The biggest match in world football is here, and with both teams boasting a wealth of talent and a history of success on the world stage, can Argentina continue their quest to potentially redeem their previous World Cup final outcome, or can France make it back-to-back World Cup wins, becoming the first nation to do so since Brazil’s success in the 1958 & 1962 tournaments?

The South American nation hasn’t enjoyed World Cup success since its 1986 triumph against Germany in New Mexico. Therefore, the nation will be desperate to go the distance in the final on Sunday, bringing Lionel Messi the elusive trophy that has been absent throughout his entire career on what is likely to be his last ever World Cup appearance. 

Last time out
In the semi-final, Argentina raced past a strong Croatia side to reach the final with a comfortable result that nobody saw coming.

With pressure building following a difficult quarter-final match against the Netherlands, where discipline was thrown massively out of the window, and a couple of players could have seen red on another day, the nation did themselves justice via a penalty shootout. 

In the semi-finals, Messi grabbed another goal from the penalty spot to give Argentina the lead after 34 minutes. Five minutes later, Manchester City striker Julien Alvarez finished off an excellent team move to make it 2-0 before he added his second late on, again linking up with Messi. 

Despite showing weakness in their previous match, Argentina responded brilliantly to ensure that they wouldn’t blow a lead on this occasion. Even with Messi appearing to suffer a minor injury in the opening minutes, he pulled through and delivered for his country on the biggest stage of them all. 

Full-backs Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Muntial are both back after serving one-match bans for excessive yellow cards in recent matches, providing a further boost to the squad defensively.

However, it could force the nation to change tactics and game plan to stop Kylian Mbappe

  • France 

The European side will be eager to make it back-to-back World Cup wins on Sunday evening, despite missing a handful of their usual suspects, including Balon D’Or winner Karim Benzema and midfielder Paul Pogba

Last time out

During a fierce semi-final clash, France faced the tournament's surprise package Morocco, and the match was anything but easy for the reigning champions. 

After edging England in the quarter-finals, despite being second best, the pressure was definitely high coming up against a side that has already beaten some big sides in Qatar. Their team spirit, though, was extremely high. 

In the semi-finals, France took the lead inside five minutes through full-back Theo Hernandez when his acrobatic effort beat the goalkeeper. However, Morocco then took the game to their opponents, with Jawad El Yamiq hitting the post before substitute Randal Kolo Muani turned in Kylian Mbappe’s deflected effort to send them through. 

The semi-final was definitely a banana skin type game for France, considering their opponents had already beaten both Spain and Portugal in the competition and had the belief and courage to beat anyone. However, the nation used their experience and quality to get them over the line. 

Going into Sunday’s final, France remain strong as ever, despite having key players out injured in the run-up to the tournament, as well as one during it. The side believes in their own abilities and have proven in the tournament that they can get results, even if they aren’t at their best. 

Therefore, could France stick to their guns, or could the threat of Lionel Messi force them to change tactics slightly and attempt to stop the Argentinian danger man? 

  • Key Players 

Julien Alvarez (Argentina)

Manchester City striker Julien Alvarez has had an outstanding tournament for Argentina so far, and he even scored a brace in the semi-finals. 

Alvarez has developed a strong relationship with the likes of Messi and Brighton’s Alexis MacAllister and looks like a man completely in-form. So far, he has scored four goals in six matches and looks likely to cause France several problems. 

This is especially pertinent with the focus being more on Messi than Alvarez going into the game. 

Oliver Giroud (France)

For the reigning champions, experienced forward Oliver Giroud has stepped up massively following Karim Benzema’s injury before the tournament began. He has since broken the record to become France’s all-time leading goalscorer. 

Giroud has four goals in five games, which includes the winning goal against England in the quarter-finals. In and around the area, he will cause Argentina a lot of problems due to his physicality and aerial abilities.

Similarly to Alvarez, the focus for France will be on Mbappe, meaning Giroud has an even higher chance to shine, considering there is less pressure on him. 

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