After 63 games so far, the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 final is finally upon us as South American champions Argentina will take on reigning, defending world champions France.
The two best teams in the tournament so far have made it this far having been installed as two of the pre-tournament favorites, and impressing with excellent team performances and some magical individual displays too.
We'll take a look at the game between teams who will fancy their chances of becoming world champions again and provide you with the best free soccer picks for the clash to see if we can earn you some extra cash for the holiday period.
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World Cup Final - Argentina vs France information
- Argentina vs France
- Sunday, December 18th 2022
- 10:00 ET kick-off
- Lusail Stadium, Qatar
- FIFA World Cup Final
Argentina route to the final
Argentina got off to the worst possible start when this tournament started, as their 36 game unbeaten run was snapped in the opening fixture when they lost to Saudi Arabia.
Despite three disallowed goals and taking the lead, they allowed the minnows to come from behind and beat them 2-1 with two second half goals, and it left them on the brink of elimination from the tournament.
They then turned in a warrior-like display against Mexico in the second fixture, claiming a 2-0 win thanks to goals from the iconic Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez. Messi's side then followed that up once again with a fantastic win over Poland in the final group game to win the group, as Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez hit the back of the net.
The first knockout round saw them take on Australia where the main man Messi stepped up once again to score and set up Alvarez's goal too, although the Socceroos made it difficult with a late goal.
The quarter-finals were even tougher as they took a 2-0 lead against the Netherlands, as Messi found the net again after Nahuel Molina had opened the scoring. But goals from Wout Weghorst in the 83rd and 111th minute took the game to extra-time.
Both teams battled hard there and it ended up going to penalties, where goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was the hero with two big saves to send them through.
They then made it to the final with a relatively comfortable performance that saw them beat Croatia 3-0, as Messi starred with a goal and two assists to cement himself as one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
France route to the final
France have been the outstanding attacking team in this competition so far, and it's mainly thanks to the iconic Kylian Mbappe.
They opened the competition with a 4-1 win over Australia thanks to Adrien Rabiot, Olivier Giroud (2) and Mbappe's goals, before securing qualification with a 2-1 win over Denmark where the Paris Saint-Germain forward scored both goals.
Les Bleus fully rotated their team in the final group game and lost to Tunisia but had already won the group, setting up a round of 16 clash against Poland in the first knockout round.
Mbappe once again ran riot in that game as the French claimed a 3-1 win, scoring twice and helping Giroud become the nation's all-time top scorer.
Then came a tough game against England in the quarter-final where they earned a hard-fought 2-1 win thanks to goals from Aurelien Tchouameni and Giroud, with Harry Kane missing a late penalty to help them through.
The semi-final saw them installed as heavy favorites against tournament underdogs Morocco, but they became the first opposition players to score against them in the competition as Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani earned them a spot in the final.
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Soccer picks: Lionel Messi to score in 90 mins
If you believe in destiny, then you'll be of the belief that Messi's name is already on the trophy and that means he will be the man to bring Argentina the World Cup trophy for the first time since 1986.
He's widely regarded as one of the best soccer players of all time but this trophy has so far eluded him in his career, losing in the final to Germany back in 2014 when it was widely expected that he would lead them to glory.
This time around manager Lionel Scaloni has built a side of work horses that do all his dirty work and put him in the best possible position to win them the games with his genius and magic, and that has led to a run of just one defeat in 43 international games.
If anyone is going to do it for Argentina it will be the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, so back him to find the net and make history once again.
Soccer picks: Argentina to win, both teams to score
This game will go one of two ways. Either they'll both give it everything knowing that the opposition's defense isn't the strongest, or they'll be extra safe to make sure their own defense is at the best it can possibly be.
The last time they faced off at the World Cup in 2018 the game ended 4-3 in a stunning encounter and it was Mbappe who stole the show ahead of Messi.
Expect the great man to get some revenge over his club teammate in this one and while France will test Argentina, destiny says they find a way to come out on top anyway.
At +550, it's a great value bet for something that nobody would be surprised to see come true and their records in recent soccer games prove it.
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