The 1979 African Youth Championship was the second edition of the biennial qualification tournament for the FIFA World Youth Championship for African nations and the inaugural edition under the African Youth Championship title.
After Malawi, Madagascar and Senegal all withdrew, the preliminary round was scratched and Kenya, Mauritius and the Gambia advanced to the first round.
First round
Uganda, Mali, Togo, Ivory Coast and Gambia withdrew, leading Mauritius, Morocco, Guinea, Cameroon and Nigeria to advance to the second round.