Whose turn is it?

The headline act of a sparkling World Cup 2022 programme commences on Sunday afternoon at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, as Argentina and reigning champions France strive for international supremacy in a mouthwatering final.

Argentina will be looking for revenge after their World Cup in 2018 was ended by France in the round of 16.

Lionel Messi and co got some redemption after getting a 3-0 win against Croatia in the semis, a team they had lost against by the same margin in the group stages in Russia.

A win here against France would complete the full circle for Argentina.

For Messi, a win would put an end to the GOAT debate while a win for France's Kylian Mbappe would make him a two-time winner and add him to the GOAT debate mix.

And when all is said and done, the winner will be Qatar-owned PSG, where both Messi and Mbappe play.

Sunday's final will mark the 13th meeting between Argentina and France in all competitions, with the South American champions picking up six wins so far compared to just three for their European counterparts, while another three have ended all square.

La Albiceleste came up trumps in the first two World Cup clashes between the two teams in 1930 and 1978, and there have only been three occasions where Argentina and France have both scored in this clash of the titans.

As eloquent as Messi has been during the Qatar tournament, one man alone cannot steer his nation to the biggest sporting event on the globe. Nicolas Otamendi has rolled back the years in defence, Enzo Fernandez could become the next nine-figure footballer, and Julian Alvarez has clearly taken a few leaves out of his strike partner's book.

However, three showpiece events have ended in tears of despair for Argentina - including the 2014 edition - and they could now equal Germany's unwanted record of losing a joint-high four World Cup finals, but scoring two goals in every game since the opening matchday is certainly a reassuring statistic.

Only Spain in 2010 have also managed to propel themselves to World Cup glory after losing their opening match of the tournament, but Scaloni's side have not faced more than six shots per game on average in Qatar, and they will need to employ such defensive expertise lest Messi's clubmate Kylian Mbappe enjoy a field day.

Nearly everything that could go wrong for France did go wrong for France before they boarded their flight to the Middle East. A myriad of injuries to key players, perpetual controversy off the field and an almost unthinkable relegation from the Nations League, which they just about managed to stave off.

No Paul Pogba? No N'Golo Kante? No Karim Benzema, the reigning Ballon d'Or winner? No problem for Didier Deschamps. The World Cup-winning player and manager - one of only three men with such a title on their CV - was even asked about the prospect of bringing Benzema back for the final following his recovery from a thigh injury, but his exhausted sigh and refusal to answer the question was that of a man who only has eyes for his present protagonists.

Not since the 1978 group stage have the 1998 and 2018 winners suffered defeat of any kind to a South American nation in the globe's premier competition, although that was against Argentina, and football will take centre stage for another 90 or 120 minutes at Lusail before the inquest begins.

Mbappe vs. Messi. Fernandez vs. Tchouameni. Griezmann vs. Mac Allister. Countless individual battles should decide the destiny of the World Cup in a final where goals are surely a guarantee.

Deschamps's illness-affected men have rarely managed to find that perfect defensive formula in Qatar and could very well have come out on the wrong end of the scoreline against Morocco on another day, but their penchant for rapid-fire counter-attacks should come to the fore regardless.

However, an Argentina side that have only failed to score more than once against Saudi Arabia can expose Les Bleus' rearguard shortcomings and channel their own defensive acumen in equal measure. Fairytale endings are never a guarantee in football, but viewers around the world can finally expect to witness Messi with both hands on the 18-karat gold trophy.