Mbappe vs Haaland, Fantasy Fixtures and The Village People: The Highlights from the World Cup Draw

The upcoming global tournament is finally beginning to seem very real. While supporters are now able to begin marking their calendars, Friday's ceremony in the US capital was full of significant headlines.

Long before the iconic group took to the stage with their classic hit, observers were picking the bones out of a group stage that includes a clash between two of the world's best strikers and a knockout stage promising a highly anticipated meeting between legends of the game.

The Ceremony That Felt Like It May Never End

Many people logged on eager to find out their national side's initial fixtures. But, despite the fact supporters are accustomed to such ceremonies taking some time, this one set a new standard.

After performances by Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger, addresses from political leaders and Fifa officials, plus countless video packages and discussions, it finally seemed to begin nearly an hour later. That was an illusion.

Cue more interviews and performances, before the real selection process finally commenced 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...

The upcoming World Cup will be the largest in history, with a record 48 teams and a first-ever additional knockout round. Yet, this expansion has maybe resulted in the group stage being somewhat weakened in quality.

There are hardly any fixtures between the major nations. The Three Lions' match with Croatia is the biggest theoretically. That is the sole opening-round game with two teams ranked in the top 10.

Brazil versus Morocco is the second most intriguing. The Netherlands have the most difficult draw by Fifa world rankings, while Die Mannschaft—drawn against Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao—have the easiest on paper. But, compelling contests remain.

Two Prolific Scorers Face Off

Generational goalgetter Erling Haaland will get a crack at his first major tournament in the upcoming finals. The Manchester City forward scored 16 times in qualifying matches to drag his nation to their initial berth since 1998.

Hardly any have been able to rival the youngster's ridiculous goalscoring feats—but someone who has is set to face him in the final round of group games. Together with Senegal, Norway have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe's France.

This means the top marksmen in the English top flight and Spain's division will clash for the initial occasion in international football. Anticipate net-bulgers. Lots of goals.

We Meet Again

El Tri will face Bafana Bafana in the first game—repeating history. The two teams also kicked off the tournament in South Africa. That game, ending 1-1, is most famous for a rasping second-half strike.

Another eye-catching fixture will see France again come up against the Senegalese, who stunned the reigning title-holders back in the 2002 World Cup. On that opening night, a future Fulham midfielder outshone France's cast of star names to score the decisive goal.

Dream Ties for the Debutants

Four new nations have benefited from the expanded World Cup to qualify for the tournament for the first occasion. However, standing in their way are past winners, European champions and Copa America winners.

In one group, Curacao, the least populous country to ever feature in a World Cup, will take on four-time winners Die Mannschaft. Cape Verde, with a population of around 600,000, will face Euro winners and 2010 World Cup winners Spain.

The Middle Eastern side, after 40 years of trying, will face defending champions La Albiceleste and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be guided by a former champion against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

What About the Playoff Rounds?

Assuming all the favorites make it safely through their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the heavyweights to meet. The round of 32 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a potential tie between past winners the Germans and the French.

On the other side of the bracket, eyes will be fixed on the quarter-final stage, where old rivals Messi and Ronaldo are set for a potential showdown. It would depend on both Messi's team and Portugal finishing top and squeezing through the early knockout rounds.

For England, a match with tournament hosts seems the probable first knockout game. Should the Scots progress, Samurai Blue or the Dutch could await in what would be their historic World Cup playoff match.