Argentina and France go head-to-head in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final with both nations bidding to secure their third title – and there are plenty of other storylines adding spice to this iconic fixture.
Will Lionel Messi get his crowning moment? Can Kylian Mbappe confirm himself as the next potential greatest player? And will France become the first team since Brazil 60 years ago to go back-to-back in this tournament?
The managers' team selections are sure to have a big say on which narrative wins out between two teams bookmakers are finding hard to separate.
Check out the lineups below for the showdown at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
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Argentina starting 11
(4-3-3, right to left): 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 26. Molina, 13. Romero, 19. Otamendi, 3. Tagliafico — 7. De Paul, 24. E. Fernandez, 20. Mac Allister — 11. Di Maria, 10. Messi, 9. Alvarez
- Injured: None
- Suspended: None
Head coach Lionel Scaloni's biggest call centered on whether to bring Angel Di Maria back in for Leandro Paredes in the 4-4-2 formation that beat Croatia.
And he has elected to go with the former Real Madrid and PSG man, although a 4-3-3 is expected to be used today, who was an unused sub for the 2014 final defeat to Germany due to fitness concerns.
Argentina's only injury doubt was Papu Gomez but he is available and on the bench, while fullbacks Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna come back into the squad after suspension.
However, the latter has dropped out of the starting XI despite having initially been named in it, with Nicolas Tagliafico his replacement at left-back.
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France starting 11
(4-3-3, right to left): 1. Lloris (GK) — 5. Kounde, 4. Varane, 18. Upamecano, 22. T. Hernandez — 7. Griezmann, 8. Tchouameni, 14. Rabiot — 11. Dembele, 9. Giroud, 10. Mbappe
- Injured: None
- Suspended: None
Deschamps has opted to name Dayot Upamecano alongside Raphael Varane in defence, despite Ibrahima Konate's outstanding semifinal performance against Croatia.
But his team is expected otherwise, with Adrien Rabiot returning to the midfield after overcoming illness and both Aurelien Tchouameni (hip) and fullback Theo Hernandez (knee) fit enough to start.
Kingsley Coman also takes his place on the bench having shaken off the flu that caused him to miss training on Friday.
And there is, of course, no shock return to the squad for Karim Benzema despite rumours that he might make an appearance earlier this week.
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Argentina vs France World Cup squads
Here are the names on Argentina and France's World Cup squad lists in Qatar (caps correct as of start of Qatar 2022):
Argentina World Cup squad
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 1 | Franco Armani | River Plate (ARG) | 36 | 18 |
| GK | 23 | Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa (ENG) | 30 | 19 |
| GK | 12 | Geronimo Rulli | Villarreal (SPA) | 30 | 4 |
| DEF | 8 | Marcos Acuna | Sevilla (SPA) | 30 | 43 |
| DEF | 2 | Juan Foyth | Villarreal (SPA) | 24 | 16 |
| DEF | 25 | Lisandro Martinez | Man United (ENG) | 24 | 10 |
| DEF | 26 | Nahuel Molina | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 24 | 19 |
| DEF | 4 | Gonzalo Montiel | Sevilla (SPA) | 25 | 19 |
| DEF | 19 | Nicolas Otamendi | Benfica (POR) | 34 | 93 |
| DEF | 6 | German Pezzella | Real Betis (SPA) | 31 | 32 |
| DEF | 13 | Cristian Romero | Tottenham (ENG) | 24 | 12 |
| DEF | 3 | Nicolas Tagliafico | Lyon (FRA) | 30 | 42 |
| MID | 7 | Rodrigo De Paul | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 28 | 44 |
| MID | 24 | Enzo Fernandez | Benfica (POR) | 21 | 3 |
| MID | 17 | Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez | Sevilla (SPA) | 34 | 15 |
| MID | 20 | Alexis Mac Allister | Brighton (ENG) | 23 | 8 |
| MID | 14 | Exequiel Palacios | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 24 | 20 |
| MID | 5 | Leandro Paredes | Juventus (ITA) | 28 | 46 |
| MID | 18 | Guido Rodriguez | Real Betis (SPA) | 28 | 26 |
| FWD | 9 | Julian Alvarez | Man City (ENG) | 22 | 12 |
| FWD | 16 | Thiago Almada | Atlanta United (USA) | 21 | 1 |
| FWD | 11 | Angel Di Maria | Juventus (ITA) | 34 | 124 |
| FWD | 21 | Paulo Dybala | AS Roma (ITA) | 28 | 34 |
| FWD | 15 | Angel Correa | Atletico Madrid | 25 | 22 |
| FWD | 22 | Lautaro Martinez | Inter Milan (ITA) | 25 | 40 |
| FWD | 10 | Lionel Messi | PSG (FRA) | 35 | 165 |
France World Cup squad
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 23 | Alphonse Areola | West Ham (ENG) | 29 | 5 |
| GK | 1 | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham (ENG) | 35 | 139 |
| GK | 16 | Steve Mandanda | Rennes (FRA) | 37 | 34 |
| DEF | 3 | Axel Disasi | Monaco (FRA) | 24 | 0 |
| DEF | 21 | Lucas Hernandez | Bayern Munich (FRA) | 26 | 32 |
| DEF | 22 | Theo Hernandez | AC Milan (ITA) | 25 | 7 |
| DEF | 24 | Ibrahima Konate | Liverpool (ENG) | 23 | 2 |
| DEF | 5 | Jules Kounde | Barcelona (SPA) | 23 | 12 |
| DEF | 2 | Benjamin Pavard | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 46 |
| DEF | 17 | William Saliba | Arsenal (ENG) | 21 | 7 |
| DEF | 18 | Dayot Upamecano | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 | 7 |
| DEF | 4 | Raphael Varane | Manchester United (ENG) | 29 | 87 |
| DEF | 13 | Youssouf Fofana | Monaco (FRA) | 23 | 2 |
| MID | 25 | Eduardo Camavinga | Real Madrid (SPA) | 19 | 4 |
| MID | 6 | Matteo Guendouzi | Marseille (FRA) | 23 | 6 |
| MID | 14 | Adrien Rabiot | Juventus (ITA) | 27 | 29 |
| MID | 8 | Aurelien Tchouameni | Real Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 14 |
| MID | 15 | Jordan Veretout | Marseille (FRA) | 29 | 5 |
| FWD | 11 | Ousmane Dembele | Barcelona (FRA) | 25 | 28 |
| FWD | 20 | Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich (GER) | 26 | 40 |
| FWD | 9 | Olivier Giroud | AC Milan (ITA) | 36 | 114 |
| FWD | 7 | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 31 | 110 |
| FWD | 10 | Kylian Mbappe | PSG (FRA) | 23 | 59 |
| FWD | 26 | Marcus Thuram | Bor. M'Gladbach (GER) | 25 | 4 |
| FWD | 12 | Randal Kolo Muani | Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) | 23 | 2 |