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Next summer's World Cup is at last starting to feel tangible. Although fans are now able to begin planning their schedules, Friday's draw in Washington DC was full of significant headlines.

Well before the iconic group took to the stage with their classic hit, observers were analyzing a group stage featuring a clash between two of the world's best forwards and a playoff bracket promising a highly anticipated meeting between legends of the sport.

The Draw That Felt Like It Would Go On Forever

Many people tuned in keen to find out their team's initial fixtures. But, despite the fact supporters are accustomed to these draws taking some time, this was extraordinary.

After acts by Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger, speeches from political leaders and football's governing body, plus numerous montages and interviews, it finally seemed to begin almost 60 minutes later. That was an illusion.

This led to more interviews and entertainment, before the real selection process eventually began nearly an hour and a half after the glitzy event initially started. The draw itself then required almost an hour to complete.

On to the Actual Football...

The upcoming tournament will be the largest in the competition's history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a first-ever additional knockout round. However, this expansion has perhaps led to the group stage being somewhat weakened in quality.

There are very few fixtures between the traditional powerhouses. England's match with Croatia is the most significant theoretically. That is the only group fixture featuring two teams inside the world's elite.

Brazil versus Morocco is the next best. The Dutch have the most difficult draw by Fifa world rankings, while Die Mannschaft—grouped with less-fancied opponents—have the weakest. But, interesting matches remain.

A Pair of Prolific Scorers Face Off

Generational goalgetter Erling Haaland will make his debut in his major international competition next summer. The Manchester City striker scored 16 times in qualifying matches to drag his country to their first appearance since 1998.

Few have been able to rival the 25-year-old's incredible goalscoring feats—except for one player is set to come up against him in the last match of group games. Together with Senegal, Norway have been drawn against the French superstar's France.

This means the top marksmen in the Premier League and La Liga will clash for the first time in international football. Expect goals. Plenty of scoring.

We Meet Again

El Tri will face South Africa in the first game—repeating history. The two teams also kicked off the 2010 edition. That game, which finished 1-1, is best remembered for a rasping goal.

Another notable group game will see France again come up against the Senegalese, who stunned the then-world champions back in 2002. On that opening night, a future Fulham midfielder outshone France's cast of star names to score the winning goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the Debutants

Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao have benefited from the expanded World Cup to qualify for the finals for the first occasion. However, standing in their way are past winners, continental title-holders and South American champions.

In one group, Curacao, the least populous country to ever feature in a World Cup, will meet four-time winners Die Mannschaft. The island nation, with a resident count of around 600,000, will face Euro winners and former champions Spain.

The Middle Eastern side, after 40 years of trying, will face defending champions Argentina and the legendary forward. Meanwhile, The Central Asian team will be led by a 2006 World Cup winner against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

What About the Knockout Stage?

Assuming all the top teams 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 possible matchup between past winners the Germans and the French.

On the other side of the bracket, eyes will be drawn to the last eight, where historic adversaries Messi and Ronaldo are set for a possible showdown. It would depend on both Messi's team and Ronaldo's side winning their groups and squeezing through the early knockout rounds.

Regarding the Three Lions, a game against tournament hosts seems the most likely first knockout game. Should the Scots progress, Samurai Blue or the Dutch could be waiting in what would be their historic World Cup knockout fixture.