 1980 African Cup of Nations was the 12th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa (CAF). It was hosted by Nigeria. Just like in 1978, the field of eight teams was split into two groups of four. Nigeria won its first championship, beating Algeria in the final 3−0.
See main article: 1980 African Cup of Nations qualification.
The 8 qualified teams are:
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts | (1963, 1976, 1978) | |||
| Holders | (1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1978) | |||
| 2nd round winners | (1965, 1968, 1970, 1974) | |||
| 2nd round winners | (1972, 1976, 1978) | |||
| 2nd round winners | (1968) | |||
| 2nd round winners | (1957, 1959, 1962, 1963, 1970, 1974, 1976) | |||
| 2nd round winners | (1970, 1974, 1976) | |||
| 2nd round winners | (debut) |
See main article: 1980 African Cup of Nations squads.
The competition was played in two venues in Lagos and Ibadan.
| Lagos | Ibadan | |
|---|---|---|
| Surulere Stadium | Liberty Stadium | |
| Capacity: 80,000 | Capacity: 35,000 | |
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See main article: 1980 African Cup of Nations Final.