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Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a Croatian soccer shirt with the name "Putin" printed on the back on Sunday, hours before Croatia play France in the World Cup final in Moscow.

Croatia has been caught up in soccer fever after the Balkan nation of 4.2 million people swept aside more fancied opponents to reach its first ever World Cup final, which Russia is hosting this year.

Grabar-Kitarovic has, herself, entered into the spirit of the occasion, travelling to Russia to watch matches and dressing in the colours of the national flag. Croatia knocked Russia's team out of the competition in the quarter-finals.

At a Kremlin meeting, Putin congratulated the Croatian president on the Croatian team's performance.

"I'm sure we will see a beautiful game today," he said. Grabar-Kitarovic thanked Putin for what she said was the successful organisation of the competition.

Putin presented her with a bouquet of flowers, while she gave the Russian leader the Croatian national shirt.

France have shut out all the euphoria back home over their run to the World Cup final in order to play a perfect match against Croatia on Sunday, France captain Hugo Lloris said.

The goalkeeper said the team were not being swept up by the wave of celebrations back home and were keeping their focus firmly on their shot of earning a second World Cup title after 1998 when they take on the Croatians in Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

"To be honest we are in our little bubble and we don't know what is happening in France," Lloris told reporters on Saturday.

"We are far from thinking that we have reached our goal. We will face a high-quality opponent and they deserve as much credit as we do.

"They have displayed their physical and mental strengths and tomorrow we will need a great French team to win."

France have never needed to go beyond 90 minutes in their run to the final after beating Argentina in the round of 16, Uruguay in the last eight and Belgium in the semi-finals.

But Croatia had to battle from a goal down in all three of their knockout matches to beat Denmark, Russia and England.

They played extra time in all of them and needed penalties against the Danes and hosts Russia.

"Croatia have shown their mental strength which is quite incredible. They have managed to qualify after extra time three times in a row. There is something special in this team," Lloris warned.

"They also have an incredible collective strength. We have a lot of respect for them. We need to perform at a high level and deliver a perfect match to win," said the keeper.

France are in their third World Cup final after winning in 1998 and losing to Italy in 2006. They also reached the Euro final on home soil two years ago only to lose to Portugal.

Lloris said that defeat was not on their minds any longer, with many current players not part of the 2016 team.

"I think that our team is quite calm. I do not really know if we realise how far we have come but it is better that way," Lloris said. "We have this inner strength from the beginning of the tournament with which we can overcome any challenge."

"Tomorrow will be the most important match of our career. It will be a special match because it is a World Cup final and we have to stay in our bubble to focus on the ultimate goal."

Mexico coach Gerardo Martino named his final squad for Qatar on Monday with veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and midfielder Andres Guardado heading to their fifth World Cup.

Guardado, 36, who plays for Spain's Real Betis, was one of nine Europe-based players called up by Martino, who hopes to take Mexico to their first World Cup quarter-final in more than three decades.

Ochoa, 37, is the Mexican national team's most capped goalkeeper and won plaudits in the 2014 World Cup for almost single-handedly holding Brazil at bay to help his side earn a 0-0 draw.

As expected, winger Jesus Corona was ruled out due to injury after suffering a broken leg and a torn ankle ligament in training with his club Sevilla.

Veteran striker Javier Hernandez of the Los Angeles Galaxy was left out having played in the last three World Cups.

Mexico, who are in World Cup Group C, will face Poland on November 22, Argentina on November 26 and Saudi Arabia on November 30.

Squad:

Goalkeeper: Rodolfo Cota (Leon), Guillermo Ochoa (America), Alfredo Talavera (Juarez).

Defenders: Kevin Alvarez (Pachuca), Nestor Araujo (America), Gerardo Arteaga (Genk/BEL), Jesus Gallardo (Monterrey), Hector Moreno (Monterrey), Cesar Montes (Monterrey), Jorge Sanchez (Ajax/NED), Johan Vasquez (Cremonese/ITA).

Midfielders: Edson Alvarez (Ajax/NED), Roberto Alvarado (Guadalajara), Uriel Antuna (Cruz Azul), Luis Chavez (Pachuca), Andres Guardado (Betis/ESP), Erick Gutierrez (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Hector Herrera (Houston Dynamo/USA), Orbelin Pineda (AEK Athens/GRE), Carlos Rodriguez (Cruz Azul), Luis Romo (Monterrey).

Forwards: Rogelio Funes Mori (Monterrey), Raul Jimenez (Wolverhampton/ENG), Hirving Lozano (Napoli/ITA), Henry Martin (America), Alexis Vega (Guadalajara).

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© Agence France-Presse

France's soccer coach will have a subway train station named after him to celebrate his World Cup win and poet Victor Hugo will have to share his memorial slot on Paris's transport map with the team's goalkeeper and captain.

As "Les Bleus" headed home with the World Cup trophy on Monday, the French capital's RATP transport authority said it was renaming six metro subway stations in their honour for the day.

One station, Notre-Dame des Champs, will now be called Notre Didier Deschamps (Our Didier Deschamps), in an hommage to the coach.

Didier Deschamps is one of just three men in the history of the World Cup to take the trophy as team coach after winning it as a player - he helped the team to its first victory in the tournament in 1998.

Victor Hugo station is being renamed Victor Hugo Lloris after captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Bercy station will become "Bercy les Bleus", close to "Merci Les Bleus".

"Les Bleus" are returning on Monday from World Cup host country Russia to celebrate their victory with a parade on the Champs Elysees.

At one end of that avenue another subway stop called "Charles de Gaulle - Etoile" is being renamed "On a 2 Étoiles", replacing the wartime leader with the boast "We have two stars", one for each World Cup win.

With demand for the French team jersey surging, police urged crowds to move away from the entrance of the Nike shop on the Champs Elysees early on Monday.

England, which surprised many by getting as far as the semis, has changed Southgate station on the London Underground to Gareth Southgate Station in honour of the national coach.

Davide Nicola has been brought back as coach of Salernitana just two days after being sacked, the Serie A club confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.

Salernitana said on Monday that Nicola had been fired, his dismissal coming in the aftermath of an 8-2 drubbing at the hands of Atalanta.

The heavy defeat left them 16th in Serie A, but nine points clear of the relegation zone ahead of the visit of rampant league leaders and local rivals Napoli on Saturday.

Nicola said in a message on Facebook he would remain coach after speaking to club owner Danilo Iervolino on Tuesday, a discussion in which he pleaded to be kept on.

Asked by AFP, Salernitana confirmed the decision and that Nicola would be working under the same contract until 2024 he signed in June after guiding the southerners to a miracle escape act last season.

The 49-year-old arrived at Salernitana in February of last year with the club bottom of the league and seemingly certain to go down.

But they survived the drop by just one point on the final day of the season after losing just one of their last eight matches, winning four.