With some world-class superstars in the squad, Argentina and Portugal are two of the favourites for Qatar 2022. If some outcomes play out as expected, both teams may even face off in the final. If that happens, football fans can witness a final where Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo compete to win the World Cup for their respective countries. Let's explore the possibility of Argentina and Portugal facing off in the Qatar World Cup 2022 final. How Argentina and Portugal can compete in the 2022 Qatar World Cup final Fans are currently arguing over which teams will fare better in the FIFA World Cup 2022. A large part of them wants Argentina and Portugal to play in the final. Naturally, the main reason for this desire is to see the two superstars of football, Messi and Ronaldo, fight in the final for their respective teams to win the World Cup. Read More: Who Will Perform in Qatar World Cup Opening Ceremony? A few days ago, Lionel Messi said that Qatar 2022 would be his last World Cup. On the other hand, Ronaldo recently said in an interview that he would retire happily if he could win the World Cup for Portugal. So football lovers want to witness these two greatest players square off in one final match. A possible scenario of the Qatar World Cup groups shows that a final between Argentina and Portugal is very much possible. But in that case, both teams have to finish atop their respective groups and then reach the finals by winning the knockout stage matches. Here’s how both Argentina and Portugal can play the Qatar World Cup 2022 final on December 18 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. Argentina’s route to the FIFA World Cup 2022 final Lionel Messi’s Argentina will play in Group C. The opponents they will face in the group stage are Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland. The Argentine side is way stronger than their group phase counterparts. They expected to win all three matches in their group and finish at the top of the points standings.If Argentina win their group, they will face the winner of Group D, which will most likely be either Denmark or France. The Albiceleste could well face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and Brazil in the semifinals, given the early predictions. If Argentina overcome all obstacles in the knockout rounds, they will face Portugal in the final. Read More: Portugal Squad Analysis for 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar Portugal’s route to the FIFA World Cup 2022 final Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will play in Group H, which is considered the death group by many experts. They will take on Ghana, Uruguay, and South Korea in this group to earn a place in the Round of 16. Portugal will have to top their group to meet Argentina in the final. If the Portuguese side finish top in their group phase points table, they will likely face the runner-up of group G, which could be Serbia, Switzerland, or Cameroon. Portugal’s next opponent could very well be either Belgium, Croatia, Spain, or Germany in the quarterfinal. Their semifinal opponent then could be France, England, or Denmark. The Portuguese side will meet Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final if they overcome all the hurdles in the knockout stage. Bottom Line Many fans envision Messi and Ronaldo competing against one another for their respective nations in the 2022 Qatar World Cup final. According to the brackets for the group stage and knockout rounds, Argentina and Portugal could face each other in the championship game. But in that case, both teams must be at their absolute peak from the start of the competition and finish first in their respective groups. Read More: Argentina Squad analysis for 2022 World Cup in Qatar

The Ballon d'Or award received a lot of attention this year. The Argentine phenomenon Lionel Messi eventually won the coveted award on Monday (November 29) during a gala ceremony at Paris' Theatre du Chatelet. Three days before the main event, the editor-in-chief of France Football, Pascal Ferre said that Cristiano Ronaldo confessed to him that his only ambition is to win more Ballon d'Or titles than Lionel Messi. However, Ronaldo has refuted this claim, accusing Pascal of damaging his reputation. Let's take a look at the actual story. What did Pascal Ferre say about Ronaldo in the New York Times interview? The New York Times published an interview with Pascal Ferre, editor-in-chief of France Football Magazine, three days before the Ballon d'Or 2021 award ceremony. Pascal discussed his career, his plans to host the gala event of the Ballon d'Or, and a variety of other topics, including footballers' perceptions of the prestigious award. The Ballon d'Or award has turned into a means of determining who is the greatest in the modern-day. As a result, the topic of Messi and Ronaldo's rivalry came up during the interview at one point.  Read:Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal may not qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022 “Ronaldo has only one ambition, and that is to retire with more Ballons d’Or than Messi and I know that because he has told me.” Pascal Ferre told the New York Times.    Pascal did not specify when Ronaldo made that statement. However, Cristiano Ronaldo was not happy with such remarks by the chief of France Football Magazine. Messi had won the award six times before 2021, while Ronaldo has won five times. Read: Champions League Group Stage Matchday 6: Potential Teams to secure Round of 16 Cristiano Ronaldo's response to Pascal's statement Manchester United's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo reacted with anger to Pascal's statement on the day of the main event of the Ballon d'Or 2021. Ronaldo responded with a long Instagram post on his verified account. According to him, Pascal allegedly lied in the interview in order to promote himself and his organization. Ronaldo reaffirmed his respect for France Football Magazine and the Ballon d'Or award. He always extends his congratulations to the recipients of this honor. Ronaldo also stated in the post that his major ambition is to win trophies for his club and the national team on a domestic and international level. He is striving to set an example for young players who wish to be professional footballers. Important to note that, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or for the last time when he was at Real Madrid in 2017. Read: Juventus turmoil: Raided by police and struggling in Serie A The Ballon d'Or 2021 Gala Event's Winners Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or in 2021 with 613 points. Alexia Putellas of Barcelona won the Feminin Ballon d'Or 2021 with 186 points. Young sensation from Barcelona, Pedri won the Kopa trophy with 89 points. With 594 points, Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma won the Yashin trophy. Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich won the best striker of the year award with 59 points, while Chelsea of England was named the best club of the year.  Bottom Line Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the all-time great footballers. Ronaldo's greatness will not be determined by the number of Ballon d'Or he won throughout his playing career. However, winning the Ballon d'Or is a really remarkable achievement, and every professional player aspires to win it at least once in their career.    Both Messi and Ronaldo have won the award a total of 12 times. It shows how consistent these two players have been over the past 15 years. They can still play at the highest level for two or three years before retiring. Will Cristiano Ronaldo be able to equal Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or tally by this time? Read:Ballon d'Or 2021 Winner: Lionel Messi wins the coveted award record seventh time