Sunday’s final could be a historic occasion for Argentina: winning the title would not only retain the World Cup crown but break a 64-year-long record. In that case Lionel Scaloni’s side would become the first team since 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups. Since securing their place with a 2-1 semi-final win, the possible records before Argentina have been much discussed, the most important being the chance to win two World Cups in a row — a feat only two teams have achieved: Italy in 1934 and 1938, and Brazil in 1958 and 1962. No team has repeated it since.
Many came close: after winning in 1986, Argentina also reached the 1990 final but lost to Germany; the 1994 champions Brazil reached the 1998 final but lost to hosts France; and the 2018 champions France reached the 2022 final but lost to Argentina on penalties, ending their dream of back-to-back titles. The World Cup has also seen reigning champions fail to clear the group stage: the 1938 champions Italy went out in the first round in 1950, and the 2014 champions Germany crashed out of the group stage at the 2018 Russia World Cup. This time Argentina aim to add a new chapter to history: a win in the final would give them not just another World Cup trophy but a unique record intact for more than six decades.
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