Argentina became the first nation to book its spot in the final after cruising past Croatia 3-0 in the semifinal. La Albiceleste had topped Group C with wins over Mexico and Poland before beating Australia in the round of 16 and the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.
France joined the matchup after topping Morocco 2-0 in their semifinal contest. Les Bleus also finished first in Group D with wins over Australia and Denmark before eliminating Poland in the round of 16 and England in the quarterfinals.
Who are the top players and captain for Argentina and France?
Surprise, surprise – Messi is the top player and captain for Argentina. La Pulga has tallied five goals and three assists through six games and is in top contention to win the Golden Ball Award, given to the best player throughout the tournament, should La Albiceleste win. Other than him, striker Julian Álvarez and midfielder Enzo Fernández have risen to the occasion despite being at the ripe ages of 22 and 21, respectively.
Álvarez has taken a huge load off Messi’s offensive burden with four goals in six games, and he did not start the first two group stage matches behind Lautaro Martínez. Fernández also did not join the starting lineup until he unleashed a beautiful curling strike against Mexico in the second group game, and now both are pivotal starters Argentina can’t play without.
For France, the captain is goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who was also the main man between the sticks in its 2018 title run. After a six-save performance against England, Lloris finally notched his first clean sheet of Qatar against Morocco, though there were some troubling signs for the defense in that game.
Along with Lloris, Kylian Mbappé is no doubt the superstar garnering the headlines, though Olivier Giroud’s four goals and Antoine Griezmann’s three assists have been just as vital in Les Bleus’ run. Griezmann, in particular, has been at the heart of everything France has been doing – clearing out play in their own defensive third, helping progress the ball through the different phases of attack and delivering the final ball for goal-scoring chances in the attacking third.
What are the team nicknames for Argentina and France?
Argentina’s nickname is La Albiceleste, which means “the white and blue”.
France’s nickname is Les Bleus, which means “the blues”.
How many World Cup titles do Argentina and France have?
Both nations have hoisted the trophy twice.
Argentina won the title in 1978 and 1986. France’s wins have been more recent, having come in 1998 and 2018.
Also, both the 1978 and 1998 wins were done so in their own countries, as each nation hosted those respective tournaments en route to winning in front of a home crowd.
How did Argentina and France reach the World Cup Final?
Here’s a game-by-game look for each team’s path to the final:
Argentina:
Group C Game 1: 2-1 loss vs. Saudi Arabia
Group C Game 2: 2-0 win vs. Mexico
Group C Game 3: 2-0 win vs. Poland
Round of 16: 2-1 win vs. Australia
Quarterfinals: 2-2 (4-3 penalties) win vs. Netherlands
Semifinals: 3-0 win vs. Croatia
France
Group D Game 1: 4-1 win vs. Australia
Group D Game 2: 2-1 win vs. Denmark
Group D Game 3: 1-0 loss vs. Tunisia
Round of 16: 3-1 win vs. Poland
Quarterfinals: 2-1 win vs. England
Semifinals: 2-0 win vs. Morocco
How many goals has Argentina and France scored in Qatar?
Both teams are the two-highest-scoring nations in Qatar. France has the edge with 13, with Argentina’s 12 coming next.
France vs. Argentina head-to-head matchups
Dating back to 1930, France and Argentina have met 12 times. La Albiceleste has the advantage with a 6-3-3 win-draw-loss record. Here’s a look at each result and what competition it came in:
1930 FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Argentina 1-0
1965 International Friendly: Draw 0-0
1971 International Friendly: France 4-3
1971 International Friendly: Argentina 2-0
1972 Brazil Independence Cup: Draw 0-0
1974 International Friendly: Argentina 1-0
1977 International Friendly: Draw 0-0
1978 FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Argentina 2-1
1986 International Friendly: France 2-0
2007 International Friendly: Argentina 1-0
2009 International Friendly: Argentina 2-0
2018 FIFA World Cup Round of 16: France 4-3
Is France the defending World Cup champion?
Yes, France is looking to be the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to successfully defend its World Cup title after winning in 2018. That year, Les Bleus breezed past Croatia 4-2.
Are any players from Argentina or France in the race for the Golden Boot Award?
Not just one, but four players in total from both nations are vying for the Golden Boot Award. Mbappé led the way with five after scoring two against Poland in the round of 16, and Messi tied him after scoring a penalty against Croatia.
Giroud and Álvarez each have four goals apiece and could look to overtake the lead should they score two without Mbappé or Messi adding to their totals.
The Al Hilm ball, which translates to “The Dream”, will be the one the players look to put into the back of the net to secure the award.
When is the Argentina vs. France 2022 World Cup Final?
Kick-off time is slated for 03 a.m. Beijing time, 7 a.m. PT, which is 6 p.m. locally in Qatar.
Who do you think will win the 2022 Qatar World Cup?
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