It was fitting that Gonzalo Montiel hit the winning penalty. His handball had allowed Kylian Mbappé the chance to level the World Cup final at 3-3 just three minutes from the end of extra-time.
But after Kingsley Coman and Aurélien Tchouaméni had missed their penalties for France, the 25-year-old defender stepped up for redemption and history.
He thrashed to the right of France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to start the celebrations.
The strike at least ended the near psychedelic experience at the Lusail Stadium.
Didier Deschamps' men were limp specimens and rightly trailed by two goals going into the final 10 minutes.
But Nicolas Otamendi's clumsy challenge on substitute Randal Kolo Muani in the penalty area revitalised them.
Mbappé stepped up and rolled the shot to the left of Argentina goalkeeper Emilio Martinez to make it 2-1
Two minutes later, Mbappé scored a sensational equaliser. Substitute Kingsley Coman robbed Lionel Messi on the right and the ball was worked across the penalty area.
After a one-two with substitute Marcus Thuram, Mbappé volleyed past Martinez to level at two apiece
And France looked the likelier to win during the closing stages. But it was Lloris who pulled off a finger tip save from Messi's shot with virtually the last kick of normal time.
It had started so well for the Argentines.
Ousmane Dembélé brought down Angel Di Maria in the 21st minute in the penalty area as the Juventus star dribbled in from the left.
Messi slotted into the right hand side of the goal as Lloris dived to the left for his sixth goal of the competition and ample reward for Argentina's early pressure.
Argentina continued to dominate possession for the rest of the half with France unable to break out of their half.
And nine minutes before the pause, the South Americans doubled their advantage with a flowing move from right to left.
Messi flicked a ball into the path of Julian Alvarez who who released Alexis MacAllister along the right wing and the midfielder sped towards goal and slid through to Di Maria who swept home past Lloris.
Changes
That was enough for Deschamps. He removed record goalscorer Olivier Giroud and Dembélé for Thuram and Kolo Muani before half-time.
Their extra heft bought a tad more poise to the French proceedings and gave France a semblance of hope for the second half.
They could also pray that the same ghosts might revisit the Argentines who led 2-0 against the Netherlands in the last eight and conceded twice in the last 17 minutes.
As the second-half wore on France managed to get more of the ball with Kolo Muani's physique and technique causing problems down the French right.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni sent on the more solid Marcos Acuna for Di Maria as France tried to turn the tide sensing that Argentina were starting to choke.
Their patience paid off.
Whirlwind
But Argentina started extra-time with more panache. Dayot Upamecano had to be alert to deny two Lautaro Martinez.
Just after the restart, Lloris foiled Martinez again but Messi was on hand to stab home to make it 3-2.
That left Argentina 14 minutes to hold on to one goal.
But they could not do it. From a corner Mbappé's shot from the edge of the box hit Montiel's hand.
Mbappé scored again to level at 3-3 and become the first man since Geoff Hurst in 1966 to score a hat trick in a World Cup final. His eighth strike of the tournament would bring him the "Golden Boot" as top scorer in Qatar.
Kolo Muani could have won it for France when he was clear but Martinez pulled off an incredible stop.
It was that kind of evening.
"We suffered," Martinez told French broadcaster bein Sport. "We tried to hold on but they kept coming back. It seems our destiny is to suffer."
