France and Argentina will meet in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, the gargantuan matchup that fans have been hoping to feast on to end this tournament full of excitement and thrills.
Lionel Messi will have the opportunity to win a first World Cup title of his illustrious career, while Kylian Mbappe is hoping to lead France to the first repeat for any nation since 1962, and only the third overall.
One of those stars will make history when the final whistle blows on December 18.
Messi could potentially cement himself as arguably the greatest player ever by securing the sport's top prize, while Mbappe could push his career further in that trajectory with his second title at just 23 years old.
As fans await one of the most highly anticipated football matches in years, here's a full rundown of how bookmakers see the 2022 FIFA World Cup final playing out.
The Sporting News brings you a look at every aspect of this match, from outright winner to total goals, goalscorers, yellow cards, corners and more.
LIVE BLOG: Follow along throughout the Argentina vs France match for live betting tips & picks live
Pre-match odds in this post via BetMGM, Caesars, and FanDuel (USA), Sports Interaction (Canada), SkyBet (UK), and Ladbrokes (Australia).
Argentina vs France odds, lines, handicaps to win
If you're not quite sure how even this World Cup final is expected to be, take a look at these odds — both teams are given plus odds to come away with a regulation win and minus odds to lift the World Cup trophy, with almost nothing between them.
Some bookmakers have even split it directly down the middle, completely unable to go with one side or the other. France are slightly favoured in some places, but there's almost nothing in that.
Both squads boast a world-class superstar, and both sides have surrounded that star with top quality players.
What bookmakers are sure of is a defensive battle, as the under 2.5 goal total is a strongly fancied, swung all the way nearly to 1/2 odds, while the over gets the plus treatment.
The oddsmakers cannot figure out, however, if both teams will score or not, suggesting the odds-on choice for a result is a 1-1 draw.
MORE: Full World Cup final betting preview for Argentina vs. France with picks, best bets, tips
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction | SkyBet | Ladbrokes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina win | +165 | 2.70 | 9/5 | 19/10 |
| Draw | +210 | 2.95 | 21/10 | 2/1 |
| France win | +188 | 2.70 | 13/8 | 31/20 |
| Both teams to score Y / N | -120 / -120 | 1.92 / 1.70 | 1/1, 8/11 | 1/1, 3/4 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals | +115 / -160 | 2.32 / 1.54 | 6/4, 1/2 | 11/8, 8/15 |
| Argentina -0.5 | +150 | 2.60 | — | — |
| France +0.5 | -210 | 1.47 | — | — |
| France win title | -110 | 1.90 | 10/11 | 3/4 |
| Argentina win title | -125 | 1.95 | 4/5 | 20/21 |
Note: Odds above for 90 minutes of regulation except to advance".
Argentina vs France goalscorer odds
Lionel Messi is considered the most likely player to score in this match, with odds that make him the slight favourite over his counterpart in blue, Kylian Mbappe.
Messi is in fine form, having scored a goal in every single game this World Cup except the group stage finale against Poland. He leads the Golden Boot standings on the assists tiebreaker, as he and Mbappe are both level with five goals.
Julian Alvarez is thought likely to score in the match as well after his sensational performance against Croatia in the semifinal, scoring twice and winning a penalty as well. Olivier Giroud is right there with him, leading the line for France in place of an injured Karim Benzema, and becoming France's all-time leading goalscorer earlier in the tournament.
MORE: When is Argentina vs France? Date, time, history, and TV info for 2022 World Cup final
Argentina goalscorer odds vs France
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction | SkyBet | Ladbrokes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. Messi | First: +350 Any: +170 | First: 6.00 Any: 2.52 | First: 4/1 Any: 7/4 | First: 7/2 Any: 13/8 |
| J. Alvarez | First: +550 Any: +240 | First: 8.20 Any: 3.66 | First: 6/1 Any: 5/2 | First: 11/2 Any: 12/5 |
| L. Martinez | First: +600 Any: +260 | First: 8.80 Any: 3.91 | First: 13/2 Any: 11/4 | First: 6/1 Any: 13/5 |
| P. Dybala | First: +650 Any: +280 | First: 9.60 Any: 4.17 | First: 7/1 Any: 3/1 | First: 13/2 Any: 14/5 |
| A. Correa | First: +900 Any: +400 | First: 13.00 Any: 5.50 | First: 10/1 Any: 9/2 | First: 9/1 Any: 4/1 |
Note: Odds above for 90 minutes of regulation only.
France goalscorer odds vs Argentina
| BetMGM | Sports Interaction | SkyBet | Ladbrokes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Mbappe | First: +400 Any: +188 | First: 6.20 Any: 2.56 | First: 9/4 Any: 5/1 | First: 4/1 Any: 2/1 |
| O. Giroud | First: +550 Any: +240 | First: 8.20 Any: 3.71 | First: 6/1 Any: 5/2 | First: 11/2 Any: 12/5 |
| A. Griezmann | First: +800 Any: +350 | First: 12.00 Any: 5.09 | First: 9/1 Any: 4/1 | First: 8/1 Any: 7/2 |
| M. Thuram | First: +800 Any: +350 | First: 11.00 Any: 4.88 | First: 9/1 Any: 4/1 | First: 8/1 Any: 7/2 |
| R. Kolo Muani | First: +1000 Any: +400 | First: 12.00 Any: 5.29 | First: 10/1 Any: 9/2 | First: 10/1 Any: 4/1 |
Note: Odds above for 90 minutes of regulation only.
Argentina vs France half odds
The second half of matches have been far more open than the first 45 minutes this entire World Cup. While that's generally true of this sport, it's been exceptionally on point throughout the proceedings in Qatar.
France are thought slightly more likely to score in both halves, although neither side is given a great chance to achieve that feat in such an evenly contested matchup.
| Caesars | SkyBet | Ladbrokes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win either half | ARG: +105 FRA: +102 | ARG: 1/1 FRA: 10/11 | ARG: 19/20 FRA: 19/20 |
| Win both halves | ARG: +900 FRA: +850 | ARG: 11/1 FRA: 9/1 | ARG: 10/1 FRA: 10/1 |
| Half most goals | 1H: +245 Draw: +205 2H: -102 | 1H: 9/4 Draw: 2/1 2H: 6/5 | 1H: 12/5 Draw: 21/10 2H: 1/1 |
Note: Odds above for 90 minutes of regulation only.
Argentina vs France cards & corners odds
Interestingly, the odds seem to suggest this will be a well played match with very few cards and fouls. The total on cards sits right around 4.5, while the even-money booking point threshold hovers at about 45.
Nicolas Otamendi is the most likely player to pick up a yellow card in the match, with four bookings in his last 10 World Cup matches between the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. A number of bench regulars (Jordan Veretout, Youssef Fofana) are the French players with the lowest odds, but Aurelien Tchouameni is the expected starter with the lowest odds to see a card.
As far as corners go, both teams sit at around a total of 4.0 corners, but France are thought to have a slightly higher chance at amassing more than their opponents. The expected combined corner total of 8.5 is nearly on the nose.
| FanDuel | Sports Interaction | SkyBet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARG O/U 2.5 cards | +148 / -190 | — | — |
| FRA O/U X.5 cards | +140 / -180 | — | — |
| ARG 20+ book pts | — | — | 4/7 |
| FRA 20+ book pts | — | — | 4/6 |
| O/U 4.5 total cards | +106 / -134 | 1.99 / 1.73 | — |
| 40+ total book pts | — | — | 8/11 |
| N. Otamendi booked | +180 | — | — |
| A. Tchouameni booked | +210 | — | — |
| ARG red card | +570 | — | 7/1 |
| FRA red card | +550 | — | 8/1 |
| Either/Both red card | +330 / +2500 | — | 4/1, 50/1 |
| Over 8.5 total corners | +116 | 1.95 / 1.76 | 4/5 |
| ARG over 3.5 corners | -154 | — | 8/15 |
| FRA over 4.5 corners | +140 | — | 10/11 |
Note: Odds above for 90 minutes of regulation only.
Note: Cards totals count a straight red card as two cards, while a second yellow to a red counts as three total cards (one for initial yellow, two for red).
How do booking points work?
Instead of counting total cards in a match, "booking points" are utilized in Europe to summarize the disciplinary record of a team or match.
Here is how booking points are calculated:
- One yellow card = 10 booking points
- One red card = 25 booking points
- Second yellow card = 35 total booking points (10 for initial yellow, 25 for red — 2nd yellow does not contribute)
