Footballing powerhouses with four world titles between them, Argentina and France will face off in Sunday's grand finale, while Croatia and Morocco are up against each other in the third-place playoff a day earlier.
Many are already calling it the greatest World Cup in recent times due to the sheer unpredictability of the earlier games, and it is only fitting that the final two matches will see all the four teams start on equal footing.
Here are the talking points from day 25 as the first ever Arab World Cup winds down to its last days, following which the fans will only have to wait 3.5 years before the next edition in North America.
Les Bleus new footballing powerhouse, irrespective of Sunday's result
The likes of Brazil, Germany, Italy and Argentina all stamped their authority on the world stage at different stages in the past, but France has rightfully earned the right to be claimed as the most dominant force in modern times.
Including 1998, Les Bleus have reached four finals in seven editions including Qatar, losing to Italy in 2006, and emerging victorious in the other two.
Add to that a Euro title in 2000 and a runners-up finish in 2016 during the same period, and it looks even more impressive.
It is a testament to the French depth in talent that despite missing injured squad members and multiple first-choice starters in all the departments bar Hugo Lloris, they still set up a title clash.
There are 10 survivors from the Russia triumph in 2018, including five who started both the final against Croatia four years ago and Wednesday's semi-final against Morocco.
In four years, Didier Deschamps' charges have only become a more well-oiled outfit that knows how to win the defining moments of the game, in spite of the tide going against them, as seen in their last two matches against Morocco and England in the quarter-final.
France registered their first clean sheet against the Atlas Lions after conceding in all the previous matches, but crucially scored 13 times, often from their most likely sources in Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, and Antoine Griezmann, who are all in outstanding form.
If the French prevail this coming Sunday, they will become the third side after Italy (1934, 1938) and Brazil (1958, 1962) to clinch consecutive World Cup titles, while Deschamps will only be the second manager after Italian Vittorio Pozzo to win successive crowns.
Four years on, Mbappe's France meet Messi's Argentina again
If the Lusail title-decider follows a similar script to the last 16 clash in Russia between the two teams then the football world is in for a treat.
In a topsy-turvy encounter where Mbappe and Lionel Messi were the chief protagonists, France beat Argentina 4-3 with the former scoring twice and the latter providing two assists.
The two superstars will once again be the lead players in Sunday's clash and along with the ultimate trophy on offer, there will also be the added incentives of the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards, with the two Paris Saint Germain teammates leading the race for their respective sides.
With five goals and three assists, Messi is slightly ahead of his club mate, who has the same number of goals and two assists, having played 477 minutes to the former's 570.
With four goals each, Julian Alvarez and Giroud are also in the running, while Griezmann may not win the Golden Shoe award but has contributed selflessly with three assists in his new role as a midfield floater.
This will be the first time since 2002 that the Golden Boot winner will come from either one of the two finalists.
Also Read: Lethal France end Morocco fairytale run
Morocco should build on Qatar display
In the end, the Atlas Lions had to be content with the third-place playoff, but not before scripting the story of the tournament.
Walid Regragui's disciples defeated the world's second best side Belgium in the group stage, before overcoming 2010 champion Spain in the last 16 and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the quarter-final to become the first African and Arab team to qualify for the semis.
The North Africans gave a great account of themselves against the French too, but ultimately fell short to France's efficiency in the final third, with two goals from as many shots on target from Theo Hernandez and substitute Randal Kolo Muani, who scored 44 seconds after coming on, becoming the fastest sub to score in a World Cup game since Denmark's Ebbe Sand (16 seconds) against Nigeria in 1998.
Morocco only leaked one goal before the semi but it is on the other side of the pitch that eventually led to the end of their fairytale run.
Despite dominating possession and fashioning more goal-scoring chances, a lack of composure in the final third meant Morocco had to be satisfied with a third-place decider against Croatia, a repeat of the Group F clash which ended goalless.
What next for Morocco's miracle men then?
After Qatar, Regragui, who has a contract till the next World Cup, will turn his attention to the current qualification round of the upcoming Africa Cup Of Nations, scheduled for 2024.
Morocco currently lead Group K with two wins in as many matches, and with the top two advancing to the tournament finals in Ivory Coast, the Atlas Lions are all but through as the other teams South Africa and Liberia are yet to register their first points on the board.
Once derided by his critics as an “avocado head” but now firmly in the hearts of Moroccans all over the world, Regragui will look to continue the good work from Qatar in Ivory Coast.
They won their first and only Afcon title in 1976, and finished runners-up in 2004.
Surely, Morocco's marvelous men will be eager to make a mark in the forthcoming African battle royale after being ousted by Mohamed Salah's Egypt in the quarter-finals in the last edition, with many of the current members featuring in that game.
