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The upcoming global tournament is finally starting to feel tangible. While supporters can finally start marking their calendars, Friday's draw in Washington DC was full of major talking points.

Long before the Village People performed with YMCA, observers were analyzing a opening round that includes a showdown between two of the world's best strikers and a playoff bracket promising a highly anticipated meeting between legends of the sport.

The Draw That Felt Like It May Never End

Many people tuned in eager to find out their national side's group stage fixtures. But, even though supporters are accustomed to these draws being lengthy, this was extraordinary.

Following performances by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, speeches from political leaders and Fifa officials, plus countless video packages and interviews, it eventually appeared to begin nearly an hour later. Or so we thought.

This led to further commentary and entertainment, before the real selection process eventually began around 90 minutes after the star-studded show initially started. The draw itself then took 59 minutes to complete.

On to the Football Itself...

The upcoming tournament will be the biggest in the competition's history, with a record 48 teams and a new round of 32. Yet, this expansion has perhaps led to the initial phase being somewhat weakened in quality.

There are very few matches between the major nations. The Three Lions' match with their 2018 semi-final opponents is the most significant theoretically. That is the sole opening-round game featuring two teams ranked in the top 10.

The Selecao versus The Atlas Lions is the second most intriguing. The Dutch have the most difficult draw by official standings, while Die Mannschaft—grouped with less-fancied opponents—have the easiest on paper. Nevertheless, interesting matches still await.

Two Goal Machines Go Head-to-Head

Generational goalgetter Norway's star will make his debut in his first major tournament 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 been able to come close to the 25-year-old's ridiculous goalscoring feats—except for one player is scheduled to face him in the last match of the group stage. Along with The Lions of Teranga, The Nordic side have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe's Les Bleus.

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.

A Familiar Foe

Mexico will take on Bafana Bafana in the first game—repeating history. The sides also kicked off the tournament in South Africa. That match, ending 1-1, is most famous for a rasping goal.

Another eye-catching fixture will see France once more face the Senegalese, who stunned the reigning title-holders back in 2002. On that first day, a future Fulham midfielder upstaged France's cast of star names to score the winning goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the First-Timers

Four new nations have benefited from the expanded World Cup to qualify for the tournament for the first occasion. But, standing in their way are former world champions, European champions and South American champions.

In one group, Curacao, the smallest nation to ever feature in a World Cup, will meet multiple winners Die Mannschaft. The island nation, with a resident count of around half a million, will face European champions and 2010 World Cup winners Spain.

The Middle Eastern side, after decades of trying, meets title-holders Argentina and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, The Central Asian team will be led by a 2006 World Cup winner against the Portuguese icon's Selecao das Quinas.

And Then Comes the Knockout Stage?

Assuming all the favorites progress from their groups, we shouldn't have to wait for the heavyweights to collide. The last 16 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a potential tie between past winners Germany and France.

On the other side of the bracket, eyes will be drawn to the last eight, where old rivals the Argentine and Ronaldo are lined up for a potential showdown. It would require both Argentina and Ronaldo's side winning their groups and squeezing through the initial playoffs.

Regarding the Three Lions, a game against co-hosts Mexico seems the probable last-32 tie. Should Scotland progress, Samurai Blue or the Netherlands could be waiting in what would be their historic World Cup knockout fixture.