The World Cup final between France and Argentina will take place on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, and the bookmakers are having difficulty identifying a clear favorite between the two countries.
After releasing a commemorative “three-star” France shirt for sale on Friday ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final versus Argentina, Nike made a grave error.
At the Lusail Stadium, the reigning champions France take on Lionel Messi and his teammates. As of 1962, when Pele’s Brazil defeated Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile, they are attempting to become the first nation to successfully defend the trophy.
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However, defeating Argentina won’t be simple. Since their unexpected loss to Saudi Arabia in the tournament’s opening match, Lionel Scaloni’s team has been on fire, and they easily defeated Croatia 3-0 on Tuesday. It’s also Messi’s final opportunity to take home the coveted prize.
Despite this, Nike seem quietly optimistic about a victory for France. The company’s French website screenshot reveals that a commemorative “three-star” shirt was offered for sale on Friday. The three stars are obviously a reference to three different World Cups.
The product description for the France shirt reads: “FFF [French Football Federation] three stars 2022/23 stadium residency,” despite the fact that the models are wearing a shirt with only two stars—one for each of their World Cup victories in 1998 and 2018—in the screenshot.
Argentina might be more motivated as a result of Nike’s blunder to win the final on Sunday and earn a third star for their own jersey. The South American champions have also won the World Cup twice before, in Mexico in 1986 and on their home grounds in 1978.
Before Sunday’s championship, Nike put a commemorative “three-star” France uniform on sale.
Which side will win on Sunday is a hotly contested topic among the bookmakers. Despite being without Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, and Karim Benzema for the tournament, France is undoubtedly the better team. The latter has a remote chance of returning for the championship game.
The talent of Kylian Mbappe, who has five goals in the tournament and is tied for the tournament lead in scoring, is also a blessing for Didier Deschamps’ team.
When France eliminated Argentina from the World Cup in Russia four years ago, the 23-year-old scored twice.
However, France is not unbeatable. They were eliminated from Euro 2020 by Switzerland, and they dropped three of their six 2022 Nations League games. At the World Cup, the defending champions suffered a loss to Tunisia after Deschamps rested several important players.
Meanwhile, Argentina has been playing fantastically over the past few years. They have only lost one of their last 42 games, a shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia, and over the past 18 months, they have won the Copa America and Finalissima.
Messi is also in Argentina. The 35-year-old captain of Argentina has also netted five goals in Qatar, like Mbappe. In the matches against Mexico, Australia, Argentina, and Croatia, he was selected Player of the Match. But unlike Mbappe, he won’t have another chance to capture the World Cup.
Messi, who owns nearly every trophy in the game, will be driven to end Argentina’s 36-year title drought and complete his trophy collection. When Argentina fell to Germany 1-0 in the 2014 World Cup final, the Paris Saint-Germain striker served as their captain.