France (National Football)

Lionel Messi can finally be called a world champion.

Messi scored twice in one of the most epic soccer games anyone has ever watched as Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final over France on penalties.

The climactic match in Qatar finished 3-3 after extra time, with La Albiceleste claiming the shootout by a 4-2 margin.

Argentina held a comfortable 2-0 lead until the 80th minute courtesy of a Messi penalty and a sublime team goal finished by Ángel Di María in the first half. However, Kylian Mbappé converted from the spot and finished a sumptuous volley in a span of two minutes to send the game to extra time.

Messi was once again on hand to put Argentina in front in the 108th minute, but Mbappé kept his cool from the penalty spot once more to send the final to a shootout.

Messi knocked home the first penalty, then Argentina keeper Emiliano Martínez made a save in the second round from Kingsley Coman's effort. France's Aurélien Tchouaméni sent his spot-kick wide in the third round, leaving Gonzalo Montiel to seal the title in the fourth.

Argentina appeared to have full control of the contest thanks to a pair of first-half goals from Messi and Di María.

Messi became the first man to score in all four knockout round games of a single World Cup with his penalty in the 23rd minute after Di María was brought down by Ousmane Dembélé.

Di María padded the lead after a scintillating counterattack that started in Argentina's own half.

France did not attempt a single shot until the 71st minute, and La Albiceleste appeared to be cruising. However, the game flipped on its head when they conceded a penalty in the 80th minute.

Mbappé coolly converted, and the final burst into life once more at the Lusail Stadium.

One minute later, Mbappé levelled the contest at two goals apiece with a stunning volley, eventually sending the final to another 30 minutes of game time.

Messi and Argentina thought they had the World Cup locked up again in the 108th minute, when the 35-year-old finished off a chaotic sequence in front of Hugo Lloris in the French net.

But Mbappé struck again from the penalty spot after a handball from Gonzalo Montiel in the box 10 minutes after Messi's second goal.

Mbappé's hat trick pushed him ahead of Messi into first place in the Golden Boot race with seven goals.

That was a small consolation for the French superstar after losing in his second World Cup final.

Argentina's stars were faultless with their spot-kicks, while France was left to rue Coman's saved effort and Tchouaméni's miss, handing a third world title to Argentina and preventing Les Bleus from defending their 2018 tournament victory in Russia.

While a penalty shootout is always a cruel way to lose, Argentina was good value for the win on the balance of play. France finished with just five shots on target to La Albiceleste's 10 and failed to do anything in the final third in the first 70 minutes. Emiliano Martínez made just two saves for Argentina, albeit one was crucial in the 123rd minute when left one-on-one with Randal Kolo Muani.

Messi was, perhaps inevitably, Man of the Match for his pair of goal contributions.

He has now won a major tournament title in each of the last two years with Argentina, securing his first Copa America in 2021 and now adding a World Cup title to his illustrious resume.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup Final is here, with Lionel Messi-led Argentina and Kylian Mbappé-led France set to meet at Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday to see who will be crowned champion.

The World Cup final is set to kick off at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, but first, fans will be treated to a World Cup closing ceremony, which is expected to begin around 8:30 a.m. ET. Both the game and the closing ceremony can be watched on Fox and streamed on Fox Sports.

As is customary with the World Cup closing ceremony, organizers have kept details of the event under wraps. However, we do have some details about the artists who will be performing.

Afrobeat musician Davido will headline the event, FIFA confirmed. He will perform "Hayya Hayya (Better Together)," which is one of the songs featured on the 2022 World Cup soundtrack. Trinidad Cardona and Aisha are also featured on the track, and Aisha will perform alongside Davido at Lusail Stadium.

Award-winning Puerto Rican artist Ozuna and Congolese-French rapper Gims are also expected to perform their song "Arhbo," which is featured on the 2022 World Cup soundtrack. It was a Billboard top-10 hit.

In addition, Indian actress, singer and dancer Nora Fatehi is expected to perform alongside Balqees, Rahma Riad and Manal. They will be performing her song "Light The Sky," which is also featured on the 2022 World Cup soundtrack.

With a diverse set of artists set to perform, the closing ceremony should be one to remember, followed by an even more memorable clash between two of the world's best teams.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has a dream final.

Kylian Mbappé and France will try to defend their World Cup crown from 2018.

Argentina will try to earn the one thing missing on Lionel Messi's illustrious resume.

Sunday's final has everything you could ask for from star power to strong defenses to a recent history between the two sides.

France defeated Argentina 4-3 in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup in a game that featured Mbappé, Messi and plenty of others who will be on the field Sunday inside the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar.

Match Preview

Argentina and France have been two of the best sides in Qatar and are deserving of playing in the final.

Argentina cruised past Croatia in the semifinal round thanks to an early attacking onslaught led by Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez.

La Albiceleste have an extra day of rest compared to France and they played in a less stressful semifinal. Croatia did not produce much in the final third against the Argentinian defense.

The Argentina back line has been solid for most of the tournament. The South American side produced two clean sheets to recover from a humiliating loss to Saudi Arabia at the start of Group C.

Argentina defended well for long stretches of the knockout round. Its concession against Australia was an own goal and it held the Netherlands without many significant chances for 80 minutes. Croatia did not manage much in the final third on Tuesday.

Messi is the game-breaker in the Argentina attack, and he will be expected to shine again on Sunday, but the Argentinian defense could be the ultimate difference-maker.

France's back line has looked shaky for parts of the tournament. France was lucky not to concede in Wednesday's semifinal win over Morocco.

Before that clean sheet, France had not shut out an opponent in Qatar.

France has gotten away with the defensive mistakes because Mbappé, Olivier Giroud and Co. have scored multiple goals in every game the first team has started.

The concern for France comes in the form of the Argentina defense. Mbappé and Giroud could be limited by Nicolás Otamendi and Co.

Mbappé was not as dominant in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds as he was in his first three starts in Qatar.

Argentina can overload one side and commit an extra defender to Mbappé to take the 23-year-old out of the contest.

France still has other stars, like Antoine Griezmann, that can break apart Argentina, but losing some of Mbappé's chance creation could hurt Les Bleus. Griezmann is the only player with over 20 chances created in Qatar.

The attacking depth is as even as it could be. Each team has an in-form true striker in Giroud and Álvarez to support its superstar. The play of Messi, Mbappé, Giroud and Álvarez will determine the Golden Boot winner. Messi and Mbappé lead with five goals each, while Álvarez and Giroud have four goals.

If that even matchup translates to the field on Sunday, the defensive play will be the difference-maker, and that is where Argentina holds the edge for its performance over six games.