When all has been said, done and kicked, we find the two best teams with two of the best players colliding in the final of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ as defending champions France battles Argentina.
This is Lionel Messi’s last World Cup and beating the best player on the planet and this CONMEBOL giant won’t come easy for Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and France who beat Morocco and England back-to-back to get here.
And now, Les Bleus find themselves in the enviable position of getting the chance to become repeat winners in the FIFA World Cup since Brazil accomplished the feat in 1958 and 1962 in Sunday’s final from Lusail Stadium in Lusail (FOX, 10 EST/9 CST/7 PST).
France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup Final in Russia by beating Croatia, 4-2 and are the favorites this weekend. However, this game will be a tossup and maybe an instant World Cup classic with PSG teammates Messi and Neymar batting along with two great scorers in Álvarez and Girod.
Before the 32-team 2022 FIFA World Cup began in November, France opened up at +550 odds to repeat at online sportsbooks with Argentina at +850 odds. Neymar and Brazil were the 2022 World Cup Futures favorites.
Croatia and Morocco will play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Third Place Game (Match #63) at Khalifa International Stadium (Grass) in Al Rayyan on Saturday, December 17 (FOX, 10 ET/9 CT/7 PT).
Oddsmakers at BetOnline currently have Croatia at +158, Morocco at +210 and a Draw at +260 in the 3-way market with the total at 2, 2½ u -118.
Let’s take a look at the most recent online FIFA World Cup betting odds from BetOnline and make our FIFA World Cup Finals Predictions.
Whichever team wins on Sunday will earn a third star on their jersey ⭐️
Who will get it done? 👀 pic.twitter.com/rgq7lCenEN
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 14, 2022
Argentina vs. France
- What: 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Final
- When: Sunday, December 18, 2022
- Where: Lusail Stadium (Grass), Lusail, Qatar
- Time: [22:00] 10 am EST/9 CST/8 MST/7 PST
- TV: FOX, Telemundo Deportes
- Radio: FOX Sports on SiriusXM (Channel 83)
- 3-Way Odds: Argentina +184, France +182, Draw +210
- Total: 2o -120, 2u +104
- Argentina Team Goals: ½o -225, ½u +195
- France Team Goals: ½o -225, ½u +195
- Argentina To Lift Trophy: -109
- France To Lift Trophy: -111
LIONEL MESSI VS. KYLIAN MBAPPE IN THE WORLD CUP FINAL 👀
Argentina vs. France is going to be fireworks 🍿 pic.twitter.com/n3lfbu1phF
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 14, 2022
2022 FIFA World Cup Final Preview—Argentina
- FIFA World Ranking: #3
- Confederation: CONMEBOL
- Pot: 1
- Method of Qualification: CONMEBOL Round Robin runners-up
- World Cup Titles: 2 (1978, 1986)
- World Cup Appearances: 18
- Head Coach: Lionel Scaloni
- Key players: Lionel Messi, Julián Álvarez, Ángel Di María, Emiliano Martínez
- 2022 World Cup Knockout Stage: Beat Australia, Netherlands, and Croatia
- 2022 World Cup Group Stage: Lost to Saudi Arabia, beat Poland and Mexico
- Opening Odds to Win World Cup: 9/1
- Noteworthy: Reportedly Lionel Messi’s last FIFA World Cup
- Possible Starting XI (4-3-3): Martínez; Molina, Romero, Tagliafico; Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister; Di María, Messi, Álvarez
Lionel Messi and Argentina were favored over Croatia in their Semifinal match on Tuesday in Qatar and La Albiceleste did not disappoint, shutting out Croatia, 3-0 as Messi and Forward Álvarez confounded the UEFA side and coasted into this Final on Sunday.
GK Martínez (Aston Villa) was also solid and looks like a better GK than Lloris heading into the winner-take-all game which sees the 2022 FIFA World Cup Finals betting odds as close as can possibly be, as the current 3-way market numbers show here on Wednesday.
The French are the slightest (2 cents) favorites at +182 with Argentina at +184 with the draw at +210, so this could be a 0-0, 1-1, or maybe even 2-2 affair after 90 minutes plus Injury time if you read into the 2022 FIFA World Cup Finals betting odds.
Expect Messi, in excellent form and possibly his last ever appearance in a World Cup, to create and/or possibly score another goal here with breakout Álvarez also be productive in the Argentine attack. There should be 2 goals here and that’s where an edge may be.
Messi and Argentina. Mbappé and France.
THE WORLD CUP FINAL IS SET 🤩 pic.twitter.com/GVN065O4v7
— ESPN (@espn) December 14, 2022
2022 FIFA World Cup Final Preview—France
- FIFA World Ranking: #4
- Confederation: UEFA
- Pot: 1
- Method of Qualification: UEFA Group D winners
- World Cup Titles: 2 (1998, 2018)
- World Cup Appearances: 16
- Head Coach: Didier Deschamps
- Key Players: Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Hugo Lloris
- 2022 World Cup Knockout Stage: Beat Poland, England, and Morocco
- 2022 World Cup Group Stage: Beat Australia and Denmark, lost to Tunisia
- Opening Odds to Win World Cup: 7/1
- Noteworthy: Doing it all without Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté
- Possible Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Koundé, Varane, Konaté, Hernandez; Tchouaméni, Fofana; Dembele, Griezmann; Mbappé; Giroud
With Upameno (Bayern Munich) and Adrien Rabiot (Juventus) suffering from the flu, France Head Coach Didier Deschamps had to make some last minute Starting XI decisions and Les Bleus started Ibrahima Konaté and Youssouf Fofana and it all worked out fine.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot leader, Mbappé (5 goals), and France’s all-time leading goal scorer, Olivier Giroud (4 goals), didn’t score last game, but that shows how good the defending champions are.
No Benzema, Pogba, Kanté, Upameno, or Rabiot? No worries, monsieur. Deschamps calmly led this team to the 2018 World Cup win and he plugged in Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt) at the perfect time and made the French more able to concentrate on defense.
The crowd on Sunday won’t be as raucous against France as the fans were pulling for Morocco on Wednesday and players may actually be able to hear each other on the pitch in Lusail.
Tchouameni, Fofana, and Kolo Muani played well enough against Morocco, so even if the flu is still an issue in Deschamps selection, he will have plenty of talent to turn to. But this game should be as close as the odds are, and as close as they can be in a World Cup Final.
A tough battle but the holders came out on top 💪
📺 Watch the best bits from France's Semi-final win over Morocco on FIFA+
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 14, 2022
Round of 16 Results—2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar
- Netherlands 3 USA 1
- Argentina 2 Australia 1
- England 3 Senegal 0
- France 3 Poland 0
- Croatia 1-1 (3-1 PSO)
- Brazil 4 South Korea 1
- Morocco 0 Spain 0 (3-0 PSO)
- Portugal 6 Switzerland 1
- Quarterfinals Results—2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar
- Argentina 2 Netherlands 2 (4-3 PSO)
- Croatia 1 Brazil 1 (4-2 PSO)
- France 2 England 1
- Morocco 1 Portugal 0
Semifinals Results—2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar
- Argentina 3 Croatia 0
- France 2 Morocco 0
2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Final Props—Correct Score Odds
Argentina-France Props
| Outcome | Score | Odds |
| Argentina | 1-0 | +750 |
| Argentina | 2-0 | +1200 |
| Argentina | 2-1 | +1100 |
| Argentina | 3-0 | +3300 |
| Argentina | 3-1 | +2800 |
| Argentina | 3-2 | +4000 |
| Argentina | 4-0 | +8000 |
| Argentina | 4-1 | +6600 |
| France | 1-0 | +700 |
| France | 2-0 | +1200 |
| France | 2-1 | +1000 |
| France | 3-0 | +2800 |
| France | 3-1 | +3000 |
| France | 3-2 | +4000 |
| France | 4-0 | +8000 |
| France | 4-1 | +6600 |
| Draw | 0-0 | +650 |
| Draw | 1-1 | +500 |
| Draw | 2-2 | +2000 |
| Draw | 3-3 | +6600 |
With midfield magician Messi, the red-hot Álvarez, playmaker Di María, Lautaro Martinez and others like Enzo Fernandez and Paulo Dybala, Argentina also has the embarrassment of riches like France and come in healthier with Les Flu in Les Bleus camp.
Argentina has scored exactly 4 goals four times already in this tournament after losing by a 2-1 scoreline to Saudi Arabia in its Group C opener. Backing a Correct Score Final of Argentina 2, France 1 at +100 (11/1) is the call here.
A 2-1 Argentina win in the 30 potential minutes of Added Extra Time (AET) would also cash this Props bet.
2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Final Props—Golden Glove Winner
| Player | Team | Odds |
| Yassine Bounou | Morocco | +150 |
| Emiliano Martínez | Argentina | +165 |
| Hugo Lloris | France | +350 |
| Dominik Livaković | Croatia | +600 |
| Wojciech Szczęsny | Poland | +6600 |
| Andries Noppert | Netherlands | +7500 |
Moroccan GK Yassine Bounou only allowed 2 goals all tournament, both to France in Wednesday’s 2-0 Semifinals loss, so he is the deserved favorite heading into Sunday’s Final which he won’t be playing in.
The only other goal the Atlas Stars allowed in the 2022 FIFA World Cup was an Own Goal (OG) against Canada in Group Stage play. But has Bounou actually been tested enough to win the Golden Glove? And will the voters remember who they see last?
The oddsmakers second favorite is Emiliano Martínez of Argentina (+165), coming off of a Shutout vs Morocco, after a Group Stage with two Clean Sheets. Only the Netherlands has scored more than once on Martínez, so a big game vs France may win this award.
Hugo Lloris (+350) and France have allowed too many goals, while Dominik Livaković (6/1) and Croatia, Wojciech Szczęsny (66/1) and Poland, and Andries Noppert (75/1) and the Netherlands are all out of the picture to win this award for elite World Cup Goalkeepers.
FIFA Golden Glove Race: Argentina custodian Emiliano Martinez leads FIFA WC Golden Glove prospect – Follow FIFA World Cup 2022 LIVE https://t.co/Uj2PgGti9H
— Sportnews (@sportnewsblogd1) December 14, 2022
2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Final Props—Half Time-Full Time Winner
- Draw-Draw +325
- Argentina-Argentina +350
- France-France +350
- Draw-Argentina +500
- Draw-France +550
- Argentina-Draw +1400
- France-Draw +1500
- Argentina-France +2800
- France-Argentina +2800
The FIFA World Cup Finals odds in the Halftime-Full Time Props market at BetOnline may offer some value should either team win both 45+ minute Halves at Lusail Stadium on Sunday. A France-France or an Argentina-Argentina result are both priced at +350.
Argentina blanked Morocco and got an early goal on a Penalty Kick from Messi at the 34 minute mark followed by ot Álvarez scoring once before Halftime (39”) and once after (69”) to send La Albiceleste on to this Final and shot at a third World Cup championship.
Hugo Lloris has proven he can be beaten and the French defense has shown mental lapses throughout this tournament. Les Bleus are also nursing more injuries and sickness than Argentina and may have the crowd edge with many neutral fans pulling for Messi.
The last time these two teams met was in the Round of 16 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where France rolled to 4-1 victory. That means the defending champions certainly won’t come in scared and it’s very possible that both teams score by Halftime.
THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL IS SET 🏆🔥
Who is coming out on top, Argentina or France? pic.twitter.com/Hi2sqj7bA6
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 14, 2022
2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar Final Predictions
This game should be extremely close and the first goal will be as big as any goal ever. And maybe this 2022 FIFA World Cup Final makes it on to some lists of the greatest World Cup Finals ever.
With living Soccer legend Messi playing in his last World Cup game and Mbappé and France seeking a repeat, the drama is there and this game could come down to one moment or maybe a mistake. Hopefully it won’t come down to a Penalty Kick Shootout.
My 2022 FIFA World Cup Finals prediction is for Messi to score in the Final as well as Álvarez, who may get the game-winner for a gallant Argentine side who will have had one more day Rest, less physical concerns, and a little man named Messi chasing history.
