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Next summer's global tournament is finally starting to feel tangible. While fans are now able to begin marking their calendars, the recent ceremony in Washington DC was not short of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People performed with their classic hit, observers were analyzing a opening round featuring a showdown between two of the world's best forwards and a knockout stage promising a highly anticipated encounter between two greats of the game.

The Draw That Felt Like It May Never End

Many people tuned in keen to discover their national side's group stage fixtures. But, even though fans are accustomed to these draws being lengthy, this one set a new standard.

After performances by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, addresses from political leaders and football's governing body, plus numerous video packages and discussions, it eventually appeared to begin almost 60 minutes later. That was an illusion.

This led to 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...

Next summer's tournament will be the biggest in the competition's history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a first-ever additional knockout round. Yet, this expansion has maybe resulted in the initial phase being slightly diluted in overall strength.

There are hardly any matches between the traditional powerhouses. England's game against Croatia is the most significant theoretically. That is the only group fixture with two teams inside the world's elite.

Brazil versus The Atlas Lions is the next best. The Dutch have the most difficult draw by Fifa world rankings, while Die Mannschaft—drawn against less-fancied opponents—have the easiest on paper. Nevertheless, interesting matches still await.

A Pair of Prolific Scorers Face Off

Generational goalgetter Erling Haaland will get a crack at his first major tournament next summer. The Premier League striker netted 16 goals in qualifying matches to drag his nation to their first appearance since 1998.

Hardly any have managed to rival the youngster's ridiculous goalscoring feats—but someone who has is set to come up against him in the final round of group games. Together with The Lions of Teranga, The Nordic side have been drawn against the French superstar's Les Bleus.

This means the top marksmen in the Premier League and Spain's division will clash for the first time in international football. Expect goals. Lots of goals.

A Familiar Foe

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

Another eye-catching fixture will see the French again come up against the Senegalese, who stunned the then-world champions back in 2002. On that first day, a future Fulham midfielder upstaged France's galaxy of stars to score the decisive goal.

Dream Ties for the Debutants

Four new nations have taken advantage of the expanded World Cup to qualify for the finals for the first time. However, standing in their way are past winners, European champions and Copa America winners.

In one group, Curacao, the least populous country to ever play at a World Cup, will take on four-time winners Germany. Cape Verde, with a population of around half a million, will face European champions and 2010 World Cup winners La Roja.

The Middle Eastern side, after decades of trying, meets defending champions Argentina and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, The Central Asian team will be led by a former champion against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

What About the Knockout Stage?

Assuming all the favorites progress from their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the heavyweights to meet. The last 16 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a possible matchup between former champions the Germans and the French.

On the opposite half of the draw, eyes will be fixed on the last eight, where historic adversaries the Argentine and the Portuguese are lined up for a potential clash. It would depend on both Messi's team and Portugal finishing top and squeezing through the early knockout rounds.

For England, a game against tournament hosts seems the most likely first knockout game. Should the Scots are able to get through, Japan or the Netherlands could await in what would be their historic World Cup playoff match.