Croatia edged Morocco 2-1 in Saturday's third-place playoff, an entertaining affair that served as a curtain-raiser to the main event where France stand in the way of Lionel Messi and his last chance of glory.

Argentina's Lionel Messi, Paulo Dybala and Leandro Paredes during training.

In the France dugout, coach Didier Deschamps has already taken his place among the sport's greats - as a player and a coach - but can go one step further by becoming the first coach to win back-to-back titles in the post-World War II era.

The last time these two teams met was at the 2018 World Cup where France beat Argentina 4-3 in the last 16, an encounter that was arguably the most entertaining match of the tournament in Russia.

The final will also see a clash of generational stars when 35-year-old Messi, playing in his final World Cup match, faces his 23-year-old Paris St Germain team mate Kylian Mbappe.

Both players have scored five goals at the World Cup and could potentially leave Qatar with three trophies as they also vie for the Golden Boot for the top scorer as well as the Golden Ball for the tournament's best player.

World Cup comparison: France vs Morocco

France are the defending champions while Morocco are the biggest surprise of the 2022 World Cup, who will clash in a Thursday semifinal.

Messi confirms Qatar final will be his last World Cup game

Lionel Messi has confirmed he will play his last World Cup game when Argentina take on France or Morocco in Sunday's final in Qatar.

Impressive pictures of fans at World Cup 2022

After 4 years of waiting, the fans around the world are immersed in the passionate football matches of the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Especially, the fans have brought the typical colours and cultural identities of their countries to the biggest football tournament on the planet.

Saigon man makes replicas of World Cup trophy

Since 2014, Nguyen Van Tam in Cu Chi District, HCMC has been opening a workshop that replicates the World Cup trophy before each tournament.

World Cup kicks off with Qatar ruler's call to put aside divisions

Qatar's ruler opened the World Cup on Sunday with a call for people of all races and orientations to put aside their differences, speaking as the host nation faced a barrage of criticism over its treatment of foreign workers and LGBT rights.

Source: NDO