| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 20 February 1977 – 14 July 1977 |
| Teams | 9 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 21 |
| Goals scored | 55 (2.62 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Zico(5 goals) |
←1974 1982 → | |
| Qualification for championships (CONMEBOL) |
|---|
Listed below are the dates and results for the1978 FIFA World Cupqualification rounds for theSouth American Zone (CONMEBOL). For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article1978 FIFA World Cup qualification.
A total of 10 CONMEBOL teams entered the competition. The South American zone was allocated 3.5 places (out of 16) in the final tournament.Argentina, the hosts, qualified automatically, leaving 2.5 spots open for competition between 9 teams.
There would be two rounds of play:
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 |
| 2 |  Paraguay | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 |  Colombia | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 |
| Brazil | 6 – 0 | Colombia |
|---|---|---|
Roberto 15',31'Zico 25'Marinho 41',55'Rivellino 85' | Report |
Brazil advanced to the Final Round.
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bolivia | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 |
| 2 |  Uruguay | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| 3 |  Venezuela | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 |
Bolivia advanced to the Final Round.
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Peru | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 |
| 2 |  Chile | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| 3 |  Ecuador | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 |
| Ecuador | 1 – 1 | Peru |
|---|---|---|
| Paz y Miño 81' | Oblitas 43' |
| Peru | 4 – 0 | Ecuador |
|---|---|---|
| José Velásquez 19' Oblitas 48',50'Luces 63' |
Peru advanced to the Final Round.
| Rank | Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | +9 |
| 2 | Peru | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| 3 | Bolivia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | −13 |
| Brazil | 8 – 0 | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|
| Zico 5',10',27' (pen.),60' Roberto 22'Gil 54'Cerezo 70'Marcelo 89' | Relatorio |
| Peru | 5 – 0 | Bolivia |
|---|---|---|
| Cubillas 31',44' José Velásquez 65',89'Rojas 74' | Relatorio |
Brazil andPeru qualified.Bolivia advanced to theUEFA / CONMEBOL Intercontinental Play-off.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hungary  | 9–2 | Bolivia | 6–0 | 3–2 |
The following three teams from CONMEBOL qualified for the final tournament.
| Team | Qualified as | Qualified on | Previousappearances inFIFA World Cup1 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | Hosts | 6 July 1966 | 6 (1930,1934,1958,1962,1966,1974) |
 Brazil | Final Round winners | 14 July 1977 | 10 (1930,1934,1938,1950,1954,1958,1962,1966,1970,1974) |
| Peru | Final Round winners | 17 July 1977 | 2 (1930,1970) |
Windsor del Llano (playing againstHungary)
José Domingo Insfrán (playing againstBrazil)