The World Cup Final is set as Argentina vs France has a lot of amazing storylines, most notably Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappe.
Stream Live Argentina vs France
Will Mr. Messi finally get the World Cup he definitely deserves? Or will the rookie, Mbappe, win his second World Cup? Both of them were great in this tournament and they are Compete with Golden Boot and Golden Ball.
[ LIVE: World Cup 2022 schedule, how to watch, scores, hub ]
The closing ceremony will take place before the final, as the curtain falls on the tournament in Qatar. And Polish referee Shimon Marciniak will lead the biggest masterpiece in the men’s match. This is the last match before the return of the Premier League, and other top-flight leagues around the world.
As for Argentina, they have grown to this tournament and Lionel Scaloni has created a hungry team that is able to sit back, then take challenges and fly forward. Messi pulls the strings and brilliant Julian Alvarez extends the opposition defences. There is a sense of destiny when it comes to this Argentinian side.
[ MORE: World Cup final odds, favorites, lines ]
France made their way to the final, rarely coming out on top in this tournament, but given all their injury woes before them, we get to see just how deep this France team can go as they go to back-to-back World Cups. Nicknames for Didier Deschamps. Like Argentina, they prefer to sit back and beat teams on the counter and of course that means finding Mbappe whenever possible.
Here’s everything you need for Argentina vs France in the World Cup Final.
How to watch the Argentina vs France match live, broadcast link and start time
Starting: 10 a.m. ET – Sunday, December 18th
stadiumLusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail
Spanish language TV channels: Telemundo
Running in Spanish: peacock (all matches 64)
The main events, the players have to watch closely
The main battle and story is obviously the master against his apprentice. Will Lionel Messi, 35, win the World Cup he has craved throughout his legendary career? Or will his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, 23, lead France to back-to-back World Cups and the second of his young career? Elsewhere on the pitch, the main battle will be fought in midfield.
The midfield quartet of Enzo Fernandez, Rodrigo de Paul, Alexis McAllister and Leandro Paredes have been brilliant for Argentina, while defensively they are flexible to switch between the back four and the back five. The return of Montiel and Acuna from suspension has left Lionel Scaloni with a choice headache as he looks to lead Argentina to their third World Cup triumph and first since 1986 when Diego Maradona led them to glory in Mexico. Can Messi do the same in Qatar? However, Messi has been suffering from a sore hamstring this week and all eyes will be on him (naturally) and his fitness.
As for France, well, they made their way through this tournament and the current champions weren’t electrified. But they have done the job and are one win away from becoming the third team in history to win back-to-back World Cups. Didier Deschamps suffered severe injuries prior to the FIFA World Cup finals but his team recovered very well as the youngster progressed. Ibrahima Konate came in the semi-final and was superior, but like Argentina, France is still a bit shaky defensively. In midfield, Antoine Griezmann is stepping back from his years in his new role as a deeper playmaker, and Aurelien Choameni has been brilliant in the role. At the top, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud break through and give France an incredible balance. A lot of players got sick in the France camp, which is something to watch. There were also reports that Karim Benzema could return to France’s squad for this final after he left before the tournament started due to injury and was never substituted but has now returned to his list. Deschamps refused to talk about this issue at length and does not expect Benzema to be included in the squad.
Fast facts about France
[ MORE: Argentina’s history at the World Cup ]
Current FIFA World Ranking: 4
World Cup titles: 2 (1998, 2018)
Number of participations in the World Cup: 15
How they qualified: Automatically qualified by UEFA (won Group D)
Coach: Didier Deschamps
Key Players: Kylian Mbappe, Hugo Lloris, Antoine Griezmann, Raphael Varane.
Road to the 2022 World Cup Final: Finished top of Group C; beat Australia 2-1 in another 16; beat the Netherlands Penalties In the quarter-finals they beat Croatia 3-0 in the semi-finals
Fast facts about Argentina
[ MORE: France’s history at the World Cup ]
Current FIFA World Ranking: 3
World Cup titles: 2 (1978, 1986)
Number of World Cup participations: 17
How they qualified: Automatically qualified by CONMEBOL (2nd place)
Coach: Lionel Scaloni
Key players: Lionel Messi, Emiliano Martinez, Nicolas Otamendi, Julian Alvarez.
Road to the 2022 World Cup Final: Finished top of Group D; Beat Poland 3-1 in another 16; beat England 2-1 In the quarter-finals beat Morocco 2-0 in the semi-finals
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