The 1981 Amílcar Cabral Cup was held in Bamako, Mali.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Mali |
| Dates | February 2–13 |
| Teams | 7 |
| Venue(s) | (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Guinea (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Mali |
| Third place |  Senegal |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 14 |
| Goals scored | 36 (2.57 per match) |
← 1980 1982 → | |
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mali
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 |
| Guinea
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
 Mauritania
|
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | –2 |
 Gambia
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | –4 |
| Guinea | 1 – 1 | Gambia |
|---|---|---|
| Mali | 2 – 0 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Mauritania | (walkover) | Gambia |
|---|---|---|
Walkover. Awarded 1-0 to Mauritania
| Mali | 1 – 1 | Guinea |
|---|---|---|
| Mali | 4 – 1 | Gambia |
|---|---|---|
| Guinea | 2 – 1 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
 Cape Verde
|
2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
 Guinea-Bissau
|
0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | –4 |
| Senegal | 1 – 0 | Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 1 – 0 | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | 3 – 0 | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
| Mali | 2 – 0 | Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|
| Guinea | 1 – 0 | Senegal |
|---|---|---|
| Mauritania | 3 – 4 | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 5 – 1 | Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|
| Guinea | 0 – 0 (6 – 5 pen.) | Mali |
|---|---|---|