The 1985 Amílcar Cabral Cup was held in Banjul, Gambia.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Gambia |
| Dates | February 11–21 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Venue(s) | (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Senegal (5th title) |
| Runners-up |  Gambia |
| Third place |  Mali |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 32 (2 per match) |
← 1984 1986 → | |
Group stage
editGroup A
edit| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cape Verde
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 |
 Sierra Leone
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Gambia
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
 Guinea-Bissau
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | –3 |
Sierra Leone won the 2nd place by a toss of coin.
| Guinea-Bissau | 0 – 0 | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | 2 – 1 | Gambia |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra Leone | 2 – 2 | Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|
| Gambia | 1 – 0 | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Verde | 2 – 0 | Guinea-Bissau |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra Leone | 1 – 1 | Gambia |
|---|---|---|
Group B
edit| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mali
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 |
| Senegal
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 |
 Guinea
|
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | –3 |
 Mauritania
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | –6 |
| Mali | 3 – 0 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2 – 0 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
| Guinea | 1 – 0 | Mauritania |
|---|---|---|
Knockout stage
editSemi-finals
edit| Senegal | 1 – 0 | Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|
Third place match
edit| Mali | 1 – 0 | Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|