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

Well before the Village People performed with YMCA, we were left analyzing a opening round featuring a showdown between football's top forwards and a playoff bracket that could produce a highly anticipated meeting between two greats of the sport.

The Draw That Seemed Like It May Never End

Many people logged on keen to find out their national side's group stage fixtures. However, despite the fact fans are accustomed to these draws being lengthy, this was extraordinary.

After performances by a pop star and Nicole Scherzinger, addresses from political leaders and Fifa officials, plus countless video packages and interviews, it finally seemed to begin nearly an hour later. Or so we thought.

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

Moving On to the Football Itself...

Next summer's tournament will be the largest in the competition's history, with a unprecedented number of nations and a new round of 32. However, this increase in size has maybe resulted in the initial phase being somewhat weakened in overall strength.

There are very few fixtures between the major nations. The Three Lions' match with Croatia is the most significant theoretically. That is the sole opening-round game with two teams inside the world's elite.

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 Prolific Scorers Face Off

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

Hardly any have been able to rival the youngster's incredible scoring records—but someone who has is scheduled to come up against him in the final round of the group stage. Along with Senegal, Norway have been drawn against Kylian Mbappe's Les Bleus.

This means the leading scorers in the English top flight and Spain's division will go head-to-head for the initial occasion in on the global stage. Expect net-bulgers. Lots of goals.

We Meet Again

Mexico will face South Africa in the opening match—repeating history. The two teams also opened the 2010 edition. That game, which finished 1-1, is most famous for a thunderous goal.

Another eye-catching fixture will see the French once more face the Senegalese, who shocked the reigning title-holders back in the 2002 World Cup. On that first day, a then-unknown player upstaged France's cast of star names to score the winning goal.

Fantasy Fixtures for the First-Timers

Uzbekistan, Cape Verde, Jordan and Curacao have benefited from the larger World Cup to qualify for the tournament for the first time. However, awaiting them are past winners, European champions and Copa America winners.

In one group, the tiny Caribbean island, the least populous country to ever play at a World Cup, will meet multiple winners Germany. The island nation, with a resident count of around 600,000, will face European champions and former champions La Roja.

The Middle Eastern side, after decades of trying, will face defending champions Argentina and Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan will be guided by a former champion against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.

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 last 16 is where things could get extremely interesting, most notably with a possible matchup between past winners Germany and France.

On the opposite half of the bracket, eyes will be drawn to the quarter-final stage, where historic adversaries Messi and the Portuguese are lined up for a possible showdown. It would depend on both Messi's team and Portugal finishing top and navigating the early knockout rounds.

Regarding the Three Lions, a match with tournament hosts seems the probable first knockout game. And, if Scotland progress, Japan or the Netherlands could be waiting in what would be their historic World Cup playoff match.