Croatia face France in Moscow on Sunday attempting to win their first World Cup while Didier Deschamps' side are aiming to land their second title two decades on from their triumph on home soil.

France, who are clear favourites to triumph in the Luzhniki Stadium, will also be spurred on by the bitter disappointment of losing the Euro 2016 final to Portugal in Paris.

It is a final few people anticipated when football's global showpiece kicked off four weeks ago.

Croatia have brought joy to their Balkan nation of just four million people by defying the odds to progress to the final while reigning champions Germany, then Argentina and Brazil all fell by the wayside in Russia.

They have been inspired by mercurial midfielder Luka Modric while coach Zlatko Dalic, who only took over last year with the squad in chaos, has coaxed remarkable performances from his team.

Deschamps would become only the third man to win the World Cup as both a player and a manager -- he was captain when France lifted the World Cup in 1998.

His France side, spearheaded by 19-year-old forward Kylian Mbappe and the more seasoned Antoine Griezmann, are the favourites.

Paul Pogba has finally become a leader in midfield for France and N'Golo Kante has excelled in doing the tireless work that allows his teammates to shine, while Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane are the nucleus of a solid defence.

Les Bleus laboured through their group, beating Australia and Peru by the odd goal and drawing with Denmark in the only goalless game of the tournament.

Then they hit form, sweeping aside Argentina in a match which announced to the world that Mbappe is set to be an international superstar as he scored twice and outshone Lionel Messi.

But apart from that 4-3 win, France have played like a Deschamps side, with the emphasis on defence.

US tourist David Madrigal is over the moon after paying $200 for a "vintage" console at a busy Tokyo store that is tapping into booming global demand for retro gaming kit.

"When I came into this store, I was like a kid walking into a candy shop," Madrigal, 23, told AFP at Super Potato in the Akihabara district famous for its Japanese pop culture shops.

"This stuff is my passion. I love older consoles," he said. The PS Vita, a console released in 2011, that he bought "would usually cost me about $600 in the US."

Super Potato has three floors packed with Game Boy cartridges, Sega Dreamcast consoles wrapped in plastic and antiquated arcade machines where nostalgic customers can play "Street Fighter II" again.

Prices can be eye-watering. A handheld Nintendo Game & Watch electronic game from the 1980s -- featuring "Zelda" -- was priced at 250,800 yen ($1,750).

Around 70-80 percent of customers are foreign tourists, who have flocked to Japan in record numbers this year, store manager Komura, who only gave his surname, told AFP.

Soul gaming

Part of the appeal, Madrigal said, is that many modern games are a bit "more of the same" compared to ones when he was growing up.

"There was a different kind of innovation," he said. "Companies weren't afraid to think outside the box. They were willing to take risks."

Video game historian Hiroyuki Maeda said that additional demand from collectors comes from the fact that some consoles were marketed differently outside Japan.

Nintendo's Famicom and Super Famicom consoles for example were released abroad under alternative names, and with different and more colourful designs, he said.

"If you come to Japan and see a machine you've never seen before, you want to buy it. It stimulates the collector's soul," said Maeda, who has written dozens of books on gaming history.

"The definition of retro gaming varies, depending on the era that the people who engage in it are nostalgic for," Maeda told AFP.

'Super collector'

Amid rice fields and lotus fields two hours north of Tokyo, Proudro (his online persona) has amassed a vast treasure trove of video game relics.

The "super collector" has stuffed an old building opposite his family home with several thousand vintage games and consoles, as well as arcade machines in full working order.

"The appeal of collecting retro games is really the nostalgia of childhood memories in games shops or spending time playing at friends' houses," the 50-year-old collector said.

"To be honest, I don't really play games," he added.

"Being surrounded by games, their sounds, their atmosphere, looking at them and dreaming, that's enough to keep me happy."

Stuffed into bins

Proudro has spent lavishly to build his collection.

Retro games can reach sky-high prices: a still-wrapped version of the game "Super Mario Bros.", released in 1985, sold in 2021 for $2 million.

Until the late 1990s, however, old games were virtually worthless, according to historian Maeda.

"They were crammed into bins in shops" and sold for as little as 10 yen (seven US cents today), he said.

Proudro says he travelled around Japan 20 years ago looking for collectables in toy shops and bookstores.

"There were often stocks of Super Famicom or Game & Watch in a corner, covered in dust. The elderly people who ran these shops would tell me to take them away to clear them out," Proudro said.

"As I work in vegetable wholesale, I would give them a crate of onions or potatoes, and everyone was happy.

"Today that would no longer be possible. These shops have disappeared, and with the internet, everyone has started to resell," he added.

Wanting to share his passion with others, Proudro founded an association of retro gaming enthusiasts and is delighted at the interest shown by people from around the world.

"But to be honest, I also think that Japanese products should stay in Japan. It's a bit like Japanese woodblock prints in the past, which were taken abroad where they were more appreciated, before being bought back by Japan," he said.

His country, he laments, "is slow to realise the value" of its works.

President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday to congratulate the winning team, President Vladimir Putin, and Russia after the World Cup final, which he called "one of the best ever!"

"Congratulations to France, who played extraordinary soccer, on winning the 2018 World Cup. Additionally, congratulations to President Putin and Russia for putting on a truly great World Cup Tournament one of the best ever!," he wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the national team of France defeated Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final match in Moscow to snatch its second World Cup Trophy.

Host nation Qatar were pushed to the brink of an early elimination from their own World Cup on Friday after a 3-1 defeat to Senegal.

Goals either side of half-time from Boulaye Dia and Famara Diedhiou gave Senegal the lead before Qatar substitute Mohammed Muntari replied in the 78th minute to set up a dramatic finale.

Senegal substitute Bamba Dieng scored six minutes later to put the result beyond doubt and lift the African champions, who opened with a 2-0 loss to the Netherlands, right back into contention in Group A.

The defeat left bottom side Qatar sweating on results elsewhere if they are to avoid following South Africa in 2010 as only the second World Cup hosts to bow out after the first round.

Their elimination would be confirmed if Ecuador fail to beat the Netherlands later in the day, and would make Qatar the first World Cup hosts to go out after two games.

Qatar had made a nervy start to the tournament in a 2-0 defeat to Ecuador and they again looked tentative against Senegal.

The Asian champions dropped their goalkeeper Saad Al Sheeb to the bench after his shaky performance in the opener.

His replacement Meshaal Barsham did not inspire much confidence in the early stages, flapping at a corner as Senegal pushed for the opening goal.

Ismaila Sarr and Nampalys Mendy had already missed scoring chances for Senegal by then, and Idrissa Gana Gueye and Youssouf Sabaly squandered more as the first half wore on.

- Qatar almost out -

Qatar spent most of the opening 45 minutes on the back foot but a rare break forward saw Akram Afif incensed not to be awarded a penalty after he was bundled over by Sarr.

Senegal looked like they would head into half-time without managing to break down Qatar's resistance, only for the hosts to gift them a goal in the 41st minute.

Qatari defender Boualem Koukhi fluffed a clearance to leave Dia to pounce on the loose ball and fire it past Barsham.

Senegal doubled their lead almost immediately after the break when Diedhiou glanced home a header at the near post from a corner.

Qatar began to show much more attacking ambition from two goals down and Afif was involved in everything.

Almoez Ali forced a fingertip save out of Senegal goalkeeper Eduoard Mendy before the Chelsea man again rescued the Africans from Isamil Mohamad's effort.

Mendy was rooted to his line when Muntari pulled one back for Qatar, powerfully heading home Mohamad's cross to haul the hosts back into it.

The goal lifted the crowd and sent Qatar surging forward in search of another, but Dieng nipped the revival in the bud in the 84th minute when he swept the ball home for Senegal's third.

Abdelkarim Hassan then lashed a free-kick just wide of the post as Qatar tried to hit back but Senegal held firm to see out the win.

Sadio Mane's Senegal are aiming to retain their title and Mohamed Salah is chasing a first trophy with Egypt at this year's Africa Cup of Nations, which begins in Ivory Coast on January 13.

A strong field also features 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco and a Nigeria team spearheaded by African footballer of the year Victor Osimhen, as organisers hope the focus will remain solely on the football at this edition of the continental showpiece.

Ivory Coast is hosting the AFCON for the first time since 1984, when only eight teams participated with Roger Milla's Cameroon emerging as champions.

This time there are 24 teams at a tournament initially scheduled to be played in June and July last year in order to avoid a clash with Europe's top leagues.

However, fears over staging it during the rainy season eventually led the Confederation of African Football to push it back to the more traditional January and February slot.

Focus on security

The last AFCON, two years ago in Cameroon, was overshadowed by the tragedy at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, when eight people died in a crush and stampede.

Security is therefore at the forefront of organisers' thoughts this time, with 1.5 million fans expected to attend from outside the country.

Matches will be staged in six stadiums across five cities, with two venues in the economic capital, Abidjan.

These include the 60,000-capacity Ebimpe Olympic Stadium, constructed especially for the competition. It will be the venue for the opening game between Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau, as well as the February 11 final.

Games will also be played in the capital Yamoussoukro and neighbouring Bouake, as well as in San Pedro on the coast and in Korhogo, in the north near the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.

Organisers will also hope the quality of the football is better this time than in 2022, when an average of fewer than two goals were scored per game.

Morocco will be expected to go far, with Africa's top-ranked nation still riding high from their run to the last four in Qatar just over a year ago.

They have a squad full of players based at leading European sides, with Paris Saint-Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi the headline name, but Morocco have not won the AFCON since 1976.

"With each competition that goes by we get further away from the date when we last won it, but that is not a reason for us to put extra pressure on ourselves," insisted coach Walid Regragui recently.

Can Senegal retain title?

Morocco are in Group F with DR Congo, Avram Grant's Zambia and Tanzania, who have never won a game at the AFCON.

Senegal are in a tougher-looking section with neighbours Gambia, the Guinea of Bundesliga hotshot Serhou Guirassy, and Cameroon.

Mane and his team are aiming to become the first nation to retain the title since Egypt's run of three in a row between 2006 and 2010.

"We have only ever won it once, so we are eager to go there and win, and keep winning," insisted Senegal coach Aliou Cisse.

Winners in 2019, Algeria are aiming to make up for their woeful showing two years ago, when they exited in the group stage.

Egypt, led by Portuguese coach Rui Vitoria, boast the biggest star of all in Salah as they target a record-extending eighth AFCON title to banish the memory of defeats in the finals of 2017 and 2022.

That is what Egyptians are dreaming of, although Salah's manager at Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, is hoping for a different outcome given that his team are currently chasing the Premier League title.

"From a personal point of view, I would be happy if they go out in the group stage but that's probably not possible. They can go on and win it," Klopp admitted.

Then there is the host nation, no longer the force they were when they last won the title in 2015 with Yaya Toure as captain, but looking to make the most of home advantage.

Nigeria, with Bayer Leverkusen sensation Victor Boniface as well as Osimhen, have an almost unrivalled amount of depth in attack.

South Africa, meanwhile, are back after missing the last edition, and have a team that leans heavily on the country's leading club side, Mamelodi Sundowns.

The winners of the trophy will receive a record $7 million in prize money, 40 percent more than what champions Senegal pocketed in 2022.