The match took place on May 11, 1949, at Estádio São Januário in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil had won all its previous matches, thrashing their rivals in all of them (totaling 36 goals in 5 games).

Nevertheless, the 2–1 loss to Paraguay caused both teams tied on points so a play-off match had to be played to crown a champion.

[1] On the other hand, the Paraguay side had a strong team with such notable players, regarded by some journalists as the best of its history.

[2] In fact, the Paraguayan side achieved some notable results such as the 2nd place in the previous edition.