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Argentina & FranceWorld Cup Final histories explained

December 17, 2022
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The 2022 FIFA World Cup final is set. It’s a showdown between the current Paris Saint-Germain superstars. Lionel Messi leads Argentina in the battle against Kylian Mbappe and the French national team.

As for Messi, he is looking for his first World Cup. Regardless of the result, Sunday’s match will be his last at the World Cup. On the other hand, Mbappe and France are successfully trying to defend their 2018 World Cup title.

Both teams are looking for their third World Cup win. This is far from their first rodeo, and their history at the World Cup Finals goes back nearly 100 years. Without further ado, here are both France’s and Argentina’s World Cup final performances.

France’s World Cup history

The French hosted the World Cup tournament for the third time in 1938 but did not appear in the final until 1998. The French came close in 1958 and 1986 but won the third-place game both times.

In 1998, France faced Brazil, the most successful nation in the history of the tournament. Former Real Madrid player and manager Zinedine Zidane scored twice in the match as the French won their first World Cup.

In the following tournament, France finished bottom of Group A, missing the knockout stages entirely. They bounced back in 2006 final against Italy. In front of 69,000 in Berlin, Zidane further etched his name in World Cup lore.

Zidane and Italian defender Marco Materazzi were jogging on the pitch during extra time. Materazzi pulled the French star’s jersey, and Zidane responded by headbutting the Inter Milan defender. Zidane received a red card, and Italy won the game.

Les Bleus failed to reach the final again until 2018. There they faced Croatia, who went on an inspiring run to their first final. Goals from Mbappe and Paul Pogba ensured the French won their second World Cup title in their history.

Argentina World Cup history

While the French had to wait 68 years for their first appearance in the finals, Argentina had no such wait. In 1930 they first appeared in the World Cup final.

In the inaugural final of the World Cup, Argentina faced host nation Uruguay. Uruguay took the lead in the 68th minute and a goal in the 89th minute sealed the title for the hosts.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t until 1978 that Argentina found its way to the finals again. This time, they were the hosts and had huge support from the fans.

The final began with their opponents, the Netherlands, accused of stealing tactics against Argentina. The hosts came out five minutes behind schedule and the crowd was terrible.

Valencia’s attacking midfielder Mario Kempes opened the scoring in the 38th minute. The Dutch got a late equalizer, sending the game into extra time. In extra time, Kempes scored again to give Argentina the World Cup, as did winger Daniel Bertoni.

Their next finals appearance came during the 1986 campaign. Argentina beat West Germany in the final, but what happened before the final is still beloved in football history.

Argentina faces England in the quarter-finals. During the second half, Argentine superstar Diego Maradona jumped to contest a ball in the air past English goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Maradona hit the ball with his left hand in the English goal.