Mali and Morocco both made their 4th appearance at the tournament, and their second final. Mali previously contested the final in
2016 losing 3-0 to
DR Congo. Morocco meanwhile reached the final of
the previous edition defeating
Nigeria 4-0 to become the first host nation to win the title. The final was also the first meeting between the two sides at the
CHAN tournament. Mali were 57th in the
FIFA World Rankings (9th among African nations), while Morocco were 35th (4th among African nations). ==Route to the final==