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Next summer's global tournament is finally starting to feel tangible. Although supporters are now able to begin marking their calendars, Friday's draw in Washington DC was not short of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People performed with YMCA, observers were picking the bones out of a group stage featuring a clash between football's top forwards and a knockout stage that could produce a highly anticipated encounter between two greats of the sport.

The Ceremony That Seemed Like It May Never End

Many people logged on keen to find out their national side's initial fixtures. However, despite the fact supporters are used to these draws taking some time, this one set a new standard.

After acts by a pop star and a former Pussycat Doll, addresses from political leaders and Fifa officials, plus countless montages and discussions, it finally seemed to get going nearly an hour later. That was an illusion.

Cue more interviews and entertainment, before the actual draw finally commenced around 90 minutes after the glitzy event initially started. The selection 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 first-ever additional knockout round. However, this increase in size has maybe resulted in the initial phase being slightly diluted in overall strength.

There are very few matches between the major nations. England's match with their 2018 semi-final opponents is the most significant on paper. That is the only group fixture featuring two teams inside the world's elite.

Brazil versus Morocco is the second most intriguing. The Dutch have the toughest group by official standings, while Germany—drawn against Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao—have the weakest. Nevertheless, interesting matches still await.

A Pair of Prolific Scorers Go Head-to-Head

Phenomenal striker Erling Haaland will make his debut in his major international competition next summer. The Premier League forward netted 16 goals in eight matches to drag his nation to their first appearance since 1998.

Hardly any have managed to rival the youngster's ridiculous scoring records—except for one player is set to come up against him in the final round of the group stage. Along with Senegal, The Nordic side have been paired with Kylian Mbappe's Les Bleus.

This means the leading scorers in the Premier League and Spain's division will go head-to-head for the initial occasion in on the global stage. Expect net-bulgers. Plenty of scoring.

We Meet Again

El Tri will face Bafana Bafana in the opening match—and not for the first time. The sides also opened the tournament in South Africa. That game, ending 1-1, is most famous for a thunderous second-half strike.

Another eye-catching group game will see France again come up against the Senegalese, who shocked the then-world champions back in the 2002 World Cup. On that opening night, a future Fulham midfielder outshone France's galaxy of stars to score the winning goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the First-Timers

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

In one group, Curacao, the smallest nation to ever play at a World Cup, will take on four-time winners Germany. The island nation, with a population of around half a million, will face European champions and former champions La Roja.

The Middle Eastern side, after decades of trying, will face defending champions La Albiceleste and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be led by a former champion against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

And Then Comes the Playoff Rounds?

Assuming all the favorites make it safely through their groups, fans may not wait long for the heavyweights to meet. The last 16 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a possible matchup between former champions Germany and France.

On the other side of the draw, eyes will be fixed on the quarter-final stage, where historic adversaries Messi and Ronaldo are set for a potential showdown. It would depend on both Messi's team and Ronaldo's side finishing top and navigating the initial playoffs.

For England, a match with co-hosts Mexico seems the probable first knockout game. Should Scotland progress, Japan or the Dutch could await in what would be their first ever World Cup playoff match.