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The upcoming global tournament is at last beginning to seem very real. Although supporters can finally start marking their calendars, Friday's ceremony in Washington DC was full of major talking points.

Long before the iconic group performed with YMCA, observers were picking the bones out of a opening round that includes a showdown between football's top forwards and a playoff bracket promising a highly anticipated meeting between legends of the game.

The Draw That Seemed Like It May Never End

Numerous viewers tuned in keen to discover their team's initial fixtures. However, despite the fact fans are used to these draws being lengthy, this one set a new standard.

After performances by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, speeches from dignitaries and Fifa officials, plus countless video packages and discussions, it finally seemed to begin almost 60 minutes later. Or so we thought.

Cue further commentary and performances, before the actual draw finally commenced nearly an hour and a half after the star-studded show first kicked off. The draw itself then took 59 minutes to finish.

Moving On to the Actual Football...

Next summer's World Cup will be the biggest in history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a first-ever additional knockout round. Yet, this increase in size has maybe resulted in the group stage being slightly diluted in quality.

There are very few matches between the traditional powerhouses. The Three Lions' game against their 2018 semi-final opponents is the biggest on paper. That is the only group fixture with two teams ranked in the top 10.

The Selecao versus Morocco is the next best. The Dutch have the most difficult draw by Fifa world rankings, while Germany—drawn against Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao—have the easiest on paper. Nevertheless, interesting matches still await.

A Pair of Goal Machines Go Head-to-Head

Generational goalgetter Norway's star will get a crack at his major international competition next summer. The Premier League forward netted 16 goals in eight matches to drag his nation to their initial berth since 1998.

Hardly any have managed to rival the 25-year-old's ridiculous goalscoring feats—except for one player is set to come up against him in the final round of the group stage. Together with Senegal, Norway have been drawn against the French superstar's Les Bleus.

This means the top marksmen in the English top flight and Spain's division will clash for the first time in on the global stage. Expect goals. Plenty of scoring.

A Familiar Foe

Mexico will face Bafana Bafana in the first game—and not for the first time. The sides also kicked off the 2010 edition. That game, ending 1-1, is best remembered for a thunderous second-half strike.

Another notable group game will see France again come up against the Senegalese, who stunned the then-world champions back in 2002. On that first day, a then-unknown player upstaged France's cast of star names to score the decisive goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the First-Timers

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

In one group, Curacao, the smallest nation to ever feature in a World Cup, will take on multiple winners Germany. Cape Verde, with a population of around half a million, will face Euro winners and 2010 World Cup winners La Roja.

Jordan, after 40 years of trying, will face title-holders Argentina and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, The Central Asian team will be led by a 2006 World Cup winner against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

What About the Playoff Rounds?

Assuming all the top teams make it safely through their groups, fans may not wait long for the big hitters to meet. The round of 32 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a possible matchup between past winners the Germans and France.

On the opposite half of the bracket, eyes will be fixed on the last eight, where old rivals the Argentine and the Portuguese are lined up for a potential showdown. It would depend on both Argentina and Portugal winning their groups and navigating the early knockout rounds.

Regarding the Three Lions, a game against co-hosts Mexico seems the most likely first knockout game. Should Scotland progress, Samurai Blue or the Netherlands could await in what would be their historic World Cup playoff match.