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The upcoming global tournament is at last starting to feel very real. Although fans are now able to begin marking their calendars, Friday's ceremony in the US capital was full of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People performed with YMCA, observers were picking the bones out of a group stage featuring a showdown between two of the world's best strikers and a knockout stage that could produce a highly anticipated meeting between two greats of the sport.

The Ceremony That Seemed Like It Would Go On Forever

Many people tuned in eager to find out their team's group stage fixtures. However, even though fans 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 football's governing body, plus numerous montages and discussions, it eventually appeared to get going almost 60 minutes later. Or so we thought.

Cue more interviews and performances, before the real selection process eventually began nearly an hour and a half after the star-studded show initially started. The selection then took 59 minutes to finish.

On to the Football Itself...

The upcoming World Cup will be the largest in history, with a record 48 teams and a new round of 32. Yet, this expansion has maybe resulted in the initial phase being slightly diluted in quality.

There are hardly any matches between the traditional powerhouses. England's match with Croatia is the biggest theoretically. That is the sole opening-round game featuring 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 less-fancied opponents—have the weakest. Nevertheless, compelling contests remain.

Two Prolific Scorers Go Head-to-Head

Phenomenal striker Norway's star will make his debut in his first major tournament next summer. The Manchester City striker scored 16 times in qualifying matches to drag his nation to their first appearance since 1998.

Few have managed to come close to the youngster's ridiculous goalscoring feats—but someone who has is set to come up against him in the final round of group games. Along 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 go head-to-head for the initial occasion in on the global stage. Anticipate goals. Lots of goals.

We Meet Again

El Tri will face Bafana Bafana in the first game—repeating history. The sides also kicked off the tournament in South Africa. That game, ending 1-1, is most famous for a thunderous goal.

Another eye-catching group game will see France again come up against Senegal, who stunned the reigning title-holders back in the 2002 World Cup. On that first day, a future Fulham midfielder upstaged France's cast of star names to score the decisive goal.

Dream Ties for the First-Timers

Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao have benefited from the expanded World Cup to reach the finals for the first occasion. But, 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 meet multiple winners Germany. Cape Verde, with a population of around half a million, will face Euro winners and 2010 World Cup winners Spain.

The Middle Eastern side, after 40 years of trying, meets title-holders La Albiceleste and the legendary forward. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be guided by a former champion against Cristiano Ronaldo's Selecao das Quinas.

What About the Knockout Stage?

If all the top teams progress from their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the big hitters to meet. The round of 32 is where things could get really tasty, most notably with a potential tie between past winners Germany and the French.

On the opposite half of the bracket, eyes will be fixed on the quarter-final stage, where historic adversaries Messi and Ronaldo are lined up for a possible clash. It would require both Argentina and Portugal winning their groups and navigating the initial playoffs.

Regarding the Three Lions, a game against tournament hosts seems the probable last-32 tie. Should the Scots are able to get through, Japan or the Dutch could await in what would be their first ever World Cup playoff match.