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The upcoming global tournament is at last beginning to seem very real. While supporters can finally start planning their schedules, the recent ceremony in the US capital was full of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People took to the stage with their classic hit, we were left picking the bones out of a opening round featuring a showdown between football's top strikers and a playoff bracket that could produce a highly anticipated meeting between two greats of the game.

The Ceremony That Seemed Like It May Never End

Many people tuned in keen to discover their team's group stage fixtures. But, even though fans are used to these draws taking some time, this one set a new standard.

Following performances by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, addresses from dignitaries and Fifa officials, plus numerous video packages and discussions, it eventually appeared to get going almost 60 minutes later. That was an illusion.

This led to further commentary and performances, before the actual draw finally commenced around 90 minutes after the star-studded show first kicked off. The draw itself then took 59 minutes to complete.

On to the Football Itself...

The upcoming tournament will be the largest in the competition's history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a new round of 32. Yet, this expansion has maybe resulted in the initial phase being somewhat weakened in quality.

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

The Selecao versus Morocco is the next best. The Dutch have the toughest group by Fifa world rankings, while Die Mannschaft—drawn against less-fancied opponents—have the weakest. But, interesting matches still await.

A Pair of Prolific Scorers Face Off

Phenomenal striker Erling Haaland will get a crack at his major international competition next summer. The Manchester City striker netted 16 goals in qualifying matches to drag his country to their first appearance since 1998.

Hardly any have been able to come close to the youngster's ridiculous goalscoring feats—except for one player is set to face him in the last match of group games. Along with Senegal, Norway have been paired with Kylian Mbappe's Les Bleus.

This means the leading scorers in the English top flight and Spain's division will go head-to-head for the first time in international football. Anticipate net-bulgers. Lots of goals.

A Familiar Foe

El Tri will take on Bafana Bafana in the opening match—and not for the first time. The two teams also opened the tournament in South Africa. That game, ending 1-1, is best remembered for a rasping second-half strike.

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

Dream Ties for the First-Timers

Four new nations have taken advantage of the expanded World Cup to reach the tournament for the first occasion. However, standing in their way are past winners, European champions and South American champions.

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 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 title-holders Argentina and the legendary forward. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be guided by a 2006 World Cup winner against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

And Then Comes the Playoff Rounds?

If all the favorites progress from their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the big hitters to collide. The round of 32 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a potential tie between past winners the Germans and France.

On the opposite half of the bracket, eyes will be drawn to the quarter-final stage, where historic adversaries the Argentine and the Portuguese are lined up for a possible clash. It would require both Argentina and Portugal winning their groups and navigating the early knockout rounds.

For England, a match with co-hosts Mexico seems the probable first knockout game. And, if the Scots progress, Japan or the Netherlands could be waiting in what would be their historic World Cup knockout fixture.