Argentina vs France, head-to-head: ARG vs FRA football rivalry over the years
Argentina hold the head-to-head advantage over France with seven wins, three losses and three draws.
Football
The FIFA World Cup 2022 final at the Lusail Stadium saw Lionel Messi’s Argentina beat France on penalties after a thrilling contest to win their third FIFA World Cup title.
Though Argentina took a 2-0 lead at half-time courtesy a penalty from Messi and an Angel di Maria goal, Kylian Mbappe dragged Les Bleus back into the contest with two goals in the second half. A 108th minute Messi strike in the 108th minute of extra time seemed to have given Argentina the win but Mbappe intervened again by converting a late penalty to take the match into a dreaded shootout.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez's heroics in the shootout finally saw Argentina persevere in the match.
It was the 13th match between France (FRA) and Argentina (ARG) on the international stage.
Argentina (ARG) have won seven of the 13 football matches played against two-time World Cup winners France, who have won thrice. Three matches ended in draws.
Although the Argentina football team does hold an edge in the overall head-to-head battle as well as World Cup meetings (3-1), France (FRA) did manage to beat the South American side 4-3 in the 2018 World Cup’s round of 16 clash in Russia.
Argentina vs France head-to-head record at FIFA World Cup
Incidentally, the first-ever Argentina vs France match happened at the 1930 World Cup group stage in Uruguay. Argentina won the match 1-0. Luis Monti’s strike in the 81st minute contributed to France’s early exit.
The two sides met again at the 1978 World Cup in Argentina but France were eliminated from the group stages after losing to Argentina 2-1.
Michel Platini equalised for France in the 61st minute after Daniel Passarella put Argentina ahead in the first half. Leopoldo Luque’s 74th-minute goal, however, proved to be decisive.
The FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia was the first time two sides met in the knockout stages. While history heavily favoured Argentina, the French team took the fight to Argentina and clinched a seven-goal thriller.
Kylian Mbappe's back-to-back strikes after the hour mark swung the game back for France after Benjamin Pavard’s goal of the tournament made it 2-2. Despite Sergio Aguero's goal in added time, France cruised into the quarter-finals and eventually won the World Cup.