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The upcoming World Cup is at last beginning to seem very real. While fans are now able to begin planning their schedules, Friday's ceremony in Washington DC was full of significant headlines.

Long before the Village People performed with their classic hit, observers were analyzing a group stage featuring a showdown between two of the world's best strikers and a playoff bracket promising a highly anticipated meeting between two greats of the game.

The Ceremony That Seemed Like It Would Go On Forever

Many people logged on keen to discover their national side's group stage fixtures. However, despite the fact supporters are accustomed to these draws taking some time, this one set a new standard.

After acts by Robbie Williams and a former Pussycat Doll, addresses from dignitaries and football's governing body, plus numerous video packages and interviews, it eventually appeared to begin almost 60 minutes later. Or so we thought.

Cue further commentary and performances, before the actual draw eventually began around 90 minutes after the glitzy event first kicked off. The selection then required almost an hour to finish.

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. Yet, this expansion has maybe resulted in the group stage being somewhat weakened in quality.

There are very few fixtures between the traditional powerhouses. The Three Lions' match with Croatia is the biggest on paper. 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 easiest on paper. But, interesting matches remain.

Two Prolific Scorers Go Head-to-Head

Generational goalgetter Norway's star will get a crack at his major international competition in the upcoming finals. The Premier League forward scored 16 times in qualifying matches to drag his nation to their initial berth since 1998.

Hardly any have been able to come close to the youngster's incredible scoring records—but someone who has is set to come up against him in the last match of group games. Together with The Lions of Teranga, The Nordic side have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe's France.

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

A Familiar Foe

Mexico will take on Bafana Bafana in the opening match—and not for the first time. The two teams also kicked off the 2010 edition. That match, which finished 1-1, is best remembered for a thunderous goal.

Another eye-catching group game will see France once more face the Senegalese, who shocked the reigning title-holders back in 2002. On that opening night, a then-unknown player outshone France's galaxy of stars to score the winning goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the Debutants

Four new nations have taken advantage of the expanded World Cup to reach the tournament for the first time. However, awaiting them are former world champions, European champions and Copa America winners.

In one group, the tiny Caribbean island, the least populous country to ever feature in a World Cup, will meet four-time winners Die Mannschaft. Cape Verde, with a population of around 600,000, will face European champions and former champions La Roja.

Jordan, after 40 years of trying, will face defending champions La Albiceleste and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be led by a 2006 World Cup winner against Cristiano Ronaldo'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 last 16 is where things could get really tasty, most notably with a possible matchup between former champions Germany and the French.

On the other side of the draw, eyes will be drawn to the last eight, where old rivals Messi and Ronaldo are lined up for a possible clash. It would depend on both Messi's team and Portugal finishing top and squeezing through the early knockout rounds.

Regarding the Three Lions, a game against tournament hosts seems the most likely last-32 tie. And, if Scotland are able to get through, Japan or the Netherlands could be waiting in what would be their first ever World Cup knockout fixture.