France bidding to join exclusive club with back-to-back World Cup titles

France will be looking to become just the third team to win back-to-back World Cups when they take on Argentina in the final of the 2022 competition on Sunday.

Didier Deschamps's side are the holders of the trophy, having triumphed four years ago in Russia, recording a 4-2 victory over Croatia in the final of the competition.

The Blues also won the World Cup in 1998, so they are bidding to triumph for the third time in Qatar.

Only two sides have previously won back-to-back World Cups, with Italy doing so in 1934 and 1938, while Brazil lifted the trophy in 1958 and then 1962.

France will join an exclusive club if they are able to emerge victorious from Sunday's affair with Argentina.

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The Blues are also competing in the World Cup final for the fourth time, with all of those appearances coming since 1998, which is twice as many as any other team during the same period.

"Being France manager has always been the most wonderful thing that has happened to me in my career, I played for France and that was a wonderful achievement and to be coach for so long has been tremendous," France boss Deschamps said during his pre-match press conference.

"I am delighted to be France coach but the most important thing is the team. I am at the service of the team and have been for 10 years. It is about the team but I am not the most important person here. It won't depend on Sunday's result.

"Argentina always has great support. But we will have French fans as well. Most fans will probably support Argentina because they are Argentinian or will be supporting that team.

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"I think there will be a very festive atmosphere. Argentinians are very passionate people, they get behind their team and that is a positive thing, it is good to have an atmosphere like that in a World Cup Final.

"But our opponents aren't in the crowd, they are a team we face on the pitch and they are a good enough team to be worried about them. Both teams have the same objective and only one will come out with a third star."

France have been handed a huge fitness boost ahead of the final, with Dayot Upamecano, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Theo Hernandez, Kingsley Coman, Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate all pictured in training on Saturday.

Upamecano, Rabiot, Coman, Varane and Konate have all been struggling with the illness that has impacted the French camp, while Tchouameni and Hernandez picked up knocks in the semi-final win over Morocco.

Sunday's final will also involve the top four goalscorers at the 2022 competition, with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe both on five, while Julian Alvarez and Olivier Giroud have four each.