The 2022 World Cup final is upon us, as Argentina and France battle for international supremacy and a place among the elite teams in the sport's history to call themselves world champions.
We're familiar with the big storylines: Lionel Messi is hoping to add the final, most coveted piece of silverware to his already crowded trophy case, while France are looking to become the first team to repeat since 1962 with Kylian Mbappe continuing on a path toward becoming an all-time great.
The winning nation will add a third title and begin sporting three stars on its jersey. The odds have both teams nearly dead even, so it's a meeting that fans deserve after such a thrilling tournament in Qatar.
As the two top nations left standing get set to face off, here's an overview of key statistics and trends for this matchup, which will see the world tuning in.
MORE: Best bets for the 2022 World Cup final
Argentina vs France history
France have only won three of their 12 all-time meetings against Argentina. They have met three times previously at the World Cup, with Argentina winning two.
Argentina have won four of the last five meetings, but France won the most recent game, knocking the South American side out of the 2018 World Cup in the Round of 16.
All-time head-to-head record: Argentina 6 wins, France 3 wins, 3 draws
Argentina vs France last five meetings
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jun. 30, 2018 | 2018 FIFA World Cup | France 4-3 Argentina |
| Feb. 11, 2009 | International Friendly | France 0-2 Argentina |
| Feb. 7, 2007 | International Friendly | France 0-1 Argentina |
| Feb. 26, 1986 | International Friendly | France 2-0 Argentina |
| Jun. 6, 1978 | 1978 FIFA World Cup | Argentina 2-1 France |
Argentina at the FIFA World Cup
- World Cup final appearances: Only Germany have competed in more World Cup finals (8) than Argentina (6). Argentina have two prior World Cup titles, coming in 1978 and 1986, but have lost three other times.
- World Cup final heartbreak: Defeat for Argentina would see them equal the record for most World Cup final losses in the tournament's history.
- Bounce-back ability: Only one other team in World Cup history recovered from defeat in their first match to win the title — Spain in 2010, who lost to Switzerland 1-0 to begin Group H play, and would go on to win every single knockout match by a 1-0 scoreline, including the final. Argentina suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia to open their tournament.
- Lockdown defense: Argentina have conceded just 2.4 expected goals across the entire tournament, behind only Brazil and Mexico. The 1.3 shots on target faced per match is the lowest in the tournament.
France at the FIFA World Cup
- Back-to-back titles: With a win, France would be the first team to defend a World Cup title since Brazil in 1962.
- Knockout masters: France have won all seven of their knockout games since the start of the 2018 World Cup, with all victories coming in regulation.
- Bring on South America: France have gone 10 World Cup games against South American opposition unbeaten, dating all the way back to defeat to Argentina in 1978.
- Good luck beating France: Dating back to the 2006 World Cup, in which France finished second, Les Bleus have tasted defeat just four times in 28 matches, winning 20 of them.
Team stats for 2022 World Cup final
Argentina
- Another Messi record: Lionel Messi will set the record for all-time appearances in the World Cup by playing in this final. He would move to 26 all-time World Cup appearances.
- Messi again and again: With a goal in the final, Lionel Messi would become the only player in World Cup history to score a goal in every possible round of one World Cup tournament (group stage, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final).
- Age is only a number: Lionel Messi could become the second-oldest captain to win the World Cup, behind only Dino Zoff of Italy, who lifted the 1982 World Cup trophy at 40 years, 133 days old.
- Alvarez > Tevez: Julian Alvarez's four goals in six World Cup appearances, all coming in this 2022 tournament, give him more World Cup goals than Carlos Tevez managed in his entire career.
- Monster tournament: Nicolas Otamendi has completed 462 passes this tournament, third-most in the competition. His 20 aerial duels won ranks second in the World Cup, behind only Cho Gue-sung of South Korea.
France
- Coaches with two World Cups: Only one coach has ever led a team to two men's World Cup titles: Vittorio Pozzo with Italy in 1934 and 1938. Didier Deschamps (above) could become the second with a win in this match.
- All-time great World Cup coach: Deschamps has won 14 of 18 World Cup matches in his career, the second-most wins by a coach in history behind only the 16 of Helmut Schon of West Germany. His 78 percent success rate is most all-time of managers with 10 matches or more in charge.
- Captain in two finals: Only three players in history have captained a side in consecutive World Cup finals: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge of Germany, Diego Maradona of Argentina, and Dunga of Brazil. Hugo Lloris is vying to become the fourth, and is expected to wear the armband. Of the previous three men to do so, none won both finals; Dunga and Maradona each won once, while Rummenigge lost both.
- Goals in multiple finals: Only four players have ever scored goals in multiple World Cup finals: Vava, Pele, Paul Breitner, and Zinedine Zidane. Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann could add their names to that list with a goal in this match, with Mbappe potentially becoming the youngest to do it.
- Elite chance creator: Antoine Griezmann has created the most chances and produced the most expected assists in the 2022 World Cup competition. His 21 chances created are three more than second-place Lionel Messi, while his 3.54 xA (expected assists) are nearly double anyone else in the field.
- Varane the Vanquisher: For club and country, Raphael Varane is an incredible 14-2 in finals. His only defeats have come in the 2014 Supercopa de Espana and the 2018 Supercopa de Espana.
2022 World Cup final stats
- Match for all the gold: Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are tied for the Golden Boot race with five goals. Messi leads the race on the assists tiebreaker, with three assists to none for Mbappe.
- Good omen for Argentina: This will be just the second World Cup final in history between teams that have both previously lost a game in the tournament. In 1978, Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 after both previously had fallen earlier in the competition.
- Another good omen for Argentina: Of the 10 World Cup finals between one South American team and one European team, the South American team has lifted the trophy in seven of them.
