By: Gordon D’Costa
Reigning champions France and strong challengers Argentina will both be aiming to clinch the coveted FIFA World Cup for the third time. The winner of the final to be played at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Sunday will ensure that they become the competition’s fourth most successful nation – after Brazil (five titles), Germany and Italy (both four).
Meanwhile, if France can defend their title, they will join a short list of nations to do so, with Brazil being the last nation to do so in 1962. Brazil won the first of their five World Cups in 1958, and defended it in 1962, in a dominant period of World Cup history for the Samba Boys.
Italy became the first-ever nation to retain the World Cup, in the second and third editions of the tournament, in 1934 and 1938. Vittorio Pozzo led Italy at both tournaments as the 1934 World Cup started straight into knockout matches.
Dider Deschamps, who had captained France to the World Cup crown in 1998, guided the team to their second World Cup triumph in the last edition and would now look to guide the team to back-to-back triumph and join Pozzo as only the second manager to achieve this feat.
Les Bleus will be participating in their fourth final in this global football tournament, and they were victorious in 1998 with current head coach Dider Deschamps as Captain and Aimé Jacquet the manager. Deschamps guided France to their second World Cup success in the last edition in Russia, 2018. In between France suffered a defeat to Italy (on penalties) in 2006.
The South Americans will be contesting their sixth FIFA World Cup final. They emerged champions in 1978 under the captaincy of Daniel Passarella and manager César Luis Menotti and later captained by the legendary Diego Maradona along with manager Carlos Bilardo they lifted the trophy in 1986. Argentina finished runners-up in 1930, 1990 and 2014.
In France’s only the previous final against a South American team was a convincing 3-0 victory against Brazil in 1998 at Paris. Argentina’s record in finals against European opponents is two wins (3-1 against the Netherlands, in Buenos Aires, and 3-2 against West Germany, in Mexico), followed by two defeats.
Meanwhile, Argentina have already defeated three European teams in Qatar – Poland, the Netherlands (on penalties) and Croatia, while this is France’s first game at the tournament against South American opponent.
The Frenchmen are on a 10-match unbeaten run against South American teams at the FIFA World Cup. They defeated three of them en route to their 2018 success, including Argentina 4-3 in the round of 16 in Kazan, where they came from behind to win with two Kylian Mbappé goals. While that was Argentina’s most recent FIFA World Cup defeat against a European side, France’s last defeat to South American opposition at the finals was against Argentina back in 1978, when they were beaten 2-1 in the group stage by the eventual champions in Buenos Aires.
The first of the nations’ three FIFA World Cup meetings came in the inaugural 1930 tournament, and was Argentina’s first-ever finals encounter, which they won 1-0. In all matches between the two teams, including friendly games, Argentina have won six and France three, with three drawn. The teams have not met since that 2018 encounter in Russia.
There have been ten previous FIFA World Cup finals between South American and European teams. While the head-to-head record stands at 7-3 in South America’s favour, the last six such finals have produced alternate winners, with Europe prevailing in the most recent, when Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in 2014.
Key facts of the 2022 World Cup final between France and Argentina
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The FIFA World Cup final has been contested between a South American team and a European team on ten previous occasions, with South America triumphing seven times. However, the three successes for Europe have come in the last five meetings.
· Argentina are aiming to become the first South American nation to win the FIFA World Cup since Brazil in 2002.
· Argentina are facing European opposition in the FIFA World Cup final for the fifth time, having previously encountered the Netherlands (1978) and West Germany/Germany (1986, 1990 and 2014).
· Argentina lost 1-0 in their last two appearances in the FIFA World Cup final (1990 and 2014).
· Argentina have scored 149 goals in FIFA World Cup matches and could become the third nation after Brazil (237) and Germany (232) to reach the landmark of 150.
· Argentina have lost only one of their last 42 international matches (W29 D12).
· Argentina have scored the first goal in each of their six matches at Qatar 2022.
· Lionel Messi will overtake Lothar Matthäus (25) as the record appearance-maker in FIFA World Cup history if he plays in the final.
· France have now reached the final in four of the last seven editions of the FIFA World Cup.
· France have been successful in two of their previous three appearances in the FIFA World Cup final and only lost out on penalties against Italy in 2006.
· France are unbeaten in their last ten FIFA World Cup matches against South American nations (W6 D4). Their last defeat was against Argentina in 1978 (2-1).
· France have remarkably kept eight clean sheets in their last nine FIFA World Cup matches against South American nations.
· France are the first FIFA World Cup holders to reach the final since Brazil in 1998.
· France have become the fifth team to win the FIFA World Cup and return to the final in the following edition after Italy (1934-1938), Brazil (1958-1962), Argentina (1986-1990) and Brazil (1994-1998).
· France could become the third team to win two successive FIFA World Cups, following Italy (1934-1938) and Brazil (1958-1962).
· France have been successful in 16 of their last 18 FIFA World Cup knockout ties (including one penalty shootout win).
· France’s Hugo Lloris is set to become the first goalkeeper to reach 20 FIFA World Cup appearances.
· Didier Deschamps is aiming to become only the second coach to win two FIFA World Cup titles, following Vittorio Pozzo who was successful with Italy in 1934 and 1938.