Sunday’s final kicks off at 3pm at the Lusail Iconic Stadium and is live on both the BBC and ITV.
Routes to the final
Both teams were among the leading contenders for World Cup glory before a ball was kicked but have not had things all their own way.
Argentina were on the brink of an early elimination when their 36-match unbeaten run was ended by a shock defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia before wins against Mexico and Poland proved enough to win their group.
France also topped their pool but their lack of strength in depth was highlighted by losing to Tunisia when key players were rested for their final group game.
Argentina then beat Australia 2-1 and needed penalties to get past the Netherlands, although both performances were more convincing than the results.
France remained without a clean sheet in Qatar as they got past Poland and then England, when the Three Lions were arguably the better team but failed to make the most of their chances.
In the semi-finals, Argentina’s 3-0 win against Croatia was followed by a 2-0 victory for France over Morocco to set up an intriguing contest.
Argentina are 9/5 for victory in 90 minutes with France a fraction shorter at 17/10.
Messi v Mbappe
The build-up to the game will be dominated by comparisons between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
The latter has a strong claim to be the best player on the planet at the moment, while debate rages over whether Messi is the greatest ever.
Regardless of how they rank, the two are the top scorers for their team at the World Cup 2022 with five goals apiece and the battle for the Golden Boot is an interesting sub-plot.
Messi is the favourite to open the scoring at 7/2 and is 17/10 to find the net at any time, having scored in five of his six matches in Qatar.
Mbappe failed to find the net against England or Morocco but bagged doubles against Denmark and Poland and is 12/1 to do so again.
Neither plays as a central striker with Messi often dropping deep behind Julian Alvarez while Mbappe plays on the left wing.
Both present different challenges for opposing defenders but their presence adds to the hope that this final will be a classic and both teams to score in 90 minutes at 20/21 looks good value in the Argentina v France betting odds.
Other key players
While Mbappe is the top scorer for France, Antoine Griezmann has arguably been their best player.
Playing in a deeper midfield role than earlier in his career, Griezmann pops up all over the pitch and has impressed with his defensive work almost as much as his attacking qualities.
It was his fine run and pass that led to France’s opener against Morocco, so Argentina must find a way to shackle him if they are to get control of the game.
Up front, both main strikers have four goals. Olivier Giroud’s aerial ability gives France an extra threat but the energy and pace of Julian Alvarez shows why he was brought into the Argentina team after starting the first two games on the bench.
Argentina look to have the edge with their substitutes with Paulo Dybala fit again and coming off the bench for the first time in midweek while Angel di Maria and Lautaro Martinez are other attacking options.
France have done well to reach the final given the players they are missing in Qatar but their long injury list may take its toll in the final.
In the Argentina v France betting odds, Draw HT/Argentina FT is an option at 5/1 while the South Americans are 12/1 to win in extra time.
Previous meetings
This will be the fourth meeting between Argentina and France at the World Cup.
Argentina were 1-0 winners in 1930 and triumphed 2-1 in 1978 but France claimed a 4-3 victory in Russia four years ago, with Griezmann scoring the opener from the penalty spot and Mbappe netting twice in the second half.
A similar kind of game would delight the neutrals on Sunday and over 2.5 goals looks a solid pick for Argentina v France betting tips at 27/20 while over 3.5 is 7/2 and at least seven goals is 70/1!
Both teams to score in both halves, as they did in 2018, is another option at 20/1 while either team to win can be added to that bet at 28/1.
