When is Argentina vs France? Date, start time, head-to-head record and early odds for World Cup final

The most controversial and unusual World Cup ever held is about to come to a close with a final at a stadium that was three years away from opening when the final whistle sounded on the 2018 tournament.

Lusail had seen ample drama even before the knockout rounds: Lionel Messi scored the first goal of the tournament there but wound up being part of an Argentina team beaten by Saudi Arabia, returning to set his side on their way in a 2-0 win over Mexico that kept the Copa America holders in the competition.

In between, Lusail saw Cristiano Ronaldo make his final start of what will almost certainly be his last finals as Portugal beat Uruguay 2-0. There would be no showdown with Messi for Ronaldo, whose introduction as a substitute could not save the Selecao against brilliant Morocco.

Here's all the information for the final, including TV details, kickoff time, betting odds and historical meetings between the two nations.

MORE: Follow the World Cup 2022 final live | Argentina vs France best bets | Starting Lineups

When is the World Cup final between Argentina and France?

• Date: Sunday, December 18
• Time: 18:00 (local) / 15:00 (GMT) / 10:00 (ET)

Argentina will face France in the final at Lusail Stadium on Sunday, December 18 with kickoff at 18:00 local time in Qatar.

Here's how that translates into time zones across some of the world's major territories. 

Argentina vs France World Cup final live stream, TV channel

Here's how you can watch all of the action in some of the major global territories.

Argentina vs France history 

These nations have never been separated by more than a goal in their three meetings at the finals, with Argentina winning two of those games to establish a 6-5 aggregate lead.

One of these teams has always reached the final when the two have played at the World Cup, but they have never met in the final before.

While Messi is yet to score a competitive goal against France, Kylian Mbappe arguably announced himself as a major international talent in the last edition of the fixture.

Messi did score one of the goals in a 2-0 victory in a friendly in Marseille in 2007 for Argentina, who have won four and lost two of their nine matches against France outside the World Cup.

Uruguay 1930, Argentina 1-0 France

Luis Monti scored the only goal of the game in the 31st minute for an Argentina side who would lose in the final to Uruguay after emerging from a group stage in which France were eliminated.

Midfielder Monti was more successful in the 1934 final: the Juventus captain took Italian citizenship between the tournaments and was part of the Azzurri team who won the title by beating Czechoslovakia in Rome.

Argentina 1978, Argentina 2-1 France

Daniel Passarella and Leopoldo Luque scored either side of a Michel Platini equaliser for France as Argentina beat Les Bleus on their way to qualification from the 1978 group stage at the expense of their opponents.

Tournament top scorer Mario Kempes netted two of his six goals in the final as Argentina beat the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time — an achievement they repeated in the quarterfinals in Qatar following a penalty shootout.

Russia 2018, Argentina 3-4 France

The nations last met in an epic Round of 16 clash at the 2018 World Cup. Angel Di Maria equalised before the break in response to Antoine Griezmann's early opener for France, who fell behind to Gabriel Mercado's 48th-minute goal but were level again within 10 minutes through Benjamin Pavard's sensational strike.

Mbappe put France out of sight with two goals within five minutes as the match entered its final quarter, rendering Sergio Aguero's 90th-minute reply insufficient for Argentina.

Argentina vs France betting odds

Odds via BetMGM (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and Ladbrokes (Australia).

Note: Odds above for 90 minutes of regulation except "to advance."