Despite a World Cup riddled with shocks, the final will be played between two of the big pre-tournament favourites: Argentina and France.
The clash is being billed as a showdown between the joint top-scorers at Qatar 2022: Lionel Messi and his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe.
Football’s biggest prize has so far evaded Messi, while Mbappe, the young pretender to his crown as the world’s best player, has the chance to make it a second World Cup by the age of 23 – here’s how to watch the final live.
What time does the World Cup final kick-off?
The 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France is taking place on Sunday 18 December, kicking off at 3pm (UK time – Qatar is three hours ahead).
It is being held at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, which has a capacity of 80,000.
The final falls exactly four weeks after the tournament started on Sunday 20 November, making it the shortest tournament since the World Cup switched to its current, 32-team format in 1998.
It comes a day after the third-place play-off, with Croatia vs Morocco being played at 3pm on Saturday 17 December at the Khalifa International Stadium.
What TV channel is the World Cup final on?
The tournament is being broadcast on free-to-air television in the UK, with BBC and ITV sharing the rights.
While the majority of figures are aired only on one of the channels, they will both be showing the final, which means it will also be available to stream live on BBC iPlayer and the new ITVX streaming hub.
On BBC One, the build-up starts at 1.50pm on Sunday, with Gary Lineker presenting the coverage, while on ITV1 the broadcast gets underway slightly earlier, at 1.30pm.
More on World Cup 2022
What can you expect from Argentina vs France?
All eyes, of course, will be on Messi and Mbappe on Sunday.
The Argentinian legend has always faced the contention that in order to truly join Pele and Maradona in the pantheon of the great players of them all he must win football’s biggest prize.
This is is almost certainly the 35-year-old’s last shot at glory and, while his contemporary superstars Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo underwhelmed, he has been in sparkling form in Qatar.
His statistics speak for themselves: six starts, five goals, three assists en route to Sunday’s final.
Messi has beaten Maradona’s tally of World Cup goals and appearances for Argentina, and on Sunday will jump ahead of Lothar Matthaeus’ joint record 25-match appearances at the tournament.
Along the way, he has provided moments that will linger long in the memory: his precise strike against Mexico, the absurd pass to release Nahuel Molina against the Netherlands and, most magically of all, his probing run and assist for Julian Alvarez in the semi-final against Croatia.
What will the teams be for the World Cup final?
France predicted line-up:
- Hugo Lloris
- Jules Kounde
- Raphael Varane
- Dayot Upamecano/Ibrahima Konate
- Theo Hernandez
- Antoine Griezmann
- Aurelien Tchouameni
- Adrien Rabiot
- Ousmane Dembele
- Olivier Giroud
- Kylian Mbappe
Argentina predicted line-up:
- Emiliano Martinez
- Cristian Romero
- Nicolas Otamendi
- Nahuel Molina
- Nicolas Tagliafico
- Leandro Paredes
- Rodrigo De Paul
- Alexis Mac Allister
- Enzo Fernandez
- Julian Alvarez
- Lionel Messi
However, France boast formidable firepower themselves in the form of their talisman Mbappe, ably support by Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann.
Mbappe produced a moment of Messi-esque magic in the semi-final against Morocco, slaloming at speed past defenders to create his side’s decisive second goal.
Like his PSG teammate, the Frenchman has five goals at the 2022 World Cup, while Giroud (like Argentina’s Alvarez) has contributed four.
Griezmann, meanwhile, who will be making a 74th successive international appearance, has been a revelation in a deeper role, drifting into difficult areas and supplying intricate and deadly accurate passes.
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