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Next summer's World Cup is at last beginning to seem very real. While fans can finally start planning their schedules, Friday's ceremony in Washington DC was full of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People took to the stage with YMCA, we were left picking the bones out of a opening round featuring a showdown between two of the world's best strikers and a knockout stage promising a highly anticipated encounter between legends of the sport.

The Ceremony That Seemed Like It May Never End

Numerous viewers tuned in keen to discover their team's group stage fixtures. However, even though fans are accustomed to such ceremonies taking some time, this one set a new standard.

Following performances by Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger, speeches from dignitaries and Fifa officials, plus countless montages and discussions, it eventually appeared to get going nearly an hour later. Or so we thought.

Cue more interviews and performances, before the real selection process eventually began around 90 minutes after the glitzy event initially started. The draw itself then required almost an hour to complete.

Moving On to the Actual Football...

The upcoming tournament will be the biggest 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 group stage being somewhat weakened in overall strength.

There are hardly any matches between the traditional powerhouses. England's match with their 2018 semi-final opponents is the biggest theoretically. That is the only group fixture with two teams ranked in the top 10.

Brazil versus Morocco is the next best. The Dutch have the toughest group by official standings, while Germany—drawn against Ecuador, Ivory Coast and Curacao—have the weakest. But, interesting matches remain.

A Pair of Goal Machines Go Head-to-Head

Phenomenal striker Erling Haaland will get a crack at his major international competition in the upcoming finals. The Premier League forward netted 16 goals in qualifying matches to single-handedly carry his nation to their initial berth since 1998.

Few have managed to rival the youngster's incredible goalscoring feats—except for one player is scheduled to come up against him in the final round of group games. Along with Senegal, Norway have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe's Les Bleus.

This means the top marksmen in the Premier League and Spain's division will clash for the initial occasion in on the global stage. Anticipate net-bulgers. Plenty of scoring.

We Meet Again

El Tri will take on South Africa in the first game—repeating history. The two teams also kicked off the tournament in South Africa. That match, which finished 1-1, is most famous for a thunderous goal.

Another eye-catching fixture will see the French again come up against the Senegalese, who shocked the reigning title-holders back in the 2002 World Cup. On that first day, a then-unknown player outshone 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 expanded World Cup to reach the finals for the first occasion. But, standing in their way are past winners, continental title-holders and South American champions.

In one group, the tiny Caribbean island, the least populous country to ever play at a World Cup, will take on four-time winners Germany. Cape Verde, with a population of around 600,000, will face European champions and 2010 World Cup winners Spain.

The Middle Eastern side, after decades of trying, will face defending champions La Albiceleste and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, The Central Asian team will be guided by a former champion against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

And Then Comes the Playoff Rounds?

If all the favorites progress from 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 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 historic adversaries Messi and Ronaldo are set for a potential clash. It would require both Argentina and Portugal finishing top and navigating the early knockout rounds.

For England, a match with co-hosts Mexico seems the most likely first knockout game. And, if the Scots are able to get through, Japan or the Dutch could be waiting in what would be their first ever World Cup knockout fixture.