Kathmandu (GoalNepal) - Defending champions France will have Argentina's challenge in front of them as they look to defend their crown in the FIFA World Cup 2022 final today. The final will kick off at 8:45 PM NST at the Lusail International Stadium in Qatar.

Les Bleus, who secured their spot in the final with a 2-0 victory over African trailblazers Morocco in the semi-finals, will take the field on the Lusail turf as the first champions in 24 years to reach the final. On the other hand, Argentina will be looking to put the 2014 final loss in the past and get their hands on the title, with talisman Lionel Messi potentially bowing out of international football after this.

The only other team to advance to the World Cup final other than Argentina after losing their opening match was Spain in 2010. Such defensive know-how will be necessary on the part of Scaloni's team to prevent Messi's teammate Kylian Mbappe from having a field day.

The tendency for quick-fire counterattacks should still be highlighted for Deschamps's ill-fated team, who has struggled to find the ideal defensive formula in Qatar and may have lost to Morocco by a different score on a different day.

However, an Argentina team that has only failed to score more than once against Saudi Arabia may both expose the weaknesses of Les Bleus' backline and utilize their own defensive prowess. In football, happy endings are never guaranteed, but fans worldwide may anticipate seeing Messi lift the 18-karat gold trophy in victory.