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Next summer's global tournament is at last starting to feel very real. Although fans can finally start marking their calendars, Friday's draw in the US capital was not short of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People took to the stage with their classic hit, we were left analyzing a opening round that includes a clash between football's top forwards and a playoff bracket promising a highly anticipated encounter between legends of the sport.

The Draw That Felt Like It May Never End

Many people tuned in eager to discover their national side's initial fixtures. However, even though supporters are accustomed to these draws taking some time, this one set a new standard.

After performances by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, addresses from dignitaries and Fifa officials, plus numerous montages and interviews, it eventually appeared to get going nearly an hour later. That was an illusion.

Cue further commentary and performances, before the real selection process eventually began around 90 minutes after the star-studded show first kicked off. The selection then took 59 minutes to finish.

Moving On to the Actual Football...

Next summer's World Cup will be the biggest in the competition's history, with a record 48 teams and a first-ever additional knockout round. However, this expansion has maybe resulted in the group stage being somewhat weakened in quality.

There are very few fixtures between the major nations. The Three Lions' match with their 2018 semi-final opponents is the most significant theoretically. That is the sole opening-round game with two teams ranked in the top 10.

The Selecao versus The Atlas Lions is the next best. The Netherlands have the toughest group by Fifa world rankings, while Germany—grouped with Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao—have the easiest on paper. Nevertheless, interesting matches remain.

Two Goal Machines Face Off

Phenomenal striker Erling Haaland will make his debut in his first major tournament next summer. The Premier League striker scored 16 times in qualifying matches to single-handedly carry his country to their first appearance since 1998.

Hardly any have managed to rival the youngster's ridiculous goalscoring feats—except for one player is scheduled to come up against him in the final round of group games. Together with The Lions of Teranga, Norway have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe's France.

This means the top marksmen in the Premier League and La Liga will go head-to-head for the first time in on the global stage. Expect net-bulgers. Plenty of scoring.

A Familiar Foe

Mexico will face Bafana Bafana in the first game—and not for the first time. The sides also opened the tournament in South Africa. That game, which finished 1-1, is best remembered for a thunderous goal.

Another notable fixture will see France once more face the Senegalese, who shocked the reigning title-holders back in the 2002 World Cup. On that opening night, a then-unknown player upstaged France's cast of star names to score the winning goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the Debutants

Four new nations have benefited from the larger World Cup to qualify for the tournament for the first occasion. But, awaiting them are former world champions, European champions and South American champions.

In one group, Curacao, the smallest nation to ever feature in a World Cup, will take on four-time winners Germany. The island nation, with a resident count of around half a million, will face European champions and former champions Spain.

The Middle Eastern side, after 40 years of trying, meets title-holders La Albiceleste and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be guided by a former champion against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

What About the Playoff Rounds?

Assuming all the favorites make it safely through their groups, fans may not wait long for the big hitters to collide. The last 16 is where things could get really tasty, most notably with a possible matchup between past winners the Germans and France.

On the opposite half of the bracket, eyes will be drawn to the quarter-final stage, where old rivals the Argentine and Ronaldo are lined up for a potential showdown. It would depend on both Argentina and Ronaldo's side winning their groups and squeezing through the initial playoffs.

For England, a game against co-hosts Mexico seems the most likely last-32 tie. Should the Scots progress, Japan or the Dutch could await in what would be their historic World Cup knockout fixture.