FIFA World Cup 2022 final: Argentina vs France statistical preview

All eyes are on football's biggest game today.

The big final is upon us as Argentina takes on France at the Lusail Stadium on Sunday, at 8:30 pm IST.

Here is a look at the numbers and records ahead of the title clash.

Head to Head record: In the 12 meetings between the two sides, Argentina has won 6 matches while France has 3 wins with the remaining 3 matches ending in a draw.

World Cup finals: Argentina is appearing in its sixth final, the second most behind Germany (8). Meanwhile, France is appearing in its fourth final.

World Cup titles: Argentina has won two FIFA World Cups, in 1978 and 1986, and so has France, in 1998 and 2018.

World Cup heartbreak: If Argentina loses to France on Sunday, it will equal Germany for the most losses in a World Cup final with 4 defeats.

Back-to-back wins: If France wins the final, it will become the first team to win consecutive FIFA World Cup titles.

Knockout champs: France has never lost a single knockout game since the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It has won all 7 matches, across the two World Cups, and all of its wins have come in regulation time (90 minutes)

Defensive warriors: Argentina has conceded the third lowest Expected Goals in this tournament at 2.4; only Brazil and Mexico have conceded fewer. The South American side has conceded just 1.3 shots on target on average per game, which is the lowest in the tournament.

Bouncing back: If Argentina wins on Sunday, it will be only the second team to win a World Cup after losing the opening game (2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia). Spain holds that distinction after its 2010 triumph; the team lost the opening match to Switzerland 1-0.

Favourite oppositions: France has not lost its previous 10 matches to South American oppositions. The last time Les Bleus lost to a South American side was in the 1978 World Cup, against Argentina.

Relentless winners: Since the 2006 final that it lost to Italy, France has tasted defeat only 4 times in 28 matches, winning 20 of them.

Argentina team records

Argentina's Messiah: Lionel Messi will play in his 26th, and final, World Cup match in his career, which is an all-time record for most appearances in a FIFA World Cup.

All about Messi: If he scores in the final, Lionel Messi will become the first player in the history of the FIFA World Cups to score a goal in every round in the same edition (group stage, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final).

Fine wine: At 35-years-old, Messi could become the second-oldest captain to win a FIFA World Cup after Dino Zoff of Italy, who captained the winning 1982 World Cup team at 40 years, 133 days old.

New leading man: Julian Alvarez's four goals so far is more FIFA World Cup goals than Carlos Tevez managed in his entire career.

Rock at the back: Defender Nicolas Otamendi has completed 462 passes this tournament, third-most in the tournament. His 20 aerial duels won ranks second in the World Cup, behind only Cho Gue-sung of South Korea.

France team records

Deschamps on the cusp: France's Didier Deschamps could be only the second coach to win 2 FIFA World Cup titles with a team. Italy's Vittorio Pozzo holds the distinction when he led his country to titles in 1934 and 1938.

Merci Deschamps: Deschamps has won 14 of 18 World Cup matches so far, which is the second-most wins by a coach. Helmut Schon of West Germany has 16 wins. Deschamps' win percentage of 78 is the highest for managers who have been in charge of at least 10 matches.

Hugo Lloris: The goalkeeper-captain could be only the fourth skipper to lead his country to consecutive FIFA World Cup finals. The other 3: Karl-Heinz Rummenigge of Germany, Diego Maradona of Argentina, and Dunga of Brazil. If France wins the final, he will become the first captain to win consecutive finals.

Mbappe-Griezmann goal ambition: If either of Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann score on Sunday, they will join the only four players to have ever scored goals in multiple World Cup finals. Vava, Pele, Paul Breitner, and Zinedine Zidane currently hold that record. Mbappe would be the youngest in the list if he gets his name on the scoresheet.

Midfield maestro: Griezmann has created 21 chances in this FIFA World Cup, 3 more than second-placed Lionel Messi. The French midfielder has also registered the most Expected Assists at 3.54, which is nearly double than anyone else in the tournament.

Varane's incredible record: Defender Raphael Varane's record in tournament finals -- for club and country -- is an astonishing 14-2. The two defeats he experienced were the 2014 Supercopa de Espana and the 2018 Supercopa de Espana, during his time at Real Madrid.

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