Argentina’s 2022 World Cup final lineup began with goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez behind a back four of Nahuel Molina， Cristian Romero， Nicolás Otamendi and Nicolás Tagliafico. Rodrigo De Paul， Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister formed the midfield， while Ángel Di María， Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez led the attack. For anyone asking， “Who were the starters in the World Cup” that dramatic final provides the clearest modern answer. France opened with Hugo Lloris in goal， Jules Koundé， Raphaël Varane， Dayot Upamecano and Theo Hernández in defense， with Adrien Rabiot。Aurélien Tchouaméni and Antoine Griezmann in midfield. Ousmane Dembélé， Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappé completed the French starting XI.Who were the starters in the World Cup?
The answer depends on the match， the tournament and the coach’s tactical decision. A World Cup does not have one permanent starting lineup. Each national team names 11 players before every game， and injuries。suspensions， form and opposition shape those choices. In the final at Lusail Stadium， Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni selected a lineup designed to protect the center while giving Di María room on the right. That decision paid off early. Di María repeatedly isolated Koundé， and his movement helped Argentina create the opening for a penalty and later score a flowing second goal. The starting selection looked bold in the moment， but it reflected months of careful adjustment.For France， the question of who were the starters in the World Cup became especially complicated before kickoff. Karim Benzema had been ruled out before the tournament， while several players arrived in Qatar carrying fitness concerns. Deschamps still trusted Giroud as the central striker， relying on his aerial presence and ability to link with Mbappé and Dembélé. Griezmann played a deeper role than many supporters expected， often dropping beside Tchouaméni to help France escape Argentina’s pressure. That midfield balance mattered because the French side struggled to impose itself during the first hour. The lineup looked familiar on paper。yet the match exposed how quickly a team’s structure can unravel when its key players lose control of the tempo.Who were the starters in the World Cup final， and what did they reveal about the two teams?Argentina’s XI was built around Messi’s freedom. He could drift into midfield， pull defenders away and arrive late near the penalty area， while Álvarez pressed from the front and De Paul covered enormous ground. France’s lineup offered more individual speed。particularly through Mbappé and Dembélé， but its first-half performance was unusually flat. The contrast was visible from the press box: Argentina’s players moved as a connected unit， while France often looked separated into defensive and attacking groups. Substitutions later changed the contest， with Randal Kolo Muani， Kingsley Coman and others bringing fresh energy. Still， the starters established the match’s original shape， and that shape favored Argentina.Anyone searching who were the starters in the World Cup should also check the specific year and fixture rather than rely on a single list. The 2018 final featured different players， including French starters such as N’Golo Kanté and Paul Pogba， while Croatia began with Luka Modrić and Ivan Rakitić in midfield. The 2014 final had Germany’s Manuel Neuer， Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger facing Argentina’s Sergio Romero， Javier Mascherano and Messi. Those lineups show why the question who were the starters in the World Cup has no universal answer. The starting XI is a snapshot of one match， not a permanent record of a nation’s best players. In 2022， the decisive snapshot belonged to Martínez， Messi and an Argentina side whose opening lineup survived pressure。
adapted to setbacks and ultimately delivered the country’s third world title.
