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Next summer's World Cup is at last starting to feel tangible. While supporters can finally start marking their calendars, Friday's ceremony in the US capital was full of major talking points.

Well before the Village People took to the stage with YMCA, we were left picking the bones out of a opening round that includes a showdown between two of the world's best strikers and a playoff bracket that could produce a highly anticipated encounter between two greats of the game.

The Draw That Felt Like It May Never End

Numerous viewers logged on eager to discover their team's group stage opponents. But, even though fans are used to such ceremonies being lengthy, this one set a new standard.

Following performances by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, speeches from political leaders and football's governing body, plus numerous video packages and interviews, it eventually appeared to begin nearly an hour later. Or so we thought.

Cue more interviews and performances, before the real selection process finally commenced around 90 minutes after the glitzy event initially started. The selection then required almost an hour to finish.

Moving On to the Actual Football...

The upcoming World Cup 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 perhaps led to the initial phase being slightly diluted in quality.

There are very few fixtures between the traditional powerhouses. The Three Lions' 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 toughest group by official standings, while Germany—drawn against Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao—have the easiest on paper. But, interesting matches still await.

Two Prolific Scorers Face Off

Phenomenal striker Erling Haaland will get a crack at his major international competition in the upcoming finals. The Premier League forward scored 16 times in qualifying matches to single-handedly carry his country to their first appearance since 1998.

Few have managed to rival the youngster's incredible goalscoring feats—but someone who has is set to come up against him in the final round of the group stage. Together with The Lions of Teranga, Norway have been paired with Kylian Mbappe's France.

This means the leading scorers in the Premier League and La Liga will clash for the first time in on the global stage. Anticipate goals. Plenty of scoring.

A Familiar Foe

El Tri will face South Africa in the opening match—repeating history. The two teams also opened the 2010 edition. That game, which finished 1-1, is most famous for a thunderous goal.

Another notable group game will see France again come up against Senegal, who stunned the then-world champions back in 2002. On that opening night, a then-unknown player upstaged France's galaxy of stars to score the decisive goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the Debutants

Four new nations have benefited from the larger World Cup to reach the finals for the first time. However, standing in their way are former world champions, European champions and Copa America winners.

In one group, Curacao, the least populous country to ever feature in a World Cup, will meet multiple winners Germany. The island nation, with a resident count of around 600,000, will face Euro winners and 2010 World Cup winners La Roja.

The Middle Eastern side, after decades of trying, will face title-holders La Albiceleste and the legendary forward. Meanwhile, The Central Asian team will be led by a 2006 World Cup winner against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

What About the Knockout Stage?

Assuming all the top teams progress from their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the heavyweights to meet. The round of 32 is where things could get really tasty, most notably with a potential tie between former champions the Germans and France.

On the other side of the bracket, eyes will be fixed on the last eight, where historic adversaries Messi and the Portuguese are lined up for a possible clash. It would depend on both Argentina and Ronaldo's side finishing top and navigating the early knockout rounds.

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