The 1978 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship was held in Honduras. It also served as qualification for the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Honduras |
| Dates | 26 November – 17 December |
| Teams | 13 |
| Venue(s) | •Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés •Estadio Francisco Morazán |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Mexico (6th title) |
| Runners-up |  Canada |
| Third place |  Honduras |
| Fourth place |  Costa Rica |
Teams edit
The following teams entered the tournament:
Round 1 edit
Group A edit
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honduras
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 4 |
| Canada
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 2 |
 Dominican Republic
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | –14 | 0 |
| 26 November | Canada
|
9–0 | Dominican Republic
|
| 30 November | Honduras
|
5–0 | Dominican Republic
|
| 3 December | Honduras
|
2–0 | Canada
|
Group B edit
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 4 |
 Trinidad and Tobago
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | –3 | 2 |
 Puerto Rico
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | –3 | 0 |
| 28 November | United States
|
2–0 | Puerto Rico
|
| 1 December | United States
|
4–0 | Trinidad and Tobago
|
| 4 December | Puerto Rico
|
1–2 | Trinidad and Tobago
|
Group C edit
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | +14 | 6 |
 El Salvador
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 |
 Netherlands Antilles
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | –6 | 2 |
 Grenada
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 13 | –11 | 0 |
| 26 November | Mexico
|
7–0 | Grenada
|
| 27 November | El Salvador
|
2–0 | Netherlands Antilles
|
| 30 November | Netherlands Antilles
|
3–2 | Grenada
|
| El Salvador
|
0–2 | Mexico
| |
| 3 December | El Salvador
|
3–0 | Grenada
|
| Mexico
|
5–0 | Netherlands Antilles
|
Group D edit
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 |
 Haiti
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 Bermuda
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | –3 | 0 |
| 28 November | Haiti
|
2–1 | Bermuda
|
| 1 December | Costa Rica
|
4–2 | Bermuda
|
| 4 December | Costa Rica
|
1–0 | Haiti
|
Round 2 edit
Group A edit
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honduras
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 6 |
| Canada
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 |
| Trinidad and Tobago
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | –4 | 2 |
| United States
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | –3 | 1 |
| 7 December | Canada
|
0–0 | United States
|
| Honduras
|
3–0 | Trinidad and Tobago
| |
| 10 December | Canada
|
0–1 | Honduras
|
| United States
|
1–3 | Trinidad and Tobago
| |
| 12 December | Canada
|
3–0 | Trinidad and Tobago
|
| Honduras
|
1–0 | United States
|
Group B edit
| Teams | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 5 |
| Mexico
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 |
| El Salvador
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 3 |
| Haiti
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | –8 | 0 |
| 7 December | Costa Rica
|
1–1 | El Salvador
|
| Mexico
|
1–0 | Haiti
| |
| 10 December | El Salvador
|
1–3 | Mexico
|
| Costa Rica
|
3–0 | Haiti
| |
| 12 December | El Salvador
|
4–0 | Haiti
|
| Costa Rica
|
3–1 | Mexico
|
Semifinals edit
| Canada | 4 – 0 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
Third place match edit
| Honduras | 2 – 1 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
Final edit
| 1978 CONCACAF U-20 Championship |
|---|
 Mexico Sixth title |
Qualification to World Youth Championship edit
The two best performing teams qualified for the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship.