Thailand won the first leg 4–0, the biggest defeat for either side in this fixture since their meeting at the 1985 Southeast Asian Games, when Thailand as the host country won 7–0 against Indonesia.

The previous joint-biggest defeats were by a three-goal margin (4–1 in the 2000 single leg final and 3–0 in the first leg of the 2010 final), both of which coincidentally featured Indonesia as the losing side.

At the other hand, Indonesia had lost all five of their previous finals, two more than the second-worst, Thailand.

They had met three times in the AFF Championship final, with Thailand winning in 2000, 2002, and 2016.

Both countries played the final without their national flags due to non-compliance with conditions set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).