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Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Argentina's Lionel Messi will try to boost his argument as the best soccer player ever, while France will try to become the first men's repeat champion in 60 years in the World Cup final Sunday in Lusail, Qatar. Argentina, the No. 3 team in the world, will meet No. 4 France at 10 a.m. EST on Fox. About 90,000 fans are expected to fill Lusail Stadium, one of seven stadiums constructed for Qatar 2022.
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Messi said the Argentines, which sustained their lone loss in the tournament opener, are "confident" ahead of the match due to the adversity they faced in their five previous must-win games.
"It's very difficult what we did, with the great wear and tear of playing every game as a final," Messi told reporters Tuesday. "We were aware that if we didn't win, it was complicated. We played five finals, we were able to win all five and hopefully the next one.
"We were confident that we were going to win, because we know what we [play] as a group and as a team. It helped us to grow even more."
France opened as a slight favorite to beat the Argentines, but many sportsbooks now list the teams with even odds. Argentina is 2-1 in World Cup meetings with France, but the French won the most recent match in 2018.
"The World Cup is an obsession for me," France forward Kylian Mbappe said at a recent news conference. "It's the tournament of my dreams. I built my season [based] on this competition, physically and mentally.
"It's going well, but we still have a long way to go for the objective we set and that is to win."
The French team also faces adversity in the lead-up to the final. A flu-like illness has spread to several players. Midfielder Adrien Rabiot, defender Dayot Upamecano and winger Kingsley Coman are among those impacted. Middle East respiratory syndrome, also known as "camel flu," is spreading throughout Qatar.
France manager Didier Deschamps told reporters Friday the team will "take precautions" against the spread of the illness. The French are looking to claim their third overall title. If they win, they will become the first country since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to repeat as World Cup champions.
Argentina claimed two previous titles, with the last won in 1986. Legendary striker/midfielder Diego Maradona led that squad, but Argentina lost in the final at the next World Cup. Messi, who told reporters this will be his final World Cup, also led Argentina to the 2014 World Cup final, a 1-0 loss to Germany. Qatar 2022 marks Messi's fifth World Cup.
"There's a lot of years until the next one and I don't think I have it in me and finishing like this is best," Messi said Tuesday.
"[I feel] a lot of happiness to be able to achieve this. To finish my World Cup career playing my last game in a final. Everything I've lived in this World Cup, what people experienced and how much the people back in Argentina are enjoying it all is very emotional."
Messi and Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo have long been the subject of a heated battle for the title of best soccer player of all time, along with Brazilian Pele. Neither Messi, nor Ronaldo, have won a World Cup. Pele won three titles, the most for any player in soccer history.
Messi claimed the Golden Ball, the tournament MVP award, at the 2014 World Cup. He also is among the top contenders for the honor at Qatar 2022. France's Mbappe, who is tied with Messi with a tournament-best five goals, also is among the top contenders for the honor. The leading scorer from the tournament also will claim Golden Boot honors.
Argentine Julian Alvarez and France's Olivier Giroud still can threaten Messi and Mbappe for Golden Boot honors. They scored four goals apiece through six games.
Messi also leads the tournament with 570 minutes played and is tied for first in assists (3). He also leads other players with three successful penalty kicks, 15 chances created, 26 shots and 13 shots on goal.
The Argentines suffered their upset loss to Saudi Arabia in their Qatar 2022 opener, but are spotless since. They surrendered five goals in regulation and logged three shutouts, including a 3-0 win over Croatia in the semifinals.
France also dropped just one match in Qatar, a 1-0 setback to Tunisia in the group stage. The French started that match without many of their top players because they had already clinched a spot in the Round of 16.
France allowed five goals and logged one shutout, a 2-0 win over Morocco in the semifinals. Eight of France's 13 scores came in the second half so far this tournament. Seven of Argentina's 12 goals came in the second half. Argentina leads the tournament with four penalty kicks awarded. They converted on three of those. France conceded a tournament-high three penalty kicks through the semifinals.
Argentina ranks second at the tournament with a dozen yellow cards and drew a tournament-high 97 fouls through six games. They also were ruled offside a tournament-high 19 times. France leads the tournament with 84 aerial duels won, 73 tackles won and 67 interceptions.
Outside of Messi and Alvarez, defender Nicolas Otamendi and goalie Emiliano Martinez are among the other Argentine players to watch.
Forward Olivier Giroud, fullback Raphael Varane, midfielder Antoine Griezmann and goalie Hugo Lloris join Mbappe as the top French players to watch.
The 2022 World Cup final also will air on Telemundo and stream on Peacock. The third-place game, between Croatia and Morocco, will air at 10 a.m. EST Saturday on those same platforms.
