One of the matchups that every soccer fan desires to see is a rematch of one of the greatest finals in World Cup history, specifically the Qatar 2022 clash between Argentina and France. Now, at the 2026 World Cup, the possibility exists for history to repeat itself, allowing fans to once again witness a monumental showdown between Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Kylian Mbappe was asked what would happen if France were to face Argentina again and repeat that legendary 2022 final against Lionel Messi, responding, “We will be determined and hungry to win, as always.”
“We are here to make history. We are yet to do it. We want this World Cup.” France arrive as one of the top candidates due to the sheer quality of the players they are bringing to the tournament, especially among their forwards, while Argentina also remain at their absolute best on the South American side.
The rivalry of Messi and Mbappe
Beyond the encounters they have had between the final and the 2018 round of 16, which basically leaves their head-to-head record tied at 1-1 on the international stage, the heavy weight remains that Argentina defeated them in the most important match of all. Furthermore, they share the spotlight and compete directly on the list of all-time World Cup goal scorers:
Lionel Messi of Argentina reacts prior to during the international friendly.
World Cup all-time goal scorers
- 16, Miroslav Klose (Germany)
- 15, Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil)
- 13, Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 12, Kylian Mbappe (France)
- 11, Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany)
- 10, Helmut Rahn (Germany)
Just three goals separate Messi and Mbappe, with Mbappe needing five, from equalizing soccer’s most coveted World Cup scoring record. At 39, Messi enters the tournament with 13 World Cup goals and needs four more to surpass Klose outright.
Mbappe, meanwhile, has already scored 12 World Cup goals despite playing in only two editions of the tournament. The French superstar needs five goals to claim the record for himself.
The only stage where Argentina vs France would cross paths
The design of the definitive bracket for the final phase of the 2026 World Cup establishes a strict pairing scheme. According to the organization of the brackets, if they advance from their respective groups, whether qualifying as leaders or as runners-up of their zones, Argentina and France will be placed on opposite sides of the knockout stage structure. This distribution mathematically prevents them from crossing paths in the round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals, or semifinals.
Due to this separation on opposite sides of the bracket, the only stage of the tournament in which the squads of Argentina and France could face each other is a hypothetical final, thereby replicating the iconic deciding match played in Qatar 2022. For fans to witness this clash once again, both countries must successfully overcome each of the previous rounds on their respective sides of the bracket until reaching the pinnacle match for the world title.
