The storyline underpinning the match for most of the world is whether Lionel Messi can get his hands on the trophy in his fifth attempt to finally lift himself up alongside, never above, Diego Maradona in the hearts of his nation.
France will play Argentina, who are also looking to win the World Cup for the third time, in Sunday's final at the Lusail Stadium.
Uruguay will seek to summon up all their famous defensive spirit in Friday's quarter-final against France to shackle the Europeans' lighting-fast teenage top-scorer Kylian Mbappe.
France coach Didier Deschamps hailed young striker Kylian Mbappe for his decisive contribution in the 1-0 victory over Peru in Yekaterinburg that enabled them to progress from Group C into the last 16 of the World Cup on Thursday.
Angel Di Maria unleashed a stunning long-range strike in the 41st minute to draw Argentina level at 1-1 against France at halftime of their round of 16 World Cup clash on Saturday.
World Cup hopefuls France salvaged a late 1-1 draw against the United States in their final friendly before the tournament, while fellow title favourites Spain also needed a late oal as they edged past Tunisia 1-0 on Saturday. Elsewhere, there were wins for finalists Serbia, Denmark, Morocco and Australia, while Sweden were held to a goalless draw by Peru.
IMAGES from the football matches played across Europe on Sunday.
Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Mueller has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the Club World Cup final against Mexico's Tigres UANL on Thursday
LaLiga leaders Barcelona's pursuit of a 27th Spanish title gained momentum after a 2-1 comeback win over Real Madrid.
AC Milan entered the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in eleven years, with a draw in the round of 16 second leg against Tottenham Hotspurs.
World champions France had eight players, one less than former holders Spain, in international players' association FIFPro's 55-name shortlist for its World XI of 2018 award.
PSG can exploit Bayern's high defensive line, says Rooney
Images from the Nations League football matches played on Thursday.
Stopping the stars won't be enough to win World Cup
A late Mauro Icardi strike earned Paris St Germain a last-gasp 2-1 home victory against Olympique Lyonnais with Lionel Messi making limited impact on his Parc des Princes debut on Sunday.
France meet Belgium in a World Cup semi-final on Tuesday. Here is a look at some of the key head-to-head duels which could prove decisive.
"It feels like a missed chance because I felt the performances were really good and the focus and the hunger was good every single day," said England midfielder Jordan Henderson.
If this sporting clash was, as English essayist, novelist and journalist George Orwell said, "war minus the shooting" both sets of players were more than ready, and set about each other with little restraint.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group C match played between France and Australia at Kazan Stadium on Saturday
Sadio Mane scored twice to help Senegal fight back and shock Brazil 4-2 in a friendly in Lisbon on Tuesday.
Mbappe becomes PSG's all-time highest goal-scorer as French champions extend lead
Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday night.
Glimpses from Sunday's Nations League matches.
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who have won the award 10 times between them, are included
The 19-year-old ravaged Argentina from start to finish in France's thrilling 4-3 win in Kazan
'You're going to bring home the victory against this virus. You protect us, you care for us. So to help you, we stay home'
Bolt said he admires the way the Portuguese has been successful in different leagues.
Football fever has gripped the French capital and sales of the national team's soccer shirts are surging ahead of France's World Cup final against Croatia.
Having won eight of the past 12 league titles coming into this campaign, where has it gone so wrong for Barcelona?
Following are comments, quotes and reactions from the French coach, players.
A reshuffled France drew 1-1 away to Croatia in their second Nations League game on Monday, four days after an opening defeat by Denmark.
Pele, the legendary Brazilian soccer player who rose from barefoot poverty to become one of the greatest and best-known athletes in modern history, died on Thursday at the age of 82.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Bayern Munich won its sixth Champions League crown in Lisbon on Sunday night.
Messi was three ahead of nearest rival Kylian Mbappe, who scored 33 times for Paris St Germain as they won France's Ligue 1.
A summary of the concluding day's action in the Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Saudi Pro League.
A round-up of Saturday's action in LaLiga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.
IMAGES from the Champions League semi-final played between PSG and Leipzig at Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon on Tuesday.
A round-up of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
More than the story of any other footballer or athlete, Pele's life helped democratise his sport; made it the stuff of a widely shared dream. Shyam G Menon salutes the memory of the greatest footballer ever.
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