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Next summer's global tournament is finally beginning to seem very real. Although supporters are now able to begin marking their calendars, Friday's ceremony in the US capital was full of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People took to the stage with their classic hit, observers were picking the bones out of a group stage featuring a showdown between two of the world's best forwards and a knockout stage promising a truly mouthwatering encounter between two greats of the game.

The Draw That Seemed Like It Would Go On Forever

Numerous viewers logged on keen to discover their national side's initial fixtures. But, even though supporters are accustomed to these draws taking some time, this one set a new standard.

After acts by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, addresses from dignitaries and Fifa officials, plus countless video packages and interviews, it eventually appeared to begin almost 60 minutes later. That was an illusion.

This led to more interviews and performances, before the actual draw finally commenced around 90 minutes after the glitzy event first kicked off. The draw itself then required almost an hour to complete.

Moving On to the Actual Football...

The upcoming tournament will be the largest in history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a new round of 32. However, this increase in size has maybe resulted in the group stage being somewhat weakened in overall strength.

There are very few matches between the major nations. England's game against their 2018 semi-final opponents is the biggest on paper. That is the sole opening-round game with two teams inside the world's elite.

The Selecao versus The Atlas Lions is the next best. The Dutch have the most difficult draw by Fifa world rankings, while Germany—grouped with less-fancied opponents—have the weakest. Nevertheless, interesting matches remain.

Two Goal Machines Face Off

Phenomenal striker Erling Haaland will make his debut in his major international competition in the upcoming finals. The Premier League striker scored 16 times in qualifying matches to drag his nation to their first appearance since 1998.

Hardly any have managed to come close to the 25-year-old's ridiculous goalscoring feats—but someone who has is set to face him in the last match of group games. Together with Senegal, Norway have been drawn against the French superstar's France.

This means the leading scorers in the English top flight and La Liga will clash for the initial occasion in on the global stage. Anticipate goals. Lots of goals.

We Meet Again

El Tri will face Bafana Bafana in the first game—and not for the first time. The two teams also kicked off the tournament in South Africa. That match, ending 1-1, is most famous for a rasping goal.

Another eye-catching fixture will see France once more face the Senegalese, who shocked the then-world champions back in the 2002 World Cup. On that first day, a future Fulham midfielder upstaged France's galaxy of stars to score the decisive goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the Debutants

Four new nations have benefited from the expanded World Cup to qualify for the finals for the first time. But, standing in their way are former world champions, continental title-holders and South American champions.

In one group, the tiny Caribbean island, the smallest nation to ever feature in a World Cup, will take on four-time winners Germany. The island nation, with a population of around half a million, will face Euro winners and 2010 World Cup winners La Roja.

The Middle Eastern side, after 40 years of trying, will face defending champions La Albiceleste and the legendary forward. Meanwhile, The Central Asian team will be led by a former champion against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

And Then Comes the Knockout Stage?

If all the favorites make it safely through their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the heavyweights to meet. The round of 32 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a potential tie between past winners the Germans and the French.

On the opposite half of the draw, eyes will be drawn to the quarter-final stage, where historic adversaries Messi and the Portuguese are set for a potential showdown. It would depend on both Argentina and Ronaldo's side finishing top and navigating the early knockout rounds.

For England, a game against co-hosts Mexico seems the probable last-32 tie. Should the Scots are able to get through, Samurai Blue or the Dutch could await in what would be their historic World Cup playoff match.