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The World Cup final is less than a week away. On Sunday, July 19, two teams will take the pitch at MetLife Stadium to finish their quest for international glory.
There are just four teams remaining: Argentina, France, Spain and England. They are FIFA's four highest-ranked teams, which should make for some highly-contested matchups in the semifinals and final.
Before Sunday’s match, France will battle Spain, and Argentina will face England for the two coveted spots in the finals.
Here’s a ranking of the four possible World Cup final matchups:
Realistically, any final matchup we get will be good, so placing last on this list doesn’t tell the whole story.
A scenario where France makes it to its third straight final, and England upsets Argentina to move on gets that honor. There unfortunately would just be less intrigue with this matchup had either other team won.
If France were playing Argentina, you get the 2022 finals rematch. If England were playing Spain, you get a completely different matchup than last time between teams that haven’t won in a while. This theoretical matchup would bring stars like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, but there are better pairings we could see.
Pitting Spain’s 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, who’s trying to make a name for himself in the World Cup, against one of the greatest ever in Argentina’s Lionel Messi would be epic.
Argentina has skated by in its last three matchups, needing extra time against both Cape Verde and Switzerland. This match would likely be close. On the other hand, Spain has only allowed one goal the entire tournament, so it could also be a low-scoring affair.
That’s not exactly the fireworks we saw in 2022 between France and Argentina. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a gutsy 1-0 victory, but for an event that only occurs every four years, more goals would be a blessing.
Should this be No. 1 on paper? Probably. But to wait four years for the biggest World Cup field ever and get the exact same final two teams would be the most boring option possible.
Still, you can’t ignore what this game would bring. Mbappé versus Messi again. Mbappé scored a hat trick to will France from the brink of elimination to a penalty kick showdown in 2022. And that was just for Argentina to snatch the victory back at the last moment.
Argentina has looked vulnerable in the knockout stages this year, so France would definitely be the favorite to win this one. A victory would be its second title in three cycles, and manager Didier Deschamps’ third career championship.
The only thing holding it out of the top spot is the lack of an underdog story.
That underdog story would be pushed to the max if this matchup occurs. Now, you might be asking, how are Spain and England underdogs? They’re only the third and fourth-best teams in the world, respectively, anything but long shots.
Well, when you’re facing one of the two best teams in the rankings, that’s the title you get. Even with that distinction, this matchup feels entirely possible. England has looked steady and could truly beat Argentina. Spain was the pre-tournament favorite to win before France overtook it throughout the group stage.
Would these two teams be less exciting than France and Argentina? Yes. But would the matchup be more interesting? For sure.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ranking the four possible World Cup finals at MetLife Stadium
Continue reading...
There are just four teams remaining: Argentina, France, Spain and England. They are FIFA's four highest-ranked teams, which should make for some highly-contested matchups in the semifinals and final.
Before Sunday’s match, France will battle Spain, and Argentina will face England for the two coveted spots in the finals.
Here’s a ranking of the four possible World Cup final matchups:
4. France vs. England
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Realistically, any final matchup we get will be good, so placing last on this list doesn’t tell the whole story.
A scenario where France makes it to its third straight final, and England upsets Argentina to move on gets that honor. There unfortunately would just be less intrigue with this matchup had either other team won.
If France were playing Argentina, you get the 2022 finals rematch. If England were playing Spain, you get a completely different matchup than last time between teams that haven’t won in a while. This theoretical matchup would bring stars like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, but there are better pairings we could see.
3. Spain vs. Argentina
Pitting Spain’s 19-year-old Lamine Yamal, who’s trying to make a name for himself in the World Cup, against one of the greatest ever in Argentina’s Lionel Messi would be epic.
Argentina has skated by in its last three matchups, needing extra time against both Cape Verde and Switzerland. This match would likely be close. On the other hand, Spain has only allowed one goal the entire tournament, so it could also be a low-scoring affair.
That’s not exactly the fireworks we saw in 2022 between France and Argentina. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a gutsy 1-0 victory, but for an event that only occurs every four years, more goals would be a blessing.
2. France vs. Argentina
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Should this be No. 1 on paper? Probably. But to wait four years for the biggest World Cup field ever and get the exact same final two teams would be the most boring option possible.
Still, you can’t ignore what this game would bring. Mbappé versus Messi again. Mbappé scored a hat trick to will France from the brink of elimination to a penalty kick showdown in 2022. And that was just for Argentina to snatch the victory back at the last moment.
Argentina has looked vulnerable in the knockout stages this year, so France would definitely be the favorite to win this one. A victory would be its second title in three cycles, and manager Didier Deschamps’ third career championship.
The only thing holding it out of the top spot is the lack of an underdog story.
1. Spain vs. England
That underdog story would be pushed to the max if this matchup occurs. Now, you might be asking, how are Spain and England underdogs? They’re only the third and fourth-best teams in the world, respectively, anything but long shots.
Well, when you’re facing one of the two best teams in the rankings, that’s the title you get. Even with that distinction, this matchup feels entirely possible. England has looked steady and could truly beat Argentina. Spain was the pre-tournament favorite to win before France overtook it throughout the group stage.
Would these two teams be less exciting than France and Argentina? Yes. But would the matchup be more interesting? For sure.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ranking the four possible World Cup finals at MetLife Stadium
Continue reading...
