More eyes than ever have been on Lionel Messi at the 2022 World Cup as he appears at the tournament for a final time.
The Argentina captain is yet to win the title but is now just a victory away from turning his lifelong dream into a reality.
Messi has been in sensational form in Qatar and is vying for the Golden Boot, having scored five goals so far. Kylian Mbappe has the same total, setting up a straight shootout for top-scorer between the PSG stars.
The 35-year-old will need to remain at his best if Argentina are to win their first World Cup since 1986.
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When is Messi's next World Cup match?
Messi leads Argentina into battle in their 2022 World Cup final showdown against France in Lusail.
The PSG superstar has confirmed today will be his final World Cup appearance as he looks to bow out in fairytale style with a first world title with Argentina.
Argentina para jugar la final de la Copa del Mundo:
— Gastón Edul (@gastonedul) December 18, 2022
Dibu Martínez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Acuña; Di María, De Paul, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister; Messi y Julián Álvarez. pic.twitter.com/xrdeUlskNm
Lionel Scaloni has stuck with the majority of the side which beat Croatia in the previous round, with Angel Di Maria replacing Leandro Parades in midfield, and Nicolas Tagliafco does start, after being called up as a last minute replacement for Marcos Acuna at left back.
ULTIMO MOMENTO - TAGLIAFICO será TITULAR en lugar de ACUÑA#ARG
— TyC Sports (@TyCSports) December 18, 2022
Messi has played every minute of Argentina's march to the final, and has been devastatingly effective in the knockout rounds, scoring in the last 16, quarterfinal and semifinal.
Argentina were on the receiving end of a shock 3-0 beating from Croatia in Russia four years ago, but Messi served up redemption against their Balkan semifinal opponents.
He coolly buried a first-half spot-kick before sealing Argentina's place in the final: setting off running down the right wing, evading his marker and cutting inside to set Julian Alvarez's tap-in for 3-0. The assist took viewers back to Messi's days of humiliating defenders in La Liga.
Argentina were sent home by France at the last World Cup but with their captain playing his final match at the FIFA event, they are determined to sabotage the holders' defence of the trophy and secure that dream ending to the Messi era.
by far the best video i’ve ever taken #messi pic.twitter.com/vJglh088Dr
— Connor Kalopsis (@ConnorKalopsis) December 13, 2022
Argentina match schedule and results
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Tue, Nov. 22 | Argentina 1 Saudi Arabia 2 | 5:00 a.m. | Lusail Stadium |
| Sat, Nov. 26 | Argentina 2 Mexico 0 | 2:00 p.m. | Lusail Stadium |
| Weds, Nov. 30 | Poland 0 Argentina 2 | 2:00 p.m. | Stadium 974 |
| Sat, Dec. 3 | Argentina 2 Australia 1 | 2:00 p.m. | Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium |
| Fri, Dec. 9 | Argentina 2 Netherland 2 (pens 4-3, aet) | 2:00 p.m. | Lusail Stadium |
| Tue, Dec. 13 | Argentina 3-0 Croatia | 2:00 p.m. | Lusail Stadium |
| Sun, Dec. 18 | Argentina vs. France | 10:00 a.m. | Lusail Stadium |
Argentina vs France live stream, TV channel
The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup final will be played at the showpiece Lusail Stadium, as the curtain comes down on what has been a fantastic tournament.
Here's how you can watch all the action in some of the major global territories.
| Date | Time | TV Channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Sun, Dec. 18 | 10:00 ET | Fox, Telemundo, Universo | fuboTV, Fox Sports site/app, Telemundo Deportes site/app, Peacock, Universo Now |
| Canada | Sun, Dec. 18 | 10:00 ET | TSN 1, CTV, RDS (French) | TSN site/app, CTV website, RDS app |
| UK | Sun, Dec. 18 | 15:00 GMT | BBC One, ITV 1, STV | BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website, ITVX, STV Player |
| Australia | Mon, Dec. 19 | 02:00 AEDT | SBS | SBS On Demand |
| India | Sun, Dec. 18 | 20:30 IST | Sports 18, MTV HD (Hindi) | JioTV |
| Hong Kong | Sun, Dec. 18 | 23:00 HKT | Now TV (Ch. 616, 618), ViuTV (Ch.99) | Now TV |
| Malaysia | Sun, Dec. 18 | 23:00 MYT | RTM TV2, Astro FIFA World Cup 1 | Astro GO, RTMKlik |
| Singapore | Sun, Dec. 18 | 23:00 SGT | Channel 5, StarHub TV FIFA World Cup, Singtel FIFA World Cup 141 | Singtel TV GO, CAST, StarHub TV+, MeWatch |
| New Zealand | Mon, Dec. 19 | 04:00 NZDT | Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports | Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW |
MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)
