 The 2019 Copa Paulino Alcantara final was contested in the Biñan Football Stadium in Biñan, Laguna.At the time of the final, Ceres-Negros were considered the underdogs as majority of their first-team players (Carli de Murga, Mike Ott, Sean Kane, Jose Elmer Porteria and Stephan Schröck) were on international duty for the Philippine national team in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, trimming the squad size down to 14.Kaya–Iloilo, on the other hand, had a full-strength squad and were also the defending champions, having won the 2018 Copa Paulino Alcantara, and were looking for revenge after Ceres beat them 3–0 on the last matchday of the 2019 Philippines Football League season.