This was the first time Mexico had defeated Brazil in a FIFA tournament final. Prior to the tournament, Mexico never won a major FIFA tournament, but came close to in the second edition (also the last edition) of the King Fahd Cup, ending up in third place, under Denmark and Argentina.
For Brazil, this was their second and consecutive final after beating Australia in the 1997 Confederations Cup Final, making them the first team to win the tournament, since FIFA took over the King Fahd Cup.
Mexico
This marked the first time Mexico qualified to the tournament final, and the first time a CONCACAF representative would reach the final.
In their tournament debut, Mexico won 5–1 in their first match against Saudi Arabia. Later, they tied in a disappointing game 2–2 against Egypt, that got a dramatic equalizer in the last five minutes. For their last group stage match, Bolivia were their rivals, beating them 1–0 in the 52nd minute, that gave Mexico a total of seven points. Then in the semi-finals, United States stood in Mexico's way, but were later defeated 1–0 by golden goal, scored in the 97' minute that gave Mexico the first ticket to the final.
Brazil
Meanwhile, this was the second consecutive final for Brazil. They were looking forward on winning their second Confederations Cup, repeating like in the 1997 edition.
The defending champions made their tournament debut with a 4–0 win over a surprisingly disappointing Germany. Then won against United States with only a 1–0 win. Later, they finished on top of their group with nine points after they defeated New Zealand 2–0. In the semi-finals, they astonishingly beat Saudi Arabia 8-2 to send them to their 2nd straight final.
