Elfsborg had one previous appearance in the competition, the inaugural edition of 2007 when they won the title after beating Helsingborgs IF 1–0 at Borås Arena.

Malmö FF qualified for the competition of 5 October 2014 when they secured the 2014 Allsvenskan title in the 27th league round in the away fixture against AIK at Friends Arena with a 3–2 win.

The two clubs met in league play during the season, Malmö FF defeated Elfsborg at Borås Arena 1–0 on 1 June 2014 and Elfsborg defeated Malmö FF at Swedbank Stadion 2–1 on 18 October 2014 in the 28th league round.

[4] For Malmö FF two players from the starting line-up, goalkeeper Robin Olsen and defender Erik Johansson missed the match due to injuries sustained in Malmö FF's match in the UEFA Champions League against Atlético Madrid on 4 November 2014.

IF Elfsborg had forward Lasse Nilsson, defender Sebastian Holmén and midfielder Anton Andreasson missing due to injuries before the match and defender Jon Jönsson missing for an undisclosed reason.